For Valentine's Day: Hearts, Flowers and Dean Koontz?

Valentine's Day is upon us again, and with it comes all of the usual romantic suggestions. Elsewhere on the Patch, you can find helpful tidbits such as movie suggestions (see and ). It is here, though, that you learn the connection between Feb. 14 and your library...

To start with the obvious—and the first named in the title—we have "Hearts." This is , in case you hadn't heard, and all month, you have the opportunity to make a small donation to show your love of the Frank Sarris Public Library.  

You simply select a paper heart (or book), adorn it with your name, have it added to our small but growing collection, and voilá! It's like what's done for the Children's Miracle Network, but with hearts (and books), not balloons.

When it comes to flowers, the library's got you covered. A keyword search of our catalog will point you in the right direction whether you're looking for books about selecting perennials, arranging cut flowers or creating flowers by folding paper. The collection includes the National Audobon Society's Field Guide to Wildflowers, something that could be handy if you're planning a romantic getaway (try "vacation" or "travel" for your keyword search)—just be sure to bring back the book!

Then there's Dean Koontz...probably not the first author to come to mind when you think "romance". True, it's not your traditional "bring her flowers and take her to a fancy restaurant for dinner" kind of a thing—it's more like "stick together and try to stay alive"—but still...the guy and the girl get together after a few minor difficulties (hitmen, for example), and they live happily ever after. If you've never thought of Koontz's books in this way and so have never tried one, here are a few titles to get you started: "The Good Guy," "Cold Fire," and "Watchers."

Of course, Koontz isn't the only romance writer we have on the shelves—there are hundreds more from which to choose. Whether you prefer historical romance or contemporary, romantic suspense or Christian romance, the Frank Sarris Public Library is bound to have something you'd like—and if we don't have it, we're always willing to put in a request to another library!