There’s snow on the ground, but romance is in the air. We have some reading recommendations to warm those long February nights.

We are also featuring books by talented Black authors in honor of Black History Month.

Plus, in keeping with our Games theme this month, we found a few books about the games people play. Enjoy!

Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie – In her debut novel, Lemmie tells the story about love and loss, prejudice and pain, and the ties that link a family together even through the worst of times.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead – In his follow-up novel to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning bestseller, The Underground Railroad, Whitehead tells the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

 Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – Trevor Noah shares the story of his childhood in apartheid South Africa. He was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when their union was punishable by five years in prison. Noah spent most of his young childhood hidden indoors from a government that would have taken him away. When apartheid was finally lifted, he and his mother set out on the grand adventure of living free for the first time in their lives.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates – this is the dramatic story of the violent and often random separation of families and the desperate measures they took to try and stay with the people they loved.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman – Gorman explores language, identity, history, and erasure in her poems including the collective sense of grief caused by the global pandemic.

One Day in December by Josie Silver – Laurie doesn’t believe in love at first sight until one snowy December day when she’s looking out a foggy bus window and sees the man she intuitively knows is “the one.” As their eyes meet, the bus pulls away. How will she find him again?

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens – After thirty years of missed connections, their worlds couldn’t be further apart, but maybe this time will finally be the right time.

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo - When she was twelve years old, Azere promised her father on his deathbed she would marry a Nigerian man and preserve her culture after immigrating to Canada. When Azere falls in love with a man who is not Nigerian, she must choose between her duty to her family and her desire to be happy.

Games People Play by Eric Berne, M.D. – What really goes on when people interact with each other? Berne analyses the sexual, marital, power, and competitive games we play.

Would You Rather…? The Romantic Conversation Game for Couples: Love and Romance by J.L. James – Get to know your partner by answering simple questions like, “Would you rather have your partner cook you a romantic dinner or surprise you by washing/detailing your car?” Or “Would you rather receive a thoughtful call from your partner or a sexy, flirty text?”