It’s February 1^st and you know what that means!  Yes, it is Library Lovers Month and love is in the air here at CPL!  We know that you may be waiting for the latest bestsellers, but while you wait, we thought we would tell you about some books we truly love that might be on the shelf right now.

“I loved Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.  The fictional story introduced me to old Mexican traditions and a story where love and food were intricately and intimately intertwined.” – Maria, Assistant Director – Outreach Services

“The first book I loved was The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I loved reading about the adventures of the titular hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, to a faraway land to help a group of exiled dwarves recover their lost gold from a dragon”. – Danny, Head of Reference

“Well, I have to pick Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.  Historical fantasy set in a nineteenth century England that used to have magic, and to which magic is now returning.  Filled with wry wit and wonderful footnotes.”  – Wes, Library Assistant

“My favorite love stories are Romeo & Juliet or The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.”  – Jamie, Library Assistant

“In third grade, my dream was to be a baseball player for the Red Sox, and I fell in love with a series I found on the shelves of my school library called Rookies by Mark Freeman, which chronicled the journey of three fictional players to the big leagues. My dream to play baseball might be over, but my positive memories reading those books still lives!”  – Sean, Head of Borrower Services

“A book I love is A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving.  I never meant to read it, let alone love it.  But my book group picked it and I am a dutiful book group member, so I read it and was surprised by my love for John and his best friend, Owen.  It is a story that will break your heart, but you will know that it was worth it.”  – Deanna, Readers Advisory

“I absolutely loved the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle.  She is so transparent and in tune with embracing your feelings and not trying to suppress them.  It was uplifting and fierce.  I loved it so much that I want to reread it to see if there is more to absorb.”– Melissa, Office Administrator

“Little Women by Louisa May Alcott may be my favorite book of all time. It was the first long book I ever read, in 5th grade, and I instantly re-read it 4 times. I still pick it up and revisit the March sisters at least once a year.” – Marty, Youth Services Librarian

“One of the first books I loved was Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White –I still can’t believe it didn’t win the Newbery Medal the year it was published, it was robbed! This timeless children’s classic was great to read as a child and even better to share with my children and my grandchildren too. It is a wonderful read-aloud, succinct and beautifully told with rich language and humor. This story of friendship and acceptance, loss and hope, and the warmth of community changed forever the way I looked at spiders and their webs. It is Some Book!” – Becky, Library Director

“A book I love, that I love to recommend, is the entire Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater. It’s a YA fantasy adventure in a modern setting about searching for truth and adventure, but it’s also about love between friends, finding family that accepts you, and, yes, some actual romance as well!”– Jeff, Marketing and Community Outreach Specialist

“A favorite love story is The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simsion. I really enjoyed this funny story of mismatched lovers who surprise themselves. Nice to see a very different kind of quirky leading man.” – Vickie, Assistant Director – Technical Services

“Here is my list of loves!  Hopscotch (Rayuela) by Julio Cortázar, Koala Lou by Mem Fox and illustrated by Pamela Lofts, and Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman.” – Laura, Reference Librarian

“Winnie the Pooh! I loved the simplicity of a story of friendship and caring for one another.  The love between the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, how they supported each other and focused on each other’s strengths to overcome issues and events as a group.  To me, Pooh is timeless but as our nation has so much strife and discord, I see the respect and love for the different characters as a lesson for us.  And there was always a celebration after, complete with a jar of honey!”– Heidi, Circulation

“I just recently reread Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo and remembered how much I love it.  There is a wonderful sense of love and community, the coming together of different people in a joyous, happy manner and the center of all if it is a dog, Winn-Dixie!  I love a book with a good dog character!” – Deborah, Youth Services

“I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown is a current favorite. Austin Channing Brown tells her truth as a black woman of faith.  Over and over again, I was breathless, at her honesty, her eloquence, her passion, and her life examples of growing up black in a “world made for whiteness” – required reading for all!” – Lisa, Reference Librarian

We hope you read some of our favorites and love them as much as we do.  And next time you are in the library, be sure to tell us about the books that you love!  Happy Reading!