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February's Good Reads:
Snog: A Puppy's Guide to Love: From Emma and Chester, the Labrador Retrievers on the front cover, to Barker, the Bullmastiff on the last page...

The Everything Love Spell Book: Spells, Incantations, and Potions to Spice Up Your Love Life: This how-to from the folks that bring you the Everything Guides offers spells for romance from the kitchen to the bedroom.

The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year: Need to get you life in order? If the answer is yes, then this book has your name on it.

Great Kisses: and Famous Lines Right Out of the Movies: Relive cinema's most romantic kisses with the book that chronicles 50 passionate embraces throughout cinematic history.

Piece of Work: What happens when a stay-at-home mom goes back to work and dad takes his turn at home? A surprisingly sweet love story.

A Journey Into Flaubert's Normandy: This unique travel guide is inspired by the life of author Gustave Flaubert. You will fall in love with the province of Normandy...

ROCCO's REAL LIFE RECIPES: fast flavor for every day: A successful restaurateur in New York City, chef Rocco reveals interesting, yet inviting recipes-fast.

Chocolate & Vanilla: What could be more appealing than the sweet decadence of desserts to bake for that special someone this month, especially for Valentine's?

Happiness for Two: 75 Secrets for Finding More Joy Together: How many self help books are perfect for you to read alone or as a couple? This one is!

Snog: A Puppy's Guide to Love
by Rachel Hale
Little Brown and Company, 2007

From Emma and Chester, the Labrador Retrievers on the front cover, to Barker, the Bullmastiff on the last page, you will fall in love with the adorable portraits of puppies in this book. Animal photographer Rachel Hale has a special eye for capturing these adorable pups. The photos are accompanied with thoughts, words and phrases about love, making a great gift book that will touch the hearts of young and old.

The Everything Love Spell Book: Spells, Incantations, and Potions to Spice Up Your Love Life
by Kalie Dutton and Jodi St. Onge
Adams Media, 2008

This how-to from the folks that bring you the Everything Guides offers spells for romance from the kitchen to the bedroom. You'll learn incantations for l'amour as well as the difference between magic and magick in this pocket guide. Other tips include ways to stimulate senses through herbal and aromatherapy magick. The authors say true love is just a spell away!

The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year
by Jennifer Louden
New World Library, 2007

Need to get you life in order? If the answer is yes, then this book has your name on it. This unusually hands-on organizer will engage you and require your commitment, but in return help bring organization to your life by prescribing five steps: Connect, Feel, Inquire, Allow and Apply.

With an intuitive, feminine approach, Louden acknowledges that there is often more than one right answer, and the book encourages an open-minded perspective. A lovely design and convenient size mean this may be a worthy addition to your already-stuffed purse.

Great Kisses: and Famous Lines Right Out of the Movies
by Timothy Knight
Harper Collins, 2008

Relive cinema's most romantic kisses with the book that chronicles 50 passionate embraces throughout cinematic history. The book spans movies from 1932 to 2004 and inspire readers to watch old favorites for the first time or the hundredth. This is Good Reads' pick for a special valentine in your life.

Piece of Work
by Laura Zigman
Grand Central Publishing, 2006

What happens when a stay-at-home mom goes back to work and dad takes his turn at home? A surprisingly sweet love story. Julie, our heroine, returns to the office, leaving her recently unemployed husband, Peter, at home with their three-year-old son. Never having been the best homemaker, Julie finds that her own talents shine brighter in the workforce while Peter learns to embrace his stay-at-home status. What began as a challenge for the family becomes a great lesson in learning to grow.

A Journey Into Flaubert's Normandy
By Susannah Patton
Roaring Forties Press, 2007

This unique travel guide is inspired by the life of author Gustave Flaubert. You will fall in love with the province of Normandy as it unfolds through the author's connection to its people and scenery, and at the same time feel the urge to read the works of one of France's greatest authors. Part of a new generation in travel guides, this book will inspire both excitement and reflection.

Sharon's Corner

ROCCO's REAL LIFE RECIPES: fast flavor for every day
by Rocco DiSpirito
Meredith Books, 2007

A successful restaurateur in New York City, chef Rocco reveals interesting, yet inviting recipes-fast. The indexed "look and cook" sidebar of time needed, list of fresh and prepackaged groceries, along with required staples and tools make preparing each recipe straightforward. For the culinary or time-challenged cook, this collection of 130 quick-to-fix meals is realistically achievable, while affordable all-under-$20 wines match every recipe. As chef Rocco explains in his introduction, "There isn't a person in the world you can't win over by cooking something and sitting down and eating with them. Why not do it as often and as much as you possibly can?" Of all of his books, this guide to fast flavor, every day, really can be real life.

Chocolate & Vanilla
by Gale Gand with Lisa Wells
Clarkson Potter, 2006

What could be more appealing than the sweet decadence of desserts to bake for that special someone this month, especially for Valentine's? Chicago-based James Beard Award-winning executive pastry chef Gale presents her latest book as a duo of tantalizing tastes-chocolate and vanilla-with a centerfold of dessert fantasy photos. Our taste-tested favorites highlight the delectably sweet and salty mocha panna cotta and very easy, apropos for Valentine's, heart-shaped sandwiches with marshmallow filling on the chocolate portion of the book; and vanilla raspberry rice pudding with lemon vanilla caramel, as well as vanilla-blueberry crumb cake on the vanilla flip side. Some say this book is chef Gale's best yet; as her sixth, it is irresistible for those of us who love sweets.

Happiness for Two: 75 Secrets for Finding More Joy Together
by Alexandra Stoddard
HarperCollins, 2007

How many self help books are perfect for you to read alone or as a couple? Author of more than 25 books, and a sought after speaker on the art of living well, Stoddard offers short yet succinct essays that show how two people can be happy together, and not at each other's expense. She walks the walk, as a (blissfully) married philosopher who advises making personal happiness a priority, despite our often hectic and conflicted lifestyles. Poetic, no, but perhaps this book is the key to real romance.

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* The Good Reads Girl was drawn by Denise Simon, a Chicago-based freelance illustrator.
Check out her work at deniseannsimon.com.

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