Simon and Schuster Publishing Company is celebrating their one hundredth birthday! I received a list of some of their best-selling publications in a recent email. I’d like to share a few of them with you for this month’s reading recommendations. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve included some of the most endearing love stories from their classic novels.

Many of these books aren’t  considered romances. I’ve included the link to their website, https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/simon-and-schuster-100th-anniversary-titles?ss_sid=114307389&utm_source=email&utm_medium=sands_email&utm_campaign=20240131_100_anniversary_RU_1&lctg=114307389, so you can check out the full list. Enjoy!

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway – Henry meets the love of his life, Catherine Barkley, a nurse at a nearby hospital during World War I in this tragic tale of love and war.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Gatsby and Daisy are lovers who never managed to get the timing right. The results are tragic.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – Guy Montag is in a loveless marriage with Mildred who cares only for her programs and the pills which keep her happy. He meets Clarisse, a free-spirited woman who opens his eyes to the world around him. Though they don’t have a traditional romance, he loves her.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave – Hannah and her new husband Owen are deeply in love, but when Owen disappears she learns he has a secret past. In order to save Owen’s daughter, they must both make the greatest sacrifice of all.

Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara by Jerry Stiller – Comedian Jerry Stiller’s memoir covers his many years in show business and his partner in comedy, Anne Meara who became the love of his life. Meara was a tall fiery red-headed Catholic, and he was a short hairy Jew, but they managed to raise a loving family in an inter-faith show business marriage.

Who Do You Love: Stories by Jean Thompson – a collection of stories about the loves and heartbreaks of ordinary people.

Love of a Lifetime by Meissa Hill – Beth is a hopeless romantic who loves romance movies and Danny, her boyfriend of seven years, but Danny has not proposed and lately their relationship has become predictable. Before Christmas, she begins receiving anonymous notes sending her to the most romantic places in New York – landmarks from her favorite Hollywood romances. Is Danny stepping up his game, or is her new co-worker Ryan sending the notes?

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser – After Thea gets fired and her husband of nearly twenty years leaves her for one of her friends, her life is in turmoil. When a distant relative in Scotland dies and leaves her his home and extensive antique book collection, she decides a trip is just what she needs. Baldochrie, the small coastal town is charming, and the locals are so friendly, she thinks of making it her new home. Dealing with Edward, the cranky owner of the town’s only bookshop, is testing her patience, but their verbal sparring is exciting, and Thea begins to look forward to their encounters. Love comes in many forms. Is Edward her perfect match?

The French Gardener By Santa Montefiore – Miranda and David move into a country house with a once-lovely garden hoping for a fresh start, but their old problems have moved with them. A mysterious Frenchman with exceptional knowledge about gardening moves in next door. As he transforms their garden, his wisdom begins to transform their lives. Miranda and David begin to remember why they first fell in love.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion – Book 1 in the series by Simsion. Don Tillman, a socially awkward professor of genetics, wants to find his soulmate. He devises a sixteen-page questionnaire to test the compatibility of potential mates. Rosie Jarman, the local barmaid, fits few of his requirements, but when he learns about her quest to find her biological father, he offers his services as a geneticist. They begin to work closely together on the “Father Project” and Don sees qualities in Rosie that he never realized he values. Can he fall in love with someone who doesn’t work on paper?