‘BTC’ Romance in the Air: Book Selections for Valentine’s Season

February 12th, 2025

Here’s your feature story rewritten in AP style:

Love is in the air as dinner reservations fill up, bouquets are ordered, and romance takes center stage. For those looking to get lost in a love story, Carl Erickson, event and community outreach coordinator at The Bookworm, shares his top romance reads for the season on Arts Today for KVNO.

First, Omaha’s own Rainbow Rowell delivers Slow Dance, a 2024 instant New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. The novel follows high school best friends Shiloh and Cary, who reunite 14 years after graduation. Once inseparable, they drifted apart, leaving unanswered questions and unresolved feelings in their wake. Now, adults, they must navigate love, loss, and the weight of their past. Rowell’s signature wit and emotional depth make Slow Dance a must-read.

Another Omaha-based author, Lynn Painter, brings readers a fresh take on the classic rom-com with a reissue of her adult romance novel, Accidentally Amy. In a moment of desperation, the story follows Izzy, who claims an unclaimed pumpkin spice latte at a coffee shop—only to spill it on an attractive stranger. Sparks fly in their unexpected meet-cute, but the situation gets complicated when she learns he’s her new boss. Painter’s blend of humor and heart makes Accidentally Amy a delightful read for romance fans.

For those drawn to historical romance, Alice Winn’s In Memoriam offers a poignant, critically acclaimed debut. Set during World War I, the novel follows Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood, two classmates from an English boarding school whose lives are upended by war. Gaunt enlists to shield his family from anti-German sentiment, and Ellwood follows, leading them both into the brutal reality of the front lines. Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and NPR, In Memoriam is a heartbreaking yet beautifully crafted story of love and survival.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, these novels offer readers the chance to experience love in its many forms—whether rekindled, unexpected, or tested by time.

The Bookworm, located at 90th and Center streets, offers more information on these books and upcoming events for readers of all ages.

Carl Erickson for The Bookworm with Arts Today for KVNO.