romance

 

Register for upcoming programs:

Writing workshops:
Thu Mar 12 5:30-7pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/15672103
Tue Mar 24 5:30-7pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/15672130

Crafterday open crafting social:
Sat Mar 14 10am-2pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/14685161

Medicare Made Clear:
Sat Mar 14 10:30am-12:30pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/15403048

Puzzle Piece Mosaics:
Thu Mar 19 6-8pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/15764038

Alabama Symphony ticket vouchers:
Fri Mar 20 Coffee Concert 11am-noon: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/14817030
Fri Mar 20 full concert 7-9pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/14817031
Sat Mar 21 full concert 7-9pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/14817032

Jigsaw Puzzle Competition:
Wed Mar 25 6-8pm: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/15766310

 

The next Books & Beyond (BAB) discussion group meeting is Tuesday, March 31st at 6:30pm and the topics we’ll be chatting about are sports & athletics. Read, watch, and/or listen to anything within the selected topic, and come tell us about it: https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/14436792

This month, BAB chatted about all things romance.

The Elopement by Gill Hornby

Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, but when he marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary’s life is suddenly changed. Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny’s sisters become Mary’s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. As Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an special bond with one Mr. Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. Each is from a good family and has known the other for some years. It promises to be the most perfect match. Who would want to stand in their way?

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternack

First published in Italy in 1957 amid international controversy, Doctor Zhivago is the story of the life and loves of a poet/physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Taking his family from Moscow to what he hopes will be shelter in the Ural Mountains, Zhivago finds himself instead embroiled in the battle between the Whites and the Reds. Set against this backdrop of cruelty and strife is Zhivago's love for the tender and beautiful Lara, the very embodiment of the pain and chaos of those cataclysmic times. 

Doctor Zhivago (1965, 3h17m, PG-13)

During the Russian Revolution, Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a young doctor who has been raised by his aunt and uncle following his father's suicide. Yuri falls in love with beautiful Lara Guishar (Julie Christie), who has been having an affair with her mother's lover, Victor Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), an unscrupulous businessman. Yuri, however, ends up marrying his cousin, Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin). But when he and Lara meet again years later, the spark of love reignites.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

A smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable. When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

Fate by Pamela Leigh Starr (This title is not available in the JCLC)

Desperately trying to deny her attraction to Scott Halloway, Vanessa Lewis wonders if she can cast aside their racial differences and embrace the promise of love.

Blood Orange by Karina Halle (sequel is Black Rose)

From New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle comes a dark and delicious Dracula retelling filled with secrets and lies, dangerous liaisons and a forbidden, student-teacher, second chance love story with a twist.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure. Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuaded by her wealthy family to break off her engagement to the young Frederick Wentworth, Anne Elliot finds herself unmarried nearly eight years later. By now, with the Elliot family all but ruined by the spendthrift Sir Walter and his enabling daughter Elizabeth, the prospect of marriage is not only a distant hope for Anne, but a bitter reminder of what could have been. When chance reunites her with Frederick, now the esteemed Captain Wentworth for his accomplishments in the Napoleonic Wars, she will have to navigate feelings both old and new with the reversal brought on by their opposing fortunes. As the two are drawn closer together, they will have to decide if it is possible to rekindle a love that has lain dormant much longer than their engagement was allowed to last.

One of this meeting’s participants let us know that The Jane Austen Society of North America has a regional chapter in Alabama!  The group is hosting a Regency Ball at the Homewood Public Library on Saturday, March 21st.  Doors open at 6:30pm, with dancing commencing at 7pm. Regency-era attired strongly encouraged. Practice dance sessions will be offered at the Homewood Library on the following evenings from 6:30-8:30pm:

February 26

March 5

March 12

March 19

Find out more about the Alabama chapter of The Jane Austen Society of North America at https://austenalweb.wixsite.com/alabama

The Return (2024, 1h56m, R)

After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed--scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past--but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost.

The Odyssey by Homer

Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty, and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and the yearning for home.

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

For Landon Stackhouse, being called up from the Calgary farm team is exciting and terrifying, even if, as the backup goalie, he rarely leaves the bench. A quiet loner by nature, Landon knows he gives off strong “don’t talk to me” vibes. The only player who doesn’t seem to notice is Calgary’s superstar young winger, Casey Hicks. They couldn’t have less in common, but Landon needs a place to live that’s not a hotel room and Casey has just bought a massive house—and hates being alone.

And They Were Roommates by Page Powars

You can't resist this hilarious, unputdownable second-chance-romance about the most unlikely, gay roommate mishap. Romance is the last thing on Charlie’s mind. On his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie’s carefully crafted plan to hide his identity as the school’s only trans student is set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been assigned the worst roommate in the world (possibly the universe): Jasper Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie’s heart the year before he transitioned. Except, Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie.

The Incubus’s Assistant by Amy Padilla (Not available in the JCLC)

When Avery showed up for his temp job on Monday morning, he had certain expectations in mind. He was not expecting to end up as a feeder to his incubus boss. It was an innocent mistake, and he's determined to move on, but the experience left him breathless and more than a little curious. So when his new boss is left without a feeder, he volunteers to help. After all, that's what any good assistant would do. Right?

Sky Daddy by Kate Folk

Linda is doing her best to lead a life that would appear normal to the casual observer. Weekdays, she earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges her true passion, taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub. The destination is irrelevant, because each trip means a new date with a handsome stranger—a stranger whose intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages, and powerful engines make Linda feel a way that no human ever could. . . . Both subversive and unexpectedly heartwarming, Sky Daddy hijacks the classic love story, exploring desire, fate, and the longing to be accepted for who we truly are.

Dandelion is Dead by Rosie Storey

When Poppy discovers unanswered messages from a charming stranger in her late sister's dating app, she makes an impulsive choice: She'll meet him, just once, on what would have been Dandelion's fortieth birthday. It's exactly the kind of wild adventure her vivacious sister would have pushed her toward. Jake is ready to find something real—and not least because his ex-wife's twentysomething boyfriend has moved into their old family home. When he meets the intriguing woman who calls herself Dandelion, their connection is undeniable, and he can think of little else. With sparkling wit and aching tenderness, debut author Rosie Storey gives us a modern love story about the courage it takes to live again after loss and finding hope in the most unexpected places.

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

If you've ever experienced the one true love of your life, a love that for some reason could never be, you will understand why readers all over the world are so moved by this small, unknown first novel that they became a publishing phenomenon and #1 bestseller. The story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream, The Bridges of Madison County gives voice to the longings of men and women everywhere -- and shows us what it is to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.

Item descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes.