Bookish Date Ideas for Valentine's Day
In case my husband needs any inspiration ;)
If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day of years past used to be whole ordeals, with fancy dinner reservations and a smorgasbord of gifts. But these days, I’d be content simply snuggling with my husband, three cats, and a good book.
But if you’re looking to plan a little more pomp and circumstance with your significant other—without sacrificing the good book—then I’ve got the perfect V-Day date ideas for you!
5 Bookish Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day
1. Gift each other a shopping spree at an indie bookstore
To celebrate our very first V-Day together, my now-husband gave me a gift card to City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, where I could get whatever I wanted. Turns out he was ahead of his time!
The “bookstore challenge” has been going viral on social media, and although the rules change slightly depending on the couple, it typically involves a few minutes of browsing a bookstore to see what you might be interested in and then between 30 seconds and 2 minutes of scrambling to grab as many as you can—on your partner’s dime.
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(Tom, if you’re reading this, I can’t imagine a faster way to my heart 💘)
2. Grab a nightcap at a bookish bar
Clearly, my partner knows me well because during our most recent date night, he took me to a super cool space called The Interval, where you can sip cocktails while perusing their floor-to-ceiling library.
Bookish bars can be found around the world, but if you’re in my neck of the woods, here are more great spots in the Bay Area to enjoy literary-themed libations:
Novela (with drinks named after characters like Jay Gatsby and Peregrin Took)
Local Edition (where live jazz and print newspapers are always in style)
First Edition (for comic book geeks looking for superhero-sized fun)
The Library inside Bourbon & Branch (a bar within a bar where “books” is the password)
3. Watch a movie adaptation
If you prefer to stay in rather than go out on Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of ways to get bookish. The easiest is to pick out one of the many book-to-film adaptations available on your preferred streaming service.
That said, if you’re looking to get, ahem, *~* in the mood *~* I highly recommend Lady Chatterley’s Lover on Netflix. It stars Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell, who have blazing, white-hot chemistry. It’s a 15 out of 10. No notes!
4. Cook recipes from your favorite reads
You know a book is top-notch when you dream about its food long after “The End.” So why not bring your favorite fictional dishes to life?
Whether you’re making Turkish Delight from The Chronicles of Narnia or Scottish-inspired meals from Outlander, Goodreads has a long list of literary cookbooks to make Valentine’s Day even more delicious.
And for home chefs who prefer video recipes, you can follow channels like Binging With Babish, which describes itself as “a cooking show dedicated to discovering what the delectable (and occasionally horrible) foods from fiction actually taste like.”
This feast from The Lord of the Rings is calling my name!
5. Listen to a sexy story together
If you want to make V-Day a whole lot 🌶️ spicier 🌶️, then crank up the heat with an erotic audiobook.
There are a ton of resources sharing the sexiest romance novel narrators, but voices are subjective, so try several out to see who makes you swoon the most. You can listen to audiobooks for free using the library app Libby, or for a few bucks a month, you can subscribe to the erotic shorts on Dipsea.
And once you find your favorite voice actors, report back because I want your recommendations!
Celebrate More Bookish Love in Your Life
As I’ve said before, no other days of celebration get insulted as “Hallmark holidays,” and that has a lot to do with how Valentine’s Day is treated with misogynist derision.
But there’s nothing wrong with dedicating one day of the year to romance. The key is to celebrate on your terms—not focusing on what you think you should do but instead on what you want to do.
And if you’re a bookworm, it doesn’t get more romantic than combining love and reading. Let me know how you’ll be spending V-Day, and if you know someone else who would appreciate these date ideas, share this newsletter with them!
Now it’s time for this month’s moment of sunshine.
Your Moment of Sunshine ☀️
Every month, I share the things I loved most to bring a ray of warmth wherever you are.
Reading 📖
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
As much as it irks me when Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books are categorized as romance, I cannot besmirch the sheer power of her prose. After completing her historical fiction, I’ve made it my mission to read the rest of her backlist.
After I Do has the masterful narrative structure TJR is known for, as you learn how the protagonist’s marriage fell apart and whether it can be put back together again. Without the requirement of a happily ever after, great women’s fiction can feel as compelling as a mystery.
I raced to the end, knowing whatever conclusion it reached would be a satisfying one—which mirrors reality in a poignant way. Life doesn’t unfold exactly how we envisioned it, but we manage to make the most of it all the same.
Watching 🍿
The Traitors on Peacock
I can’t believe it took me a whole year to find out that Alan Cumming hosts a murder mystery reality TV show, but I am on The Traitors bandwagon now.
Based on a Dutch series, with dozens of versions around the world, it combines all of my favorite things: cheezy theatrics, neverending drama and backstabbing, and a sexy silver fox in a kilt.
The first five episodes of season 2 are now available, but the show airs weekly, so you’ve got plenty of time to binge it and get caught up!
Listening 🎧
Culture Study Podcast
I’ve been a fan of author and journalist Anne Helen Petersen for years, so of course I was going to love her new podcast, which shares the same name as her Substack.
Few people have a better pulse on contemporary culture, and this podcast is a fantastic extension of the work she’s already doing. Each episode, Petersen brings on an expert to dive deep into popular trends, like the obsession with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and the return of 2000s music.
She’s also mentioned covering the ACOTAR series in a future episode, so I guess I need to finally see what all the hype is about for myself. I have a feeling the Culture Study Podcast is going to both keep me young and make me feel older than I’ve ever been.
What have you been reading, watching, and listening to this month? What are you planning for Valentine’s Day? Sound off in the comments!
Although I’m currently single, I love these ideas! You’ve inspired me to investigate making Turkish Delight! (100% never occurred to me to try making this at home 😆)