Books
It's the week of Valentine's Day, and whether you're coupled, uncoupled, single and happy, single and miserable, recently broken-up with, on the hunt for a hook-up, or otherwise, I can promise you will find solace or comfort or inspiration in one of the new books out this week.
For readers who prefer nonfiction, this week has four incredible offerings: Cringeworthy, the guide to awkwardness every Millennial wishes they had in college; How To Fix A Broken Heart, the guide to heartbreak every Millennial wishes they had in college... and now; Hormonal: The Hidden Intelligence of Hormones, a science-based breakdown of how hormones actually affect your body, mind, and behavior; and Wallis in Love, a biography of one of the most elusive women in the history of the British monarchy, the American divorcée Wallis Simpson.
On the fiction side, this week brings two phenomenal — and very different — stories: The Prince & The Dressmaker, a genderqueer fairy tale retelling that will warm your heart just in time for the holiday, and Look for Her, an English-set thriller about a murdered teenager who might not be, well, quite as dead as people thought.
Whatever your mood this Valentine's Day, there's a new book for you. Here are the six books not to miss this week:
'Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness' by Melissa Dahl
Hey — you up? It's me, the memory of the Single Most Embarrassing thing you ever did as a sophomore in high school. Cringeworthy, written by the editor of New York magazine's "Science of Us" section, Melissa Dahl, is an essential, accessible guide to figuring out WTF is the deal with the most painfully human and painfully embarrassing emotion: awkwardness.
'The Prince & The Dressmaker' by Jen Wang
Prince Sebastian's parents want him to get married. Prince Sebastian wants to wear daring dresses and take Paris by storm as Lady Crystallia, the Biggest Fashion Icon in a city full of them. But his power lies in his secret weapon — his best friend, the dressmaker Frances. But Frances has dreams of her own — and being someone's "secret" weapon isn't one of them. Jen Wang playfully but precisely deconstructs gender norms and upends fairy tale tropes to tell a story that's overflowing with heart and humor.
'Hormonal: The Hidden Intelligence Of Hormones' by Martie Haselton
Have you wondered what it actually means when you tell yourself you're "just being hormonal." Truthfully, it's not just a figure of speech: Hormones are the silent, ferocious force of nature that influence our bodies and minds in unexpected ways. This book is the tl;dr on years of research about hormones on the way they affect your behavior.
'How To Fix A Broken Heart' by Gus Winch
Heartbreak is just as physicals as it is emotional, so why doesn't society treat it as something that can be cured or fixed? Honestly, there must be a more substantial and actionable remedy than "time." In this science-based examination of heartbreak, Gus Winch dissects two different types of loss: the loss of a romantic partner and the loss of a pet. Better yet, he offers up some actually helpful advice on how to — you got it! — fix a broken heart.
'Look For Me' by Emily Winslow
There's a very large portion of people who want their Valentine's Day with a side of fictional murder, and Emily Winslow is here to deliver the goods. Set in an "idyllic" English village, Look For Her centers on the 1976 disappearance and death of teenager Annalise Wood, whose body was recovered, though a culprit was never apprehended. Decades later, her death is still perversely fascinating to the people of the village (wild, right?), and the murderer is still on the loose. But when new evidence suggests that the body discovered might not be Annalise at all, this murder case is cracked wide open.
'Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy' by Andrew Morton
Look, I get it. It's Valentine's Day. You don't have a date. You just want to watch The Crown and eat pizza and listen to the Waitress soundtrack and really fall into your feelings. I'm right there with you. But if you want to spice things up a bit, pick up this biography of Wallis Simpson, an American socialite and divorcée who fell in love with then-Prince of Wales Edward, the next in line to be king.
