---

Ah, February! As Valentine's Day approaches, how we yearn for a romantic "spring thaw" - a cozy respite from the icy grip of winter (at least in our imaginations). Well, here you have it: A select group of area readers has banked the fires for you with books that describe eloquent variations on the perennial theme, "What Is This Thing Called Love?"

For Lynne O'Brien of Attleboro, the book that captures the essence of love is "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. "His love of family and his love of life touched me deeply, and I think so often of his energy and the legacy left for his family."

"The best book on love I know," writes Invensys engineer Lew Gordon, " is 'Sweet Thursday' by John Steinbeck. It's hard to encompass all it says in a few words, but the simple story shows all the best forms of love as friendship, sacrifice in love, and love of self, in the sense of self-respect." Written 15 years after the publication of "Cannery Row," the book features "the same characters, but much better and sweeter," Lew says. He also suggests James McBride's remarkable and moving memoir "The Color of Water - A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother." It's the true story of a white Jewish girl from the South who left her abusive family, moved north, and in two marriages to black men raised a dozen children - all now successful and accomplished."

Fathers inspire heart-felt emotion as well. Joan Cronin of Rumford, R.I., hopes you will pick up the late Tim Russert's touching memoir, "Big Russ and Me: Father and Son - Lessons of Life." She laments the fact that "we'll never get another one from him."

For a variation on Shakespeare's most famous couple, the Limoncello Literati Book Club recommends "Julie and Romeo" by Jeanne Roy. The eponymous title characters are 60ish, third generation rival florists in Somerville who fall passionately in love, with classic and neoclassic complications. The group describes it as "hilarious!" Gabrielle Chorney, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist from Attleboro Falls, suggests "Why I Am Still Married: Women Write Their Hearts Out on Love, Loss, Sex and Who Does the Dishes," by Karen Propp and Jean Trounstine. "This book," Chorney says," brings together stories of today's successful women, sharing their destiny with humor, anger and joy; reminiscing about loss, hope, frustration and friendship. It is a book about the emotional terrain of intimacy, appropriate for anybody who has ever been in or is in a long-term relationship."

"The best book I can think of, " reports young Attleboro mom Beth Lane, "is 'Water for Elephants.' There is romantic love, love for animals, love for your fellow human beings..."

Joan Pilkington Smyth at the Attleboro Public Library continues to be "haunted by 'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger. "It takes a very different approach to the concept of what it means to be 'present' in a relationshipwhich has a lot to do with love." Heather Porreca, a member of the library's young moms book group, seconds those sentiments wholeheartedly.

Attleboro attorney Max Volterra has discovered a depth of meaning in English writer Somerset Maugham's novels. According to Max, "The Razor's Edge" deals with the mistakes people make by sacrificing love for a material life, and then regretting their choices." The theme is also echoed in "The Painted Veil" in which the characters "buy into security and don't realize that love is staring them in the face."

Finally, Ellen Sullivan's Seasonal Book Group realized that a number of their choices have centered on the "love of a quest." They include "Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World" by Tracy Kidder; "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace - Once School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson; "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" by Bill Bryson; and "The Memory of Running: A Novel" by Ron McLarty. Ellen's personal favorite is Robert Kurson's "Shadow Divers: The True Life Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of WWII." "(It) would be a great Valentine's Day read because it's a story about passionate people," writes Ellen. "They have a passion for life, adventure, seeking the truth and finishing what they set out to do!"

So, as you munch on the Valentine's candy Conversation Hearts, and the books begin to work their magic, may you feel a "heat wave" that carries you to "Çloud Nine." Happy reading!

Kathy Hickman's column, "The Reading Room," appears in Your Day the first Tuesday of each month. You can contact her at news@thesunchronicle.com.