Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Brandeis University Press has published Bookstore Romance: Love Speaks Volumes by Judith Rosen, the longtime bookselling editor and New England correspondent for Publishers Weekly. The book profiles 24 couples who chose independent bookstores as the setting for their wedding proposals and ceremonies.
Rosen said she began tracking these stories after noticing an increase in social media posts about bookstore engagements. "I saw all these photos of people getting engaged in bookstores and thought it was all quite beautiful," said Rosen. "At first, I thought of this as a Covid trend, because it was a time when people weren't really getting out the way they would like to. But then I realized there was just something special for a book lover to get engaged or married in a bookstore."
The book highlights proposals and ceremonies at such notable independents as City Lights in San Francisco, R.J. Julia in Connecticut, the Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, and Shakespeare and Company in Paris, among others. "I knew it was always wonderful to have a date at a bookstore, because that gave you something to talk about," Rosen said—a sentiment echoed by Jeffrey Mayersohn, owner of Harvard Bookstore, in the book's foreword.
Many couples featured in the book incorporated creative bookish elements into their special moments. "Bookstore things will tend to go better if you call the manager in advance," Rosen said, describing how one groom worked with Northshire Bookstore in Vermont to place a custom-made book containing the couple's love story on the shelf before he proposed.
The book includes a diverse range of couples and venues, from major literary landmarks to newer romance-focused retailers, and Rosen said she "tried to pick people who experienced romance and love differently." The documented proposals span pre-pandemic times through Covid-era lockdowns and beyond, and include masked ceremonies where couples were the only customers in the store. One couple, who had their destination wedding canceled due to Covid, opted for a bookstore ceremony instead, with guests purchasing books from a "bestseller list" during the reception.
"During Covid, some stores did specific date nights," Rosen said. "One of the stores had just let people rent their space, which was about the size of a living room. You could bring in food and have dinner."
A portion of proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation. Launch events are scheduled at several Boston-area bookstores, including Brookline Booksmith, Harvard Bookstore, and Lovestruck.
Sue Berger Ramin, publisher at Brandeis University Press, emphasized that, while the book's release has been timed to Valentine's Day, its appeal extends beyond the holiday. "We really hope bookstores will keep it out there as a gift book," Ramin said, pointing to such occasions as Independent Bookstore Day, Independent Bookstore Week, and Romance Week as possible sales pegs.
For many of the couples featured in the book, their bookstore proposal or wedding reflects a deeper connection to reading itself, as one groom demonstrated by always asking his future wife if she wanted to stop whenever they passed a bookstore. "Sometimes," Rosen said, "love means never having to say no to one more book."
