There's no such thing as . . .

. . . too many books!

Last night, it dawned on me. I just have a lot of books scattered around in my room. The above photo doesn't even do justice to the sheer number. My guess is that it just shows a fourth of what I have.

What I have is a happy mess. And what I need are more bookshelves. Like now. With the way things are, the bed in my room just seems an afterthought. It's no longer a bedroom. 

What I'm reading in this month of love

I'm excited over my reading list for February, even though I'm the last person you'd expect to read a hardcore romantic novel. I can barely count with one hand all the love stories that I actually enjoyed. Well, top of mind are Erich Segal's Love Story and Jose Saramago's Baltasar and Blimunda.

Now I don't usually post monthly reading plans, but indulge me on this one, dear reader. For February, I've selected 5 books whose themes rely heavily on love or romance. They may not be romantically sappy, but they're perfect for the month of love, I think.

Henry Fielding's Tom Jones has always been part of my to-be-read pile. It's a doorstop, so I guess I'll read a few chapters at a time. Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree is romantic suspense. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is young adult romance.

I don't know what to expect with Jorge Amado's Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands though. Same with Tony Perez's Cubao Midnight Express, which is the book club's selection for the month. Hopefully, these two books will be a pleasant surprise.

How about you, dear reader? What books are you reading for the month of love?