Tea Stains on Parchment

So you don’t have someone to take you out for a free dinner this February 14? That’s ok. Just take a note from me and replace people with books! They can’t turn you down. Here are four novels about the toils of love that are not only well–written, but feature such flawed characters that it will make you feel better about yourself. So stay in your room, make a cup of tea, and swipe right on all these books. Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare Why read Romeo and Juliet when you can fill your lonely Friday nights with laughter instead of sobs? Perhaps not one of Shakespeare’s most profound works, but it is one of the funniest. Bianca can only get married once her oldest sister gets engaged, but her sister, Katherine, is a real shrew. Watch as the powerful Katherine finds *love* and a story unfolds around personalities unseen. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nick Carraway is a young man just out of (an ivy league) college, and he has grown increasingly disillusioned...

Young, elegant ladies lace their way through the crowded streets of New York City in bright green wiggle dresses, rockabilly skirts, and kitten heels. Their rouged cheeks and bright red lips leap off of their flawless skin. And victory curls and S–waves defy gravity in architectural swoops upon their heads. These are vintage girls. A small subculture that dwells in large cities, where chic men and women congregate in modern day speakeasies and jazz clubs. If you were to look at a black and white picture of them, you would never know it was 2018 and not 1952. Until a few months ago, I did not know that there were people who lived life like this, and so fearlessly. I find that I, too, am a vintage girl, but in the early stages. And as effortlessly and unabashedly as those women show their lifestyle, so is almost never the case...at least in my experience. I have always felt as if I had an old soul. I rarely listen to pop music, instead preferring the drama and luxury of musicals ...