Some Unconventional Picks for Valentine's Day

Looking for a romantic read this Valentine's Day? It doesn't take much searching on the web to find "top 10" lists of romantic books.

The Independent's list includes classics like "Pride and Prejudice" and "Wuthering Heights" as well as more modern tales like "We Are Now Beginning Our Descent" by James Meek. The Examiner takes a different take on the genre by recommending the 10 Best Romantic Novels for People Who Hate Romance with titles ranging from "Pride and Prejudice" to sci fi's "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis to Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time-Traveler's Wife." And earlier this week the Washington Post published a list of five books for Valentine's Day.

But lest you think we don't care about love at the GBF, here's our own list of perhaps unconventional books (by our featured authors) that could make good Valentine's Day gifts for the people you love:

1. For the Redskins lover: "The Redskins Encyclopedia" and "Washington Redskins Football Vault" by Michael Richman
   
2. For a (bittersweet) story of family love: "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love" by Matt Logelin
3. For the reader who loves to cook: "Rock the Kitchen" by Johnny Mo, the musical chef
4. For anyone who loves her best friend: "I'm Not" by Pam Smallcomb
5. For the biography or law lover: "Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion" by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel
6. For anyone who loved Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood": "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson. (In 2009 in Newsweek magazine, Patricia Cornwell named "Manhunt" and "In Cold Blood" as the two best nonfiction crime books ever.)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Check out our website to see our full list of featured authors... and let us know why some of their books would -- or wouldn't -- make good Valentine's Day reads!