In the mood for some romantic reading? Win a copy of Aching for Always by Pittsburgh’s own Gwyn Cready! Email us at booksnatblog [at] gmail [dot] com and we’ll pick a winner at random. For more on Gwyn & her books (all set in the ‘burgh)–see previous post.
Who knows romance better than a romance author? 
Gwyn Cready is the RITA® Award-winning writer of four sexy, funny romances
The top five romantic movies, huh? It’s a tall order, but I am up to the challenge.
Let’s start with the ground rules. First, a romantic movie is one that makes us feel as if we have helium bubbling through our veins long after we’ve hit the Eject button. Which means, of course, Gone With the Wind is not in the running. Sorry. If that makes you feel like you have to pack up your Franklin Limited Edition Rhett Butler plate and go home, you have my sympathy. But the fact is no one leaves that movie happy. Satisfied, perhaps, or emotionally spent, but not happy. Titanic goes, too, as does Romeo and Juliet in all its incarnations including West Side Story. Second rule, sappy is a show stopper. Wave a tearful farewell to Love Story, The Notebook and Bridges of Madison County. Third, you need to laugh. Anyone who’s been in love knows that if you can’t share a chuckle, the relationship is going to collapse under its own weight faster than you can say, “Did I mention my conspiracy-theorist brother is coming for a week?” And the last ground rule: absolutely no Nazis. Sorry, Maria and Captain Von Trapp. You’ll have to climb a different mountain.
My picks for best romantic movies are:
(Click links for trailers)
> Sixteen Candles (John Hughes, 1984.) Samantha Baker, nerdy, adorable high school student wins the heart of the cutest guy in school. Jake Ryan, the guy that raised the bar forever on what it means to be a good boyfriend, helps Sam celebrate her birthday when everyone else forgets.
> Pride and Prejudice (Simon Langton, A&E mini-series, 1995.) When Colin Firth slashed his rapier through the air in 
an attempt to master his feelings for Lizzy Bennet, crying, “I shall conquer this,” the DNA of a generation of women was instantly re-sequenced. Their collective “Oh!” started an Austen frenzy that exists to this day.
> Bridget Jones’s Diary (Sharon Maguire, 2001.) Colin Firth spoofs himself in Helen Fielding’s wonderfully updated version of P&P. Bridget counts alcohol units and bemoans Smug Marrieds but wins the heart of sexiest man since Fitzwilliam Darcy. Find out how real men fight when Firth takes on a villainous Hugh Grant to protect Bridget’s honor.
> 13 Going on 30 (Gary Winick, 2004.) A dark horse, but you can’t pass up the story of 13-year-old Jenna Rink, who is transported into her future and discovers a great job and a closet full of shoes isn’t enough to make up for losing the one boy who really understood her. The über-fun dance numbers, “Thriller” and “Love is a Battlefield,” made this 80s gal squeal with delight.
> To Catch a Thief (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955.) Gorgeous locations, Edith Head dresses, a witty screenplay and, sigh, Cary Grant. I’m a sucker for charming thief stories, and there’s no denying the charm here. An ethereal Grace Kelly pursues Grant across the Côte d’Azur first for stealing jewels then for stealing her heart. That fireworks-studded kiss on the balcony of the Carlton Hotel is a classic.
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Gwyn Cready can be reached at her website, which also features 20 Valentine’s Day Ideas Under $20. Her books can be found at local retailers and online:
Photo via boringpittsburgh.com
A few quick updates. Sadly, the South Side Joseph-Beth is closing. We have some wonderful bookshops in the area such as Mystery Lovers and Caliban Books, but this was a great place for events, general book-buying, and a spacious and bright store. It will be missed. Near this time last year, the Squirrel Hill B&N closed.
On a brighter note–Pittsburgher and Post-Gazette reporter Len Barcousky is doing an event for his new book, Remembering Pittsburgh, today at the Fire Escape CoffeeHouse. Find out more in the Post-Gazette article. They’ll be donating $2 to the Allegheny County Library Association’s Bookmobile Center for each copy sold.
On December 3, the Gist Street reading series has a great lineup: Holly Goddard Jones, author of Girl Trouble, and poet Jericho Brown. If you haven’t been to Gist Street yet, please go. Author John McNally says, “If you want your art without the pretension, your surroundings cozy without being claustrophobic, your hosts friendly rather than brooding, I urge you to check out the fiction and poetry readings at Gist Street.”
And Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures has two events coming up worth checking out: Andrew Ross Sorkin, the author of Too Big to Fail, on November 15, and Lee Child, author of 61 Hours on December 6.
Happy Fall! There’s a spooky book event coming up this weekend, to get you ready for Halloween. But first, check out Small Press Pittsburgh’s handy-dandy list of Pittsburgh bookstores organized by neighborhood and by type. They’ve also made up a list of libraries including bus route info!
Today Pittsburgh author Heather Frazier will be reading at the Paranormal Pittsburgh Event at Barnes & Noble – South Hills Village, from her book Pittsburgh Ghosts: Steel City Supernatural between 12 and 3pm. Her website is pretty awesome. She’ll be joined by Jim Titus, author of Supernatural Pittsburgh and Its Suburbs.
Check in tomorrow for a Q&A with the author of Night of the Living Dead: Behind the Scenes of the Most Terrifying Zombie Movie Ever!
Pittsburgh’s own Alicia Kachmar has a new book out, called Witch Craft, filled with creepy-cute Halloween-themed crafts. Books n’at spoke with Alicia about her book and the burgh.
You can find out more about Alicia on her website, her blog, and her etsy page, where she has more information and photos of all her adorable and creative projects.
If you like this book, here’s the Facebook fan page for it, and it’s in stores now.
Q&A with Alicia:
Alicia Kachmar
What inspired you and your co-editor to create this book? What was the process like?
Well, the book was my co-editor’s idea, so props to Margaret McGuire, a full-time editor at Quirk Books. She was about halfway done with compiling the crafts/crafters by the time I came on board. She asked me over Etsy to contribute a crochet project, but after displaying my crafty know-how over email, she asked me to be the co-editor! I then searched for the rest of the projects and contributed a few of my own. For someone who has not worked in publishing, (other than contributing a project to the Photojojo book), I learned as I went along, but overall it was really fun to work with so many talented people and…feel like I was really utilizing my degree in English!
