valentine’s love letter

hello.

warmth, perfume, rugs, soft lights, books.
-anais nin

i’ve always loved the nostalgia of valentine’s day.

candy hearts with their chalky little love notes, handmade cards, heart-shaped sugar cookies stacked high with frosting and pink and red sprinkles. i think back to elementary school, carefully decorating a shoebox and waiting for it to be filled with tiny valentines from classmates. love in all its forms—the soft, easy mundanity of love between friends, family, sometimes strangers. the kind that shows up in quiet ways: a handwritten note, a shared piece of candy, peeling an orange, and other simple but significant ways to say ‘i love you’.

as an adult, valentine’s day feels less about the sugar rush and more about the intimacy of being understood. baking something sweet to share, writing love letters to your best friend, picking out flowers for yourself, falling asleep in your lovers arms, playing with her hair. a love given freely and a day that celebrate love in all of it’s forms.

this should go without saying, but you don’t need a lover to be able to enjoy this holiday… plan ahead and carve out a valentine’s day agenda with things you love to do. buy yourself flowers, eat dark chocolate covered strawberries, make your favorite meal, watch your favorite films, listen to jazz, buy yourself something from your wishlist- make the day about you.

because we’re celebrating a holiday, i’ve complied a list of books, films, music, activities, gift ideas, and more for you and your lover to enjoy throughout the month of febrary.

books:

• thérèse and isabelle by violette leduc
  a deeply intimate and lyrical novella about a passionate love affair between two schoolgirls, written with tenderness and emotional intensity. leduc’s prose is raw and honest, making this a groundbreaking exploration of queer love.

• delta of venus by anais nin
  a collection of erotic short stories written with nin’s signature lyrical style, exploring themes of passion, intimacy, and human connection. each story delves into the complexities of desire and the vulnerabilities of relationships.

• the passion according to g.h. by clarice lispector: desire as destruction, love as transformation. this novel is an intense, almost religious experience, as the narrator undergoes a spiritual and existential crisis triggered by something as simple as a cockroach. it’s about stripping down to the core of what it means to exist, to love, to desire—completely visceral and haunting.

• giovanni’s room by james baldwin
  a heartbreaking story about a young american man living in paris who falls in love with giovanni, an italian bartender. the novel examines the complexities of identity, sexuality, and the societal pressures that shape our relationships.

• little birds by anais nin
  a sensual and poetic collection of short stories exploring the boundaries of desire and fantasy. nin’s writing captures the raw vulnerability and beauty of human connection, with an emphasis on female sexuality.

• the flowers of evil by charles baudelaire
  a collection of decadent, sensual, and provocative poems exploring themes of love, lust, sin, and beauty. baudelaire’s masterful language and vivid imagery make this an essential read for lovers of romantic and dark poetry.

• madonna in a fur coat by sabahattin ali
  a beautifully melancholic novel about a shy and introverted man who falls deeply in love with a fiercely independent artist in 1920s berlin. their relationship is tender yet doomed, revealing the fragility of love and human connection.

• the lover by marguerite duras
  a semi-autobiographical tale of a passionate and forbidden affair between a young french girl and a wealthy chinese man in 1930s colonial vietnam. duras captures the intensity and complexity of desire, memory, and cultural barriers with poetic prose.

• call me by your name by andré aciman
  a tender story of first love set in the italian summer, following the blossoming romance between 17-year-old elio and a visiting graduate student, oliver. the novel explores longing, intimacy, and the bittersweet beauty of fleeting connections.

• written on the body by jeanette winterson
  told by a genderless narrator, this lyrical novel delves into the intensity of love and heartbreak as they reflect on their passionate relationship with louise, a married woman. winterson’s prose is poetic and deeply introspective.

• the passion by jeanette winterson
  set during the napoleonic wars, this magical realist tale follows henri, a soldier in napoleon’s army, and villanelle, a Venetian woman with webbed feet. their intertwined fates explore themes of obsession, love, and sacrifice in a richly imaginative world.

• the price of salt (carol) by patricia highsmith
  therese, a young sales clerk, falls for carol, an elegant older woman trapped in a loveless marriage. this groundbreaking novel captures the electric intensity of forbidden love and the risks of following your heart in 1950s america.

• the piano teacher by elfriede jelinek
  a dark, psychologically charged novel about a repressed piano teacher who develops a masochistic obsession with her student. it’s an intense and disturbing exploration of power, control, and the destructive nature of desire.

• women in love by d.h. lawrence
  a bold and controversial novel about two sisters, their complex relationships with two men, and the interplay of love, passion, and individual freedom. lawrence’s exploration of emotional and physical intimacy is intense and thought-provoking.

• erotic poems by johann wolfgang von goethe
  a collection of romantic and sensuous poems by the famed german writer, celebrating love, beauty, and human desire with his signature elegance and depth.

• i love dick by chris kraus
  a semi-autobiographical novel that blends memoir, fiction, and feminist theory to explore unrequited love and obsession. the protagonist’s letters to "dick" unravel her deepest desires, creative frustrations, and self-discovery, making it a sharp critique of gender and power dynamics.

• the sluts by dennis cooper
  told through online reviews and emails, this experimental novel dives into the dark underbelly of desire and identity, chronicling a twisted narrative of obsession, exploitation, and violence in the escort world. raw, provocative, and unsettling.

• la bâtarde by violette leduc
  a memoir by leduc that chronicles her life, relationships, and struggles with identity and love. her writing is unflinching and poetic, revealing the complexities of her experiences as a queer woman in mid-20th-century france.

• house of incest by anais nin
  a dreamlike novella filled with surreal imagery and poetic language, exploring themes of love, identity, and emotional awakening. nin blurs the lines between fantasy and reality in a deeply introspective narrative.

• bad behavior by mary gaitskill
  a sharp and provocative collection of short stories examining power, intimacy, and vulnerability. gaitskill’s writing is unflinching, offering a dark and nuanced look at modern relationships.

films:

love in the afternoon (1972)
pierrot le fou (1965)
in the mood for love (2000)
portrait of a lady on fire (2019)
blue is the warmest color (2013)
call me by your name (2017)
the handmaiden (2016)
blue valentine (2010)
juno (2007)
secretary (2002)
lady and the tramp (1955)
normal people (2020)
101 dalmatians (1961)
eyes wide shut (1999)
the umbrellas of cherbourg (1964)
her (2013)
carol (2015)
lost in translation (2003)
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (2004)
the piano teacher (2001)
phantom thread (2017)
cinderella (1950)
be my valentine, charlie brown (1975)
dreamers (2003)
la belle personne (2003)
winnie the pooh: a valentine for you (1999)
belle de jour (1967)

add to cart:

i’m going to do my best to keep this list short and sweet for you and your lover…

candles and home:

-loewe hazelnut candle

-angel food cake and espresso (love these)

-altar and burning rose (for mourning)

-trudon josephine (for flower fairies)

-pretty bar soap that smells like raspberry, mandarin, white musk, iris, and peonies

fragrance:

-regime des fleurs:

little flower (for pretty it girls) notes: rose, black tea, black currant, peony, palo santo, pomelo, honeysuckle

tears (for pretty sad girls) notes: pink pepper, orange flower, lilac, orris, musk, frankincense)

-orpheon by diptyque: notes: notes: juniper, jasmine, cedar, tonka (highly recommend the body wash- the best diptyque fragrance in my opinion)

-valaya by parfums de marly: notes: mandarin, bergamot and white peach, orange blossom, musk, and vanilla

-portrait of a lady by frederic malle*: notes: rose, clove, raspberry, sandalwood, musk, benzoin, amber, cedar, vanilla, ambergris

-iris hand cream by frederic malle (this is one of my favorite hand creams)

first editions of her favorite books:

-anais nin

-clarice lispector

and vintage movie posters to hang on her wall

sweet nothings:

-timeless jouissance

-coucou intimates: bra, undies, tank, cardigan

-nightgown from salter house

-well read, sacrificial lamb, and bambi socks

chocolates:

fine & raw

valrhona (the best): chocolate covered almonds and hazelnuts and chocolate squares

la maison du chocolat

bisou:

-this is the best lip balm i’ve ever tried in my life. creme brulee and strawberry.

-favorite lippy (i also love this color for something lighter)

this is what i want for valentines day… (something to hold my beloved fragrances. this one is pretty, too.)

activities:

-decorate heart shaped sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles

-make handmade valentines

-watch bitchy french films with your lover

-make breakfast in bed (i recommend french toast dusted with powdered sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, topped with fresh raspberries)

-a trip to the art museum

-host a galentines day dinner: make heart shaped ravioli, drink wine, put on your favorite rom coms, eat chocolate cake

-make strawberries dipped in dark chocolate

-valentine’s day crafts

-make a heart shaped pizza with all your favorite toppings

-depending on the weather… and indoor candle lit picnic dinner with a jazzy playlist, wine, and your favorite meal

-go to a live jazz bar

-go to the bookstore and pick out some new books

-visit the planetarium

-build a pillowfort with fairy lights: eat a sweet treat, watch love movies, and heal your inner child.

music:

be mine

bossa nova baby

dancing with your lover in a black and white film

okay, that’s all for today.

if you’re not ready to become a paid subscriber and you have the capacity to leave a tip, that would be so appreciated.

i love you.

bye.

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