Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Don’t have plans yet? Yeah, me neither. Though I have a funny feeling that around 6 PM Thursday evening a 2009 bottle of The Prisoner is going to be singing my name in warm, seductive tones. Sigh. But enough about my fantasies. What about yours?

Lucky for you, I’ve put together a list of events that are sure to keep your heart pumping. A lover, a glass of wine and a reading are all you need to get those endorphins going.

If biology is what does it for you, be sure to stop in and see the discoverer of Tiktaalik Neil Shubin, who will be promoting his new book The Universe Within, which takes us on an intimate exploration of our bodies to understand how humans evolved from the earth and galaxies around us. Pretty steamy, eh? One could do worse. Monday, February 11th, 6 PM at Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St.

Looking for something a little more…bittersweet? Less optimistic, perhaps? Next on the menu is Gillian Flynn, appearing to chat about her career and sign copies of her novel Gone Girl, about a wife’s sudden disappearance and the town’s insistence that her husband was the murderer. Probably not a recommended read if you’ve already sent out your save-the-dates. Wednesday, February 13th, 6 PM at Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St.

If you’re single and looking to add some digits to your little black book, why not attend the perfect medley of a reading-mixer? Especially one that prides itself on “destroying fake holidays by celebrating them.” Titled “Angela Merkel is Dead” (I’m sure you’ll find all the answers to your questions on attendance), the mixer is sure to be a riot. Thursday, February 14th, 6:30 PM at Township, 220 N. California Ave.

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, don’t they? And literary gems are sure to abound at Poetry Made of Diamonds, an event that features Chicago’s own poets – some published, some not. Sunday, February 17th, 7 PM at Uncharted Books, 2630 N. Milwaukee Ave.

-Genevieve

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