Hearts and pages a-flutter

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school and college students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

By Iris Sanchez/Mosaic

A Los Altos bookstore provided an escape for the heart at a Valentine’s Day event on Saturday.

Romance book lovers gathered in the Bay Area’s first romance-only bookstore, A Novel Affair Bookshop, for a Feb. 14 fair in downtown Los Altos. The bookstore was filled with merchandise, vendors, special-edition books and local authors.

“I love romance books,” said Gaby Azcarate, who was attending the event with her best friend. Both are from San Francisco. “It’s pretty much the only thing I read.”

The pair took turns smelling book-themed candles scattered throughout the merchandise area, their hands full of bookmarks and stickers.

“This is the perfect place to spend Galentine’s,” said Vaish Patel, who traveled from San Francisco with her two best friends, Maya Ghosh and Vanita Mundhra.

The trio were decked out in coordinated pink and red outfits, which matched the surrounding heart garlands strung along full bookshelves. They said they recall making friends at their local bookstores when they were growing up, and how much that has changed with social media platforms.

“A lot of my experience with the book community is online,” Ghosh said, holding a stack of books. “But there’s nothing like coming to an event and talking to someone.”

The friends huddled together in the romantasy section, a genre mix of romance and fantasy, searching for their next book club read.

“Reading is my escape,” Mundhra said. “Finally, I’m meeting friends that resonate with that.”

Andrea Ressi, owner of Whimsy Blooms Floral Co., displayed bouquets of flowers as customers passed by her table at the event.

“A Novel Affair is just a really vibrant place to be,” said Ressi, of San Francisco, as she arranged flowers for a customer. “It’s such a fun, generous experience to be invited and share the love today.”

A teacher for more than 11 years, Ressi said she hopes events like the book fair give youth a safe space to connect with their community.

“Books are such a window to the world,” said Ressi. She gestured to her display of bouquets and said, “I know the only way this was possible is because I’ve been in these spaces where people believed in me.”

Iris Sanchez attends San Jose State University.