Massachusetts romance readers will soon have a meeting place for all things literary love and lust in Cambridge: Lovestruck Books. The brick-and-mortar store dedicated to romance of all subgenres and a selection of general fiction will open at 44 Brattle St. in Harvard Square this winter.
Owner Rachel Kanter plans to spotlight works by women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ authors. “We’re seeing publishers taking notice of authors that maybe traditionally would not have been published by a big five publisher, so that’s really exciting, because it means that more and more stories are getting out and being celebrated,” said Kanter. “That’s one of the things that has always attracted me to the romance genre, and I really wanted that to be reflected in our store.”
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To get potential visitors excited, the bookstore is hosting events leading up to its opening, including a night celebrating “Practical Magic” at The Brattle Theatre on Oct. 29.
The 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman was turned into a film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as sisters Gillian and Sally Owens. After their parents die, the girls grow up with their eccentric witch aunts in a small town in Massachusetts. The Owens sisters are outcasts — the townspeople avoid them in fear of the girls cursing them. Still, Gillian and Sally have each other until Gillian runs away and Sally gets married. But they rekindle their connection after Sally has two girls of her own.
The event will kick off with a conversation between Hoffman and Shelf Love Podcast creator Andrea Martucci. Then audience members will settle in for a screening of the cult classic film. Each ticket includes a Lovestruck Books tote bag, a signed copy of the book, a drink ticket and surprise goodies. (The event is already sold out.)