February may be the month of love, but it doesn’t have to cost you a lot to shower affection on your beau. Make Valentine’s Day last a little longer by checking out a cookbook and preparing romantic meals at home for two all month long. Not attached? February is Library Lovers Month, so stop in and check out an armload of books to keep you company. Nothing is better to a “book-a-holic” than an evening of reading. And don’t forget that Mardi Gras is right around the corner, so start making those party plans.

Brown Library would like to congratulate the Friends of the Brown Library for another year of success at the annual winter book sale. Thank you to all the dedicated members and volunteers that make this event possible. Every purchase helps the library, and we hope the community continues to support us and make bettering the library that much easier.

Don’t miss the next Friends of the Brown Library-sponsored event. Leslie Connor, award-winning children’s and young adult author, will be at the Washington Civic Center on Saturday, starting promptly at 2 p.m. With starred review titles such as “Waiting for Normal,” “Crunch,” and “Miss Birdie Chose a Shovel” under her belt, this is an event no young writer in the area wants to miss. Come listen while the author discusses her books and her writing process. This event is appropriate for all audiences, from young readers to parents to grandparents. Members of the organization are allowed to participate for free, with all other attendees asked to make a $5-per-person donation. For more information, call the library at 252-946-4300.

February isn’t just about exchanging cards and flowers. This month, we celebrate American Heart Month and Black History Month. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, so staying up to date on dieting, nutrition and exercise is important. For heart-related news, please visit http://heart.org. Also be sure to check out our wonderful Black History Month display in the library’s foyer. We offer a wide variety of titles for all age ranges to supplement school lessons, from the 2012 Coretta Scott King winner “Heart and Soul” by Kadir Nelson to the classic “A Color Purple” by Alice Walker.

Teens, don’t forget to stop by the young adult display area. This month, we’re featuring series you may have missed in the past. If you’re in a winter reading slump, now is the perfect time to delve into something a little different.

Brown Library is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Be sure to bookmark our blog on your computers as your resource for news and events happening at Brown Library: http://brownsbookshelf.blogspot.com. We’ll see you in March. And if you haven’t already done so, make sure you come by and get the smartest card you’ll ever have: a library card.

Elizabeth Tankard is a part-time assistant librarian at Brown Library.