Decades after the fact, my first Valentine’s Day rejection still burns like a cold dagger to the heart. It was Grade 5 and in those days, students exchanged Valentine’s Day cards with each other. (Does that still happen, even in pre-pandemic times?) I had a crush on a girl named Cheryl. In my best handwriting, I signed my name to a Peanuts valentine’s card and stuck it in the box hanging on her desk. After school, Cheryl was outside waiting for me. In a moment eerily familiar to the famous Simpson’s scene when Lisa literally breaks Ralph Wiggum’s heart, Cheryl thrust out her hand, threw my valentine back at me and loudly announced she never wanted to see me again. As the Nazareth song goes, Love Hurts.

It’s a different Valentine’s Day this year. Some are separated from loved ones because of the pandemic lockdowns. Others have maybe spent too much time with their partners as social bubbles become increasingly claustrophobic. Hopefully you don’t fall into either camp, but regardless of your situation, I’ve assembled some good reads about Valentine’s Day from across the global network of The Conversation. While not as sweet as candy or as fragrant as a bouquet of roses, feel free to share these with the one you love. And the weekend is also an excellent time to catch up on the latest episodes of our new podcasts, Don’t Call Me Resilient and The Weekly.

Monday is Family Day in many parts of Canada, so we will have a reduced publishing schedule on Sunday and Monday and be back in your Inbox on Tuesday.