Library has love covered

Valentine’s Day celebration

There are love stories — and then there’s a love for story.

The New York Public Library will celebrate Valentine’s Day with 125 of its most beloved books published since 1895, a tribute to the institution’s 125th anniversary.

As part of the program, the library will host author talks at local branches, a book club podcast and various readings, beginning on Friday with “Beloved” by Toni Morrison and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”

“The thing that gets people reading is love ... It’s personal recommendations, the kind that are truly meant,” wrote author Neil Gaiman in a heartfelt note to patrons about the list of works, ranging from “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Joan Didion and Terry Pratchett’s “The Color of Magic.”

“Somewhere on this list you will find books you’ve never read, but have always meant to, or have never even heard of,” said Gaiman, whose fantasy favorite, “American Gods,” also made the cut. “There are 125 chances here to change your own life, or to change someone else’s, curated by the people from one of the finest libraries in the world.” The team of librarians tasked with building the lengthy list pulled from an extensive catalog of fiction and non-fiction pieces published after May 23, 1895 — the day the library was officially incorporated, said NYPL spokeswoman Angela Montefinise.

They carefully weighed which books were true pageturners — the kind that make commuters miss their train stops — and which works stood the test of time. “For 125 years, the New York Public Library has worked to encourage and foster a lifelong, true love of reading in people of all ages, to help them find the books that get them excited, that help them escape,” said NYPL President Anthony W. Marx. “As we mark our anniversary we want to celebrate this role, and acknowledge its continued and increasing importance in a world with so many distractions,” he added. “We encourage everyone to look at the list, talk about it, debate it, and start reading.”