An installation at Melville House in Dumbo.   (Photo: Courtesy of Melville House)

(Photo: Courtesy of NLVI)

Jonas Kyle, Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers
218 Bedford Ave., nr. N. 5th St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-387-7322
The gift: Diary of an Oxygen Thief, Anonymous
Why: "Women seem to be very fond of this book, about a down-and-out guy who has lots of trouble with women. It's a surprise dark-horse Williamsburg bestseller."
Excerpt: "I ended up having sex with her on the kitchen floor in the middle of her making some bullshit vegetarian meal."

(Photo: Courtesy of Melville House Press)

Clara Heyworth, Melville House
145 Plymouth St., at Pearl St., Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-722-9204
The gift: A Simple Heart, by Gustave Flaubert (from the Melville House "Art of the Novella" series)
Why: "A heartbreaking tale of a simple servant woman and her lifelong search for love. It’s small, $10, and the palest shade of pink. Cheap, classic, pink, French—it screams Valentine’s Day."
Excerpt: "He bought her cider, coffee, cake, a kerchief, and, thinking she guessed his intentions, offered to take her home. On the edge of a field of oats, he threw her down suddenly. She was afraid and began to scream. He took himself off."

(Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli)

Stephanie Anderson, Word
126 Franklin St., at Milton St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 718-383-0096
The gift: Erotic French Postcards, by Alexandre Dupouy
Why: "It's classy, it's sexy, and it'll make you appreciate armpit hair."
Excerpt: "He took one last photograph. When he closed the door behind me, it was night. Now I know how women desire men, and how they can die for it."

(Photo: Courtesy of Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.)

Bibbi Taylor, Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway, at 12th St.; 212-473-1452
The gift: The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
Why: "Beautifully written, and easily read, this book follows the depth of first love. As a manager in the fiction department, I enjoy reading books about people who lead literary lives. I never expected to find one so tender."
Excerpt: "Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."

(Photo: Courtesy of HarperCollins )

Susanne König, powerHouse Books
37 Main St., nr. Water St., Dumbo, Brooklyn; 212-604-9074
The gift: The Pop-up Book of Sex, by Melcher Media
Why: "It's a scandalously clever tour of the erotic arts.
3-D pop-ups offer a unique perspective on positions like the classic Missionary, the naughty Mile-High Club, the exotic Lotus, and the whimsical Fantasy."