EVERETT — This city loves romance.
Or at least it appears that way, according to Amazon’s list of the top 20 most romantic cities in the country. The list, released last week, rates Everett as the 16th most romantic city based on the Seattle company’s sales of romance novels, relationship books, romantic comedies and sexual wellness products.
And, of course, Barry White albums.
Amazon compiled the list by using sales data of these types of items bought since Jan. 1 in cities with more than 100,000 people.
Everett isn’t the most romantic city in Washington, though. Vancouver gets that honor, coming in at No. 6 on the list.
Everett and Vancouver made the top 20 list for the first time since 2008, when Amazon started compiling the romantic data, according to Grace Chung, a company spokeswoman. Both Bellevue and Seattle made the top 20 list in 2010.
The idea started as a fun way to get customers excited for Valentine’s Day.
“It’s a great reminder to our customers that the holiday is just a few days around the corner and they need to start thinking of ideas for their loved one,” Chung wrote in an email statement.
Knoxville, Tenn., topped the list this year as the most romantic city in America. It beat out Alexandria, Va, which was deemed the country’s most romantic city the past two years. It came in second in 2012.
Kate Mossman, assistant director for the Everett Public Library, wasn’t surprised to hear about Everett’s ranking on Amazon’s list. Romance novels are a popular choice for library visitors.
The Everett Public Library has about 2,700 paperback romance books in circulation and, on average, each book gets checked out about once a month, Mossman said.
“That’s pretty healthy,” she said, “A typical checkout for a fiction title is lower than that.”
The library has two Barry White albums that can be borrowed, Mossman added. The discs have both been checked out roughly 40 times in the past 14 months.
Everett woman Alyce Herivel definitely did not visit the library Monday to check out a Barry White disc.
“Ew,” she said. “Barry just does not do anything for me.”
Herivel, who is also an Amazon customer, was searching the stacks for paperback fiction and romance books. She enjoys paranormal romance books – the kind that include werewolves, vampires and other such sexy beasts.
“I like my romance with extra spice … not the drab, ‘He saw her from across the room’ stuff,” she said. “That’s boring.”
Herivel isn’t alone, said Pat Bennett, library technical service manager. Romance titles in the library’s collection include “A Werewolf in Manhattan” and “Christmas with a Vampire,” among others.
The three most popular romance titles at the Everett Public Library based on the number of times the books were checked out last year are “The Seduction of His Wife” by Tiffany Clare, “The Countess” by Lynsay Sands, and “An Engagement in Seattle” by Debbie Macomber.
Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.
Top romantic cities in the nation
1. Knoxville, Tenn.
2. Alexandria, Va.
3. Springfield, Mo.
4. Orlando, Fla.
5. Cincinnati, Ohio
6. Vancouver
7. Miami
8. Murfreesboro, Tenn.
9. Dayton, Ohio
10. Columbia, S.C.
11. Pittsburgh, Pa.
12. Clearwater, Fla.
13. St. Louis, Mo.
14. Erie, Pa.
15. Clarksville, Tenn.
16. Everett
17. Gainesville, Fla.
18. Las Vegas
19. Rochester, N.Y.
20. Tallahassee, Fla.
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