Authors Reveal Literary Crushes (VIDEO)

WATCH: Authors Reveal Literary Crushes

Hemingway said there's no friend as loyal as a book, and we imagine the same might go for romantic partners. After all, you can get to know a literary crush pretty intimately without ever having them forget Valentine's Day or forget to take out the trash. Plus, unlike an actual significant other, you can pick and choose the more swoon-worthy attributes of your fictional loved one (so what if Snape spent most of his free time heckling students and unfairly taking points away from Gryffindor? He was so in love with Lily!)

In "Much Ado About Loving" [Free Press, $19.99], Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly share the dating advice they've learned from their fictional sweethearts and other characters in classic literature.

Co-author Jack Murnighan admits to spending most of his time, "reading and having crushes on people," so his literary crushes are "numerous," but he cites Natasha from "War and Peace" as his all-time favorite.

While co-author Maura Kelly swoons over Jay Gatsby, Joanna Smith Rakoff, author of "A Fortunate Age," prefers strong, attentive backlands boys like Laurie from "Little Women."

And while cartoonist and writer Tim Krieder pursues brainy, bookish chatterboxes like Anne of Green Gables, John M. Cusik, author of "Abandon Changes," prefers Emma Bovary, who "knows what she wants and goes for it."

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester may be obvious objects of affection, with their Byronic grit and sexiness, so Corinne Jackson, author of "If I Lie," prefers a more challenging prospect: Severus Snape.

Check out this video of more authors sharing their fictional loved ones, and tell us about your literary crush!

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