These Books Are Bananas: Love Stories with Extra Potassium

Published on July 21, 2026

By Kara V.

I don't like bananas. The smell and texture of them grosses me out. However, “bananas” must be one of my favorite words to describe a book.

I want to paint a scene for you. You have concluded a book. You slowly lower said book to your lap, look up, gaze into the distance, and ask yourself, "What did I just read?" This is a bananas book. A book that you are completely invested in, but when you are done with it you are slightly embarrassed that you read it... but not embarrassed enough to NOT tell all your friends about it. 

At the Downtown Library, I’ve become the go-to person for a book that is just about as crazy as they come. If coworkers are curious about a book but don't want to read it, they ask me. Rest assured, I will give it a try.  For example, the romance novel about the shape-shifting youth in foster care and the bear shifter who must help them in their time of trouble. I will unabashedly read the book and deliver a book report to my fellow library staff.

This openness qualifies me as a stellar librarian for readers' advisory on books that are bonkers. Below are some suggestions, with my banana rating.

This is not to say books with a lot of bananas should be avoided. Just be prepared, and the bold reader will be rewarded with a delightful ride.

🍌🍌That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

This book has become a bit more mainstream since I picked it up, thus downgrading it to two bananas. It's about a demon who has (spoiler) both a human and dragon form and the human that falls for him; it's now part of a series.

🍌🍌🍌The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath

I refer to this book as the Gorilla Twins. You’ll understand if you read it. After the unexpected death of the Earl of Greyling on an African adventure, his identical twin brother impersonates him and falls in love with his brother's wife. She, in turn, falls in love with the husband who seems much changed (who is really her brother-in-law). You cannot ask yourself how she can’t tell the husband and his twin apart; this will ruin your experience.

🍌🍌🍌🍌Bonding: A Love Story Between Humans and Their Parasites by Matthew Erman

This one has really stuck with me (no pun intended). The subtitle sums up the plot of this graphic novel. Give it a try; you won’t be let down.

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

King of Battle and Blood is the first book in a series. If the first book is five bananas, then the second, Queen of Myth and Monsters, is six! This has everything: vampires, shifters, magic waters, reincarnation, and that is just what I can remember from the top of my head. If you want to go down the rabbit hole, this is the book for you.

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

A couple finds themselves in a heated romance that leads to a surprising end. I really have no words, other than: absolutely bananas.