The Best of NPR Books for February 19, 2015

This week: Geoffrey Chaucer, a First Read, black history reading, Philip Levine and Ice Cream Star.

This week, Geoffrey Chaucer answers questions from the lovelorn (and otherwise confused), an exclusive First Read of Anna Lyndsey's gorgeous new memoir Girl in the Dark, and a Black History Month reading list. Plus, we remember Detroit poet Philip Levine, and tell you why you should give The Country of Ice Cream Star a chance. BOOKS Can Amor Truly Vincit Omnia? Chaucer Doth Advise Our favorite 14th-century poet and advice columnist Geoffrey Chaucer is back with sage words for lovers and beloved alike this Valentine's Day. And pictures of cats, "for cattes plese al folke." Read this story FIRST READS Exclusive First Read: Anna Lyndsey's 'Girl In The Dark' Anna Lyndsey — a pseudonym — was an ordinary civil servant when she developed a rare disorder: A severe sensitivity to light. She deftly chronicles her shadowy new normal in Girl in the Dark. Read this story CODE SWITCH How Black Lives Have Always Mattered: A Reading List For Black History Month, historian Peniel E. Joseph recommends books that take an unsparing look at slavery and American capitalism, with a focus on the often overlooked work of Stokely Carmichael. Read this story BOOK REVIEWS Ten Hearts For The Country — And Language — Of 'Ice Cream Star' Reviewer Jason Sheehan says Sandra Newman's debut novel may start some arguments — but readers would be better off just sitting down, opening the book and letting the beauty of her language sink in. Read this story POETRY Philip Levine, Who Found Poetry On Detroit's Assembly Lines, Dies At 87 In his six-decade career, Levine found grace and beauty in the lives of working people, especially the people and places of his youth. He was a United States poet laureate and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Read this story