Andy and Lisa: English Literature Class of 1995
Andy Poplar and Lisa Oakley met in the University of Sheffield English literature class of 1995, where there were around 60 women and seven men. They got together during a night out at the student union in their second year. Lisa recalls, "An intellectual, attractive male who likes books – what was there not to like? Given the ratio I feel I did very well."
Shared lectures included Modern British literature on Friday mornings. Andy remembers staying over at Lisa's and arriving together, which raised eyebrows initially. Lisa felt pressured to say something profound in seminars when Andy was present. Early in their relationship, they began collecting books together, buying each other Bloomsbury classics for Valentine's Day or birthdays and writing inscriptions, planning to have them on a shelf together someday. That library now sits in their hallway.
They got engaged at Tiffany's as a nod to Truman Capote, have a cat named Orwell, and their 17-year-old son plans to study English at university. "We're surrounded by books," says Lisa. "Even now, after being together for ever, we talk about the literature that we are enjoying over a glass of wine." They both loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Lisa is head of English at a school, and Andy etches words on glass. For Lisa's 50th, Andy gave her a 1920s mirror with an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote: "That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong."
Millie and Lois: Silent Book Club Meet-Cute
Millie Smith-Clare, 24, and Lois Glithero, 27, met in February 2025 at the Norwich branch of Silent Book Club, a global initiative where attendees bring a book to read together. "It is called the Silent Book Club, but we meet up at a cafe, and it has become a running joke for the baristas there that we're not very silent," says Millie. The club hosts 6 to 30 people and is a queer-friendly space.
Millie brought Mary, or the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout. "I remember Lois leaning over the table and saying, 'Oh, I love that one'. Instantly I was like, 'Oh, she's very attractive'," Millie recalls. A few weeks later, they attended a poetry reading night, which marked the beginning of their relationship. Books remain central: they read books simultaneously, such as Frankenstein and The Great Gatsby, and are reading all Moomin stories in order of seasons. Because they have a long-distance relationship, they record audiobooks for each other. Last year, they exchanged books on Christmas Eve, inspired by the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod. They still attend the book club when in Norwich. "We are the smug ones," says Millie.
Andy and Sapna: A Profile with the Right Book
In December 2009, Andy Pieroux, an IT consultant, browsed Match.com and found Sapna Pieroux's profile. He saw her favorite book was Yes Man by Danny Wallace. "I thought, 'this is an easy win'," says Andy. Sapna, a brand consultant, had embraced the book's philosophy after a breakup, saying yes to opportunities for a year. She attended five festivals, traveled, learned pole dancing, and skied badly. She continued the mindset and mentioned the book in her dating profile.
Andy messaged with the subject line "Please Say Yes," which impressed Sapna because he had read her profile. She had also mentioned dreading the film adaptation starring Jim Carrey, saying it should have been Simon Pegg. Andy agreed and suggested they see it together. Sapna replied, "I suppose I have to say yes, but can we go on a first date where I can actually get to know you, rather than sitting in a darkened room not speaking to each other for two hours?"
Andy suggested ice sculpting at the Natural History Museum. Before that, they discovered Danny Wallace was giving a talk about his latest book, Friends Like These. They met there, then went for a Chinese meal and a kiss. They later did the ice sculpting, making a penguin, and saw the film on their third date. "We were right about it – I didn't like it," says Sapna. After drinks, Andy asked Sapna to be his girlfriend. "The answer was obviously yes," she says.
Sam and Clíodhna: Book Talk Romance
Clíodhna Conboye, 35, a board game shop manager, met Sam Fern, 29, then an aspiring author, at an underattended book talk at Waterstones Covent Garden in London. Clíodhna sat one seat away from Sam. "There were about 30 chairs, and when I got there, only about five other people. I thought I'll sit near someone so that we're a bit bunched up, and he looked the friendliest," she says.
Clíodhna took out a book, and Sam asked what it was (Can't We All Be Feminists? by June Eric-Udorie). She bumped her head while putting her coat under the seat and gave Sam permission to laugh. They talked during the event and discussed future book events. Sam spent a month deciding whether to attend a talk Clíodhna mentioned. He went early, making himself visible. Clíodhna approached him, saying, "Can I sit next to you?" He looked at her in horror. "I jumped out of my skin because I thought I had seen her somewhere else in the crowd, and then she popped up to my left. It was like she had teleported there," says Sam.
They talked all night and discovered a shared love for The Edge Chronicles series. "When I was reading that series when I was about 10, I didn't know anyone else who was into them," says Clíodhna. They attended three book events a week for a month and soon became an item. They moved to Edinburgh and run a book club. Sam has published two children's books, both dedicated to Clíodhna. "I read his first book before we actually got together, when we were still friends. It was good, which was a relief," she says.
