Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love

Our Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love Collection features titles centered on love and all of its complexities. This Collection represents authors who have grappled with romantic, familial, and other forms of love through writing. With titles ranging from contemporary romance picks to works by Shakespeare, this Collection has something to offer any reader who has ever lost or found love.

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Mythology


Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Romance, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction

Gail Carson Levine’s book Ella Enchanted was awarded the Newbery Honor in 1998 after its publication in 1997. In 2004, a film adaptation was released, though it received criticism for diverging from Levine’s story, including adding new key characters. Ella Enchanted was Levine’s debut. She also wrote Fairest, which retells Snow White’s story and is set in the same world as Ella Enchanted. Some of her other notable works include Dave at Night, The Wish... Read Ella Enchanted Summary


Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Mothers, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Race / Racism

Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary


Publication year 1717

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy

Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Religion / Spirituality, Age of Enlightenment, British Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Gothic Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Romance, Classic Fiction

“Eloisa to Abelard” is a poem published in 1717 by Alexander Pope. The poem discusses the ill-fated love affair of a real-life couple from 12th-century France: Heloïse d’Argenteuil, a gifted 18-year-old student, and Peter Abelard, a renowned French scholar, philosopher, and poet of the Medieval era who was 20 years older than Heloïse. The poem is a heroic verse epistle, which is a genre first made famous in Ovid’s Heroides. Pope adopts Eloisa’s persona and... Read Eloisa to Abelard Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale / Folklore


Publication year 1815

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Romanticism / Romantic Period, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Class, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Relationships, History: World

Emma is a fiction novel published in 1815 by the English author Jane Austen. The book centers on the character development of its eponymous protagonist, a genteel young woman on a country estate who meddles in the love lives of friends and neighbors. Jane Austen was conscious that Emma’s snobbery, vanity, and meddling might make her a “heroine whom no one but myself will much like” (Austen-Leigh, James Edward. A Memoir of Jane Austen. London:... Read Emma Summary


Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Classic Fiction

Endless Love by Scott Spencer, first published in 1979, is a psychological drama that delves into teenage love’s obsessive and destructive nature. Spencer, an American novelist known for exploring intense human emotions and relationships, crafts a story centered around David Axelrod, a young man whose all-consuming love for Jade Butterfield leads to tragic and life-altering events. The novel examines themes such as The Destructive Nature of Love, Dysfunctional Family Dynamics, and The Construct of Mental... Read Endless Love Summary


Publication year 1818

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Appearance & Reality

Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Mythology, Romanticism / Romantic Period, British Literature, History: World, Fantasy, Romance, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1950

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Education, Education

Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “EPICAC” is a work of science fiction/dystopian fiction originally published in the November 25, 1950, issue of Collier’s Weekly and was later included in his first short story collection, Welcome to the Monkey House (1968). Vonnegut is one of the 20th century’s best-known American satirical writers, and his military experience informs the anti-war themes and dark humor of his work. “EPICAC” follows a military supercomputer that develops romantic feelings for its... Read Epicac Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Society: Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman


Publication year 1170

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Romance, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, French Literature, Education, Education, Mythology, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Erec and Enide is a book-length poem written by French poet Chrétien de Troyes around the year 1170. The poem is one of Chrétien’s series of so-called Arthurian romances—a genre of poem in the Middle Ages that told the stories of the individuals associated with King Arthur’s court. His poems are among the earliest to refer to King Arthur and his knights, and Erec and Enide focuses on the adventures of the knight Erec. This... Read Erec and Enide Summary


Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Aging

Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Humor, Animals, Romance, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Natural World: Food, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, Military / War, Italian Literature, History: World


Publication year 1904

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism

Tags Irish Literature, Modernism, Gender / Feminism, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction

“Eveline” is the fourth short story in James Joyce’s Dubliners collection, completed in 1907 and published in London in 1914. This story, like the others in Dubliners, reveals Joyce’s view of Ireland, then a British colony, as existing in a state of paralysis. Alongside this broader theme, “Eveline” also explores topics like duty versus freedom, English imperialism, and individual autonomy. Nearly a story of a young woman escaping the confines of her abusive and lonely... Read Eveline Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality

Tags Race / Racism


Publication year 2018

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Play: Drama, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Grief / Death, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Education, Education

Everybody, a one-act play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, premiered Off-Broadway in 2017 at the Signature Theatre and was first published in 2018. It is a modern retelling of Everyman, the most well-known and anthologized example of a medieval morality play, which was adapted from a Dutch play by an anonymous 15th century English writer. Morality plays first appeared in the 12th century, evolving from the Catholic Church’s cycle plays and liturgical dramas, which reenacted biblical scenes... Read Everybody Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Inspirational, Christian literature, Religion / Spirituality, Self Help


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: The Past

Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity

Tags Humor, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Self Help, Biography