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 1896
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Lyric Poem, British Literature
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Music, Relationships, Children's Literature
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Health / Medicine, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Published in 2019, Jodi Picoult’s novel A Spark of Light tells the story of a gunman’s attack on an abortion clinic from multiple points of view, examining the lives of different characters and the events that lead them to the clinic on that day. Picoult is a New York Times best-selling author and has written 28 novels, several of which have been adapted for film and television. Her books are known for tackling social issues... Read A Spark of Light Summary
Publication year 1599
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Elizabethan Era, Play: Comedy / Satire, Romance, Education, Education, Humor, Classic Fiction
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy that features romance by William Shakespeare. The date of its first performance is unknown, but it is believed to have been written in 1599. As You Like It was first published in 1623 in the First Folio, the first of the posthumously published collections of Shakespeare’s plays.This summary refers to the 2019 Folger Shakespeare Library updated edition. Your edition’s line numbers and spellings may vary slightly.Plot SummaryWhen... Read As You Like It Summary
Publication year 1892
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Love / Sexuality
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Mythology, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Asian Literature, Japanese Literature
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2010
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Relationships, Self Help, Psychology, Science / Nature, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, Mental Illness
Publication year 1892
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Class, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2009
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Economics, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Community, Society: Nation
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Finance / Money / Wealth
Publication year 2015
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Beauty
Tags Lyric Poem, African American Literature
“Aubade” is a contemporary love poem by American poet Major Jackson. Published in 2017 in Jackson’s fourth collection of poetry Roll Deep, the poem first appeared in The New Yorker in 2015. The title of the poem references a form of love song or poem that marks the dawn—the time of day when lovers must separate. Aubades were popular in medieval times, and unlike a serenade, which accompanies the evening and nightfall, an aubade evokes... Read Aubade Summary
Publication year 1633
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love
Publication year 1924
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Self Discovery
Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, WWI / World War I, The Lost Generation, Education, Education, American Literature, Drama / Tragedy
“A Very Short Story” is one of Ernest Hemingway’s earliest literary works. It originally appeared as one of 18 vignettes that made up the chapbook in our time, published in 1924. The story was later republished, along with the original vignettes and 14 additional short stories, in a new and expanded edition of In Our Time in 1925. This guide refers to that later edition.“A Very Short Story” is semi-autobiographical, based loosely upon Hemingway’s own... Read A Very Short Story Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
A Walk to Remember is a 1999 novel by bestselling American romance writer Nicholas Sparks. It was adapted into a movie in 2002. The novel, set in 1958 in the coastal North Carolina town of Beaufort, builds on the brand Sparks established in his earlier bestselling 1996 novel, The Notebook, which is a historical romance set in a North Carolina coastal town during the 1940s. This North Carolina setting is also a locale of subsequent... Read A Walk to Remember Summary
Publication year 1991
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Natural World: Food
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Love / Sexuality