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 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
The Pact: A Love Story (1998) by Jodi Picoult tells the story of teens Emily Gold and Chris Harte who enter into a pact to die by suicide. Emily’s death has taken place by the novel’s opening, but Chris is swiftly charged with her murder. As the novel unfolds, the complicated dynamics of the lives of the teens—lifelong best friends who grew up next door to one another—are presented. The nature of the “pact” that... Read The Pact Summary
Publication year 1925
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Classic Fiction, History: World, Chinese Literature
The Painted Veil (1925) is the 11th novel by British novelist and playwright William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). He obtained the title from the opening lines of an untitled sonnet by British Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, posthumously published in 1824: “Lift not the painted veil which those who live / Call Life” (Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Lift Not the Painted Veil.” 1824. Reprint. The Reader, 6 Feb. 2017. Accessed 17 Jul. 2022). The novel originally appeared... Read The Painted Veil Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender
Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Humor
Publication year 1961
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Relationships
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, History: European, WWII / World War II, Military / War, French Literature, History: World
Publication year 1599
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Lyric Poem, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Pastoralism, Renaissance, Education, Education, British Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Immigration, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Latin American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction, Music
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers
Publication year 1910
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude
Tags Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux is a Gothic mystery novel first published serially in 1910. The novel follows a “ghost” who haunts the Paris Opera and the mysterious incidents attributed to this figure. The characters and the narrator himself try to uncover the secret of this ghost, who is really a masked man infatuated opera singer, Christine Daaé. The novel has been adapted into several formats, most notably a 1925 silent film... Read The Phantom of the Opera Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery
Tags Business / Economics, Inspirational, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Self Help, Psychology
Publication year 1952
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Sexuality
Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Historical Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
Patricia Highsmith published The Price of Salt in 1952 under a pseudonym, Claire Morgan, because of the lesbian relationship between the two main characters—Therese and Carol. The Price of Salt is a romance, mystery, and coming-of-age tale. Highsmith wrote many short stories and over 20 novels. Like her other works, The Price of Salt contains autobiographical elements; like Therese, Highsmith worked at a department store, became captivated by a woman she met there, and was... Read The Price of Salt Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Children's Literature, History: World
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Depression / Suicide, Fantasy, Mental Illness
The Program is a 2014 young adult dystopian novel by Suzanne Young. Young is a novelist specializing in science fiction, thriller, and romance novels in the young adult genre. The novel takes place in a dystopian society where the government declares mental illness an epidemic. The Program follows seventeen-year-old Sloane Barstow, who struggles to reunite with her boyfriend James after a treatment clinic called The Program erases their memories in an attempt to “cure” their... Read The Program Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Fairy Tale / Folklore
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Gender / Feminism, Leadership/Organization/Management, Relationships, Parenting, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Fairy Tale / Folklore
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Irish Literature, LGBTQ, Romance
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, German Literature, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Romance, Classic Fiction
Introduction Law professor Bernhard Schlink published The Reader (Der Vorleser) in Germany in 1995. Two years later, an English version arrived in the United States, and it became a bestseller and a selection for Oprah's Book Club. The German newspaper Abendzeitung named the book Stern des Jahres (Star of the Year), and it was also awarded the 1998 Hans Fallada Prize, given to works that address social or political issues. Translated editions of The Reader... Read The Reader Summary