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 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Publication year 1985
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Food
Tags Lyric Poem, Narrative / Epic Poem, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Food, Poverty, American Literature
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers
Tags LGBTQ, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is the debut novel of Jeannette Winterson, originally published on March 21, 1985 by Pandora Press in London. The story is a semi-autobiographical novel that closely follows the childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood of Jeanette, who, like Winterson, is adopted into a Pentecostal Evangelist household and raised in the church. As she grows, she comes to terms with her sexuality as a lesbian and faces condemnation and judgment from... Read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Summary
Publication year 1532
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Love / Sexuality, Military / War, Italian Literature, Renaissance, Mental Illness, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 8
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Community
Tags Humor, Satire, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Literature
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, New Adult, Latin American Literature, Love / Sexuality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships
Our Souls at Night is Colorado author Kent Haruf’s last novel, and it was published in 2015, after his death. Like much of Haruf’s other writing, this novel is set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. The novel begins with 70-year-old Addie Moore making a proposition to her neighbor Louis Waters that they sleep together—literally, not sexually—in order to combat the loneliness that they often feel, especially at night. They have both lost their... Read Our Souls At Night Summary
Publication year 1938
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Play: Drama, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction
Our Town (1938) is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder. Wilder served in both World War I and World War II and wrote honestly about life in America. He wrote several plays but considered Our Town to be his best work. It was performed for the first time in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1938. Wilder received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Our Town, and the play is widely considered to be... Read Our Town Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Midlife
Tags Relationships
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Realistic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Grief / Death, History: U.S., Love / Sexuality, Race / Racism, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Class, History: World
Out of Darkness is a young adult historical novel written by Ashley Hope Pérez and published in 2015 by Holiday House of New York. Pérez holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Indiana University, where her research focused on Latin American literature. A professor of World Literatures at Ohio State University, she is also the author of What Can’t Wait (2011), The Knife and The Butterfly (2012), and Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions about... Read Out of Darkness Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Romance, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Romance, Humor, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Romance, Humor, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Travel Literature
Publication year 1994
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family
Tags Free verse
Publication year 1986
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Fathers, Identity: Language, Society: Immigration, Natural World: Objects, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Food
Tags Lyric Poem, Ekphrastic, Free verse, Relationships, Immigration / Refugee, Arts / Culture, Confessional, Asian Literature
Publication year 1817
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender
Tags Romance, British Literature, Victorian Period, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Classic Fiction, Class, History: World, Historical Fiction
Persuasion is the last novel completed by Jane Austen (1775-1817) before her death. Written between the years 1815-1816 and published posthumously, the Regency-era novel centers on the engagements and marriages of a small circle of middle-class families, with particular attention to the social and private lives of women. Echoing character dynamics found throughout Austen’s works, the romantic protagonists must confront their individual pride before fully realizing their relationship. It has been adapted for television, film... Read Persuasion Summary