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.

Communion

by bell hooks

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Justice

Tags Feminist Theory, Gender Studies, Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Philosophy, Relationships, Women`s Studies

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Confess

by Colleen Hoover

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Art, Family, Fathers, Guilt

Tags Romance, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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Confessions

by Saint Augustine

Publication year 400

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Love, Beauty

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Philosophy

Confessions, or Confessiones in the original Latin, is a book of spiritual reflection, philosophical commentary, and Biblical interpretation produced in the last century of the Western Roman Empire. Written around the year 400 CE by Saint Augustine of Hippo, a prominent Catholic bishop in the Roman province of Africa, the book is sometimes called the world’s first autobiography. Although this claim is inaccurate, Confessions has nevertheless born enormous influence on personal narrative writing in the... Read Confessions Summary

Confessions of a Shopaholic

by Sophie Kinsella

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Midlife, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Politics & Government, Beauty, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Humor

Published in 2000, Confessions of a Shopaholic was the breakout success of British novelist Sophie Kinsella (the pen name of Madeleine Wickham), a former financial journalist from London. Before adopting the Kinsella pseudonym, Wickham published several traditional novels, but she gained international recognition through the Shopaholic series, along with later stand-alone works such as Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess.The novel follows Rebecca Bloomwood, a journalist whose compulsive spending habits clash comically... Read Confessions of a Shopaholic Summary

Contrapposto

by Dave Eggers

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Aging, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Art, Beauty, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Literary Fiction, Arts & Culture

Published in 2026, Contrapposto is a picaresque novel and Bildungsroman by American author Dave Eggers. The novel traces the life of a talented artist named Rob “Cricket” Dibb. From his childhood in Indiana to his entanglements with the contemporary art world, Cricket’s journey is a lifelong quest to reconcile his skill-based creative drive with the external pressures of commerce, theory, and ambition. The narrative explores themes such as The Corrosive Nature of the Art Market... Read Contrapposto Summary

Crave

by Tracy Wolff

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Crazy Rich Asians

by Kevin Kwan

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Social Class, Family

Tags Romance, Humor, Satirical Literature, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Crazy Rich Asians is a 2013 romance comedy novel by American author Kevin Kwan about a young Asian American woman who travels with her boyfriend to his native Singapore and finds herself suddenly thrust into the cutthroat world of Asia’s uber-rich. Kwan based the novel loosely on his own experiences growing up in Singapore. It is the first novel in a three-book series, followed by China Rich Girlfriend (2015) and Rich People Problems (2017), all... Read Crazy Rich Asians Summary

Crossed

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, War, Art, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture, Love & Sexuality, Science & Nature, Social Justice

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Crossroads

by Devney Perry

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Nostalgia, Regret, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics

Tags Romance, Coming of Age

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Cry, the Beloved Country

by Alan Paton

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Community, Justice, Love, Forgiveness

Tags Historical Fiction, African Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1948 work of historical fiction by Alan Paton. Set in South Africa, it follows a Christian reverend named Stephen Kumalo, who lives in a Zulu village called Ndotsheni. Geographically isolated from his brother John, his sister Gertrude, and his son Absalom, Stephen becomes worried when he stops hearing from them. He travels to Johannesburg to check up on them. Cry, the Beloved Country is known for illuminating a historically... Read Cry, the Beloved Country Summary

Cupid and Psyche

by Apuleius

Publication year 170

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome

Content Warning: The source text and study guide both contain references to suicide.“Cupid and Psyche” is a story from the ancient Roman novel The Metamorphoses (also known as The Golden Ass) by Apuleius, written around 160 CE. The story describes the love between Cupid, the god of love, and Psyche (pronounced SY-kee), a young woman, and the trials they undergo as the result of human and divine meddling.Although the legend of Cupid and Psyche was... Read Cupid and Psyche Summary

Cymbeline

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1623

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Love, Regret, Femininity, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Nation, War, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Comedy & Satire, Romance

Cymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare. Its first recorded performance was in 1611, and it was published in the First Folio in 1623. Some scholars have posited that sections may have been written collaboratively. The play is loosely inspired by accounts of the historical British king Cunobeline, but also draws on other sources. It has never been considered a history play, reflecting the looseness of this connection.Cymbeline is king of ancient Britain. His sons... Read Cymbeline Summary