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 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Femininity, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Marriage, Mothers

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Love, Mental Health, Family, Literature, Community

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Romance, New Adult

Fangirl is a 2013 contemporary young adult novel by Rainbow Rowell. Rowell is an award-winning author whose novels depict relatable struggles in the contemporary world. Her most acclaimed contemporary young adult novels, Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, and her most acclaimed adult novel, Landline, are all set in and around her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.Fangirl follows 18-year-old Cath Avery as she navigates identity, family, and romantic struggles in her first year at college. Her anxiety... Read Fangirl Summary

Publication year 1748

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality

Fanny Hill or, The Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland, an 18th-century British author known for his eroticism. The novel was originally published in installments in 1748 and 1749, and Cleland was arrested in 1749 for obscene content in Fanny Hill. Fanny Hill is one of the most banned books in the history of the English language largely due to its pornographic nature, though the novel does not... Read Fanny Hill Summary

Publication year 1725

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, British Literature, World History

Fantomina, first published in 1724, is a romance novella by English writer and actress Eliza Haywood. Its full title is Fantomina: or, Love in a Maze: Being a Secret History of an Amour Between Two Persons of Condition. Haywood, born Eliza Fowler, gained recognition for her literary works posthumously in the 1980s. Her sensationalistic romantic works reflect contemporary 18th century impropriety and provide commentary on titillating misconduct as well as women’s rights in male-dominated England.The... Read Fantomina Summary

Publication year 1874

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Love

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

Far from the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy’s fourth novel, originally published in 1874 as a serial for Cornhill Magazine. Hardy was a Victorian poet and novelist writing in the Realist tradition. The novel is the first to be set in Hardy’s Wessex, a fictitious region of England modeled after his own Dorset and named after the early Saxon kingdom in the same region. Like much of Hardy’s work, the novel explores rural, Victorian-era English... Read Far From The Madding Crowd Summary

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Love

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

Originally published in 2015, Fates and Furies is the third novel by Lauren Groff. The book dissects the twenty-four-year-long marriage between Lotto Satterwhite and Mathilde Yoder and incorporates many elements of Greek myths. The novel starts with their quickie marriage and jumps around in a disjointed timeline to chronicle everything from their childhoods before meeting one another in college to Mathilde’s decades as a widow after Lotto’s death. The majority of the events circle around... Read Fates and Furies Summary

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Race, Midlife, Future, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Military & War, World War II

Publication year 1843

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Good & Evil

Tags Existentialism, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Fear and Trembling is an 1843 Christian philosophical tract written by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and published under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio (John of the Silence). The title refers to a passage from the Bible, which demands that “salvation” be worked out “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Most of Fear and Trembling focuses on the biblical story of Abraham, whom God told to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham’s actions (despite his fear... Read Fear And Trembling Summary

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Love & Sexuality, Gender & Feminism

Fear of Flying (1973) is author Erica Jong’s first novel, considered by many to be semiautobiographical. Like her protagonist, Isadora Wing, Jong was married multiple times, published a book of poetry, and earned degrees from Barnard College and Columbia University. She also underwent psychoanalysis, a process in which Isadora has been engaged for many years. Isadora is married to an analyst, and the novel follows her as she attempts to reconcile her desire for sexual... Read Fear of Flying Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Death, Aging, Love, Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Community, Beauty, Animals, Plants, Place, Literature, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Depression & Suicide, Health, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Social Justice, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Trust & Doubt, Family

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, New Adult, Modern Classic Fiction

Published in 2011, Fifty Shades Darker is E. L. James’s second installment in the Fifty Shades trilogy which includes Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) and Fifty Shades Freed (2012). Anastasia Steele has ended her relationship with entrepreneur Christian Grey after feeling daunted by his specific tastes and shady secrets. However, when Christian proposes a new arrangement, Ana cannot help herself, and they rekindle their romance. As Christian grapples with his inner demons, Ana must face... Read Fifty Shades Darker Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Fear, Conflict, Power & Greed, Sexual Identity

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

Book Details & Major ThemesFifty Shades of Grey is an erotic romance novel written by E. L. James and published in 2011. The story has origins as fanfiction for the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. In August 2009, James posted it on fanfiction.com as Master of the Universe under the pen name Snowqueens Icedragon.After reworking the story as original fiction, James published the newly named Fifty Shades of Grey through the Writer’s Coffee Shop, an... Read Fifty Shades of Grey Summary

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Fate, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Mystery & Crime Fiction