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.

A First Time for Everything

by Dan Santat

Publication year 2023

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Love, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Future, The Past, Self Discovery, Community, Art, Beauty, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Children`s Literature, Romance, Biography, Coming of Age, Travel Literature

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A Flicker in the Dark

by Stacy Willingham

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Memory, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Midlife

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

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After

by Anna Todd

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

After by Anna Todd is a fan fiction romance novel with characters loosely based on the band members from One Direction. The novel principally features the band’s lead singer, Harry Styles, as the inspiration for main character Hardin, and Anna Todd herself as the inspiration behind the protagonist, Tessa. Todd originally wrote After on Wattpad, a social storytelling platform, but it was adapted as a published novel by Simon and Schuster in 2014. After is... Read After Summary

after the quake

by Haruki Murakami

Publication year 2000

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Death, Social Class, Art, Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Magical Realism, Modern Classic Fiction

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After We Collided

by Anna Todd

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Conflict, Forgiveness, Fathers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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A Game of Thrones

by George R. R. Martin

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Femininity, Grief, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Justice, Social Class, War, Economics, Siblings, Mothers, Fathers, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Disability, Gender Identity, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Death, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Social Class, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death

A Game of Thrones is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin and is the first in his long-running A Song of Ice and Fire series. The novel introduces the audience to the fictional world of Westeros, where characters become embroiled in a complicated web of plots, conspiracies, and betrayals as they pursue power. A Game of Thrones won numerous awards on publication and was adapted for television in 2011. This guide... Read A Game of Thrones Summary

A Girl Called Samson

by Amy Harmon

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Colonialism, War, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags US History, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, American Revolution

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Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

by Heather Fawcett

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Siblings, Community, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

Published in 2026, Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is a cozy fantasy novel by Heather Fawcett, author of the New York Times bestselling Emily Wilde series. The story is set in a magical version of Montréal and centers on Agnes Aubert, a 35-year-old widow whose struggling cat shelter is destroyed in a battle between magicians. Desperate to find a new space before winter, she rents a suspiciously affordable and opulent shop, only to discover it... Read Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter Summary

Agnes Grey

by Anne Brontë

Publication year 1847

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Romance, Coming of Age, British Literature, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

Agnes Grey is the first novel by Anne Brontë (1820-1849), the youngest of the three celebrated Brontë sisters, who all wrote novels now considered classics of English literature. Anne drew on her experience as a clergyman’s daughter and as a governess in telling the story of a young woman looking for her place in the world. Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Acton Bell, Agnes Grey was read as an incisive commentary on the status... Read Agnes Grey Summary