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.

God of Malice

by Rina Kent

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, New Adult

... Read God of Malice Summary

Go Gentle

by Maria Semple

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Gender Identity, Mothers, Art

Tags Romance, Contemporary Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction

Published in 2026, Maria Semple’s novel Go Gentle is a contemporary satirical work of fiction that blends dark comedy, romance, and mystery. The story centers on Adora Hazzard, a Stoic philosopher living a highly controlled and curated life in New York City. Adora’s world is thrown into chaos when a charismatic stranger named Digby Beale enters her life, embroiling her in a high-stakes conspiracy involving the prestigious Lockwood Library where she works. This entanglement forces... Read Go Gentle Summary

Goldfinch

by Raven Kennedy

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love

Tags Romance, Fantasy

Published in 2024, Raven Kennedy’s Goldfinch is the sixth and final novel in the internationally bestselling romantasy series The Plated Prisoner. The adult dark fantasy romance concludes the story of Auren Turley, the long-lost heir to the throne of the fae realm of Annwyn. Imprisoned and magically stripped of her memories by the tyrannical King Carrick, Auren must reclaim her identity and power. Meanwhile, her fated mate, King Slade Ravinger, fights his way from the... Read Goldfinch Summary

Gone With The Wind

by Margaret Mitchell

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Perseverance, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Romance, Military & War, American Civil War, Southern Literature, World History

Gone with the Wind (1936) is the only novel by author Margaret Mitchell published during her lifetime. It is an enduring but controversial classic of American literature, and according to one poll, its popularity among American readers is only exceeded by the Bible. Thirty million copies have been sold worldwide.The novel’s tale of the Civil War is told from the perspective of the wealthy planter class that ruled the antebellum South, a class from which... Read Gone With The Wind Summary

Goodnight Mister Tom

by Michelle Magorian

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Childhood & Youth, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Community, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World War II

Goodnight Mister Tom is a work of historical fiction written by Michelle Magorian and published in 1981. The novel is aimed at an audience of middle grade readers. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, who, at the start of WWII, has to move with his abusive mother from an impoverished suburb of London to the countryside, where they are in the care of an elderly recluse, Thomas Oakley. The novel explores the impact... Read Goodnight Mister Tom Summary

Gospel of John

by John the Apostle

Publication year 90

Genre Scripture, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Religion & Spirituality, Community

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian

The Gospel of John is the last of the four biblical gospels in the New Testament, each offering a biography of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally attributed to John, one of Jesus’s 12 disciples and a major leader in the early church, though some scholars dispute that attribution. The Gospel of John, most likely written in the latter decades of the first century CE, is part of the Johannine corpus... Read Gospel of John Summary

Gothikana

by RuNyx

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, New Adult

... Read Gothikana Summary

Great and Precious Things

by Rebecca Yarros

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Disability, Mental Health, Aging, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Military & War, Contemporary Literature, Dramatic Literature

... Read Great and Precious Things Summary

Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fame, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

... Read Great Big Beautiful Life Summary

Greater Love

by Wilfred Owen

Publication year 1918

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, War, Death, Masculinity, Truth & Lies

Tags Lyric Poem, Military & War, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, European History, World War I, British Literature, The Lost Generation

... Read Greater Love Summary

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

by Suzanne Collins

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Joy, Love, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Friendship, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science Fiction

... Read Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane Summary