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.

Half City

by Kate Golden

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Half City (2026) is a fantasy novel by Kate Golden and the first installment in the Harker Academy series. Golden is a USA Today bestselling author known for her popular romantasy trilogy, the Sacred Stones. Half City blends popular subgenres, combining the character-driven romance of romantasy with the gritty metropolitan setting of urban fantasy and the moody atmosphere of dark academia. The novel follows Vivienne “Viv” Abbot, a young museum assistant in the divided metropolis... Read Half City Summary

Hana's Suitcase

by Karen Levine

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Justice, War, Love, Family, The Past

Tags Holocaust, World War II, Jewish Literature, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Biography

Originally published in 2002 by Second Story Press, Hana’s Suitcase is a historical text by Karen Levine that weaves together the story of two young children in the Holocaust with the narrative of a Japanese museum curator in the early 21st century. Levine, a radio journalist and producer, first heard about Hana Brady’s suitcase from a news article and subsequently produced a radio show about the story. This launched what would become Hana’s Suitcase and... Read Hana's Suitcase Summary

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

by J. K. Rowling

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Nature Versus Nurture, Love, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005) is the sixth book in the seven-part Harry Potter series penned by J. K. Rowling. The book revolves around the titular character Harry Potter, who is a wizard, and the events that take place during his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Joanne Rowling, known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author best known for her immensely popular fantasy series, Harry Potter... Read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Summary

Heart Bones

by Colleen Hoover

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Forgiveness, Family, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Justice

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Inspirational, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

... Read Heart Bones Summary

Heartless

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Revenge, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Fate, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Social Class, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Relationships

Heartless, first published in 2016, is a contemporary fantasy Young Adult novel by Marissa Meyer. Meyer is best known for her dystopian sci-fi YA series The Lunar Chronicles, inspired by fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White. Set in a fantasy world, Heartless imagines the backstory of Lewis Carroll’s iconic character the Queen of Hearts from the 1876 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Heartless is also popular among the BookTok community. This guide utilizes... Read Heartless Summary

Heartless Sky

by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Heartless Sky (2021) is a dark romantasy novel by British authors Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It is the seventh installment in their bestselling Zodiac Academy series, which has gained significant popularity on social media. Peckham and Valenti are sisters and prolific authors known for their interconnected dark romance and fantasy worlds. The Zodiac Academy series is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller and part of the larger World of Solaria, which includes... Read Heartless Sky Summary

Heart-Shaped Box

by Joe Hill

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Love, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Fathers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Heart-Shaped Box (2007) is the debut novel of horror writer Joe Hill, son of the famous Stephen King. The novel is a contemporary Gothic story about Judas “Jude” Coyne, a retired rock star hunted by a ghost. His confrontation with the ghost forces him and his girlfriend, Marybeth “Georgia” Kimball, to confront their respective pasts and current relationship. Hill went on to publish novels such as Horns (2010), NOS4A2 (2013), and The Fireman (2016), as... Read Heart-Shaped Box Summary