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 Great Reckoning

by Louise Penny

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Grief, Perseverance, Nostalgia, Conflict, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse

A Great Reckoning (2016) is the 12th novel in the Inspector Gamache series. The series consists of contemporary mysteries written by the Canadian author Louise Penny. Like the other novels in the series, A Great Reckoning revolves around the small village of Three Pines, Quebec, and its inhabitants. The novel includes a standalone murder mystery plot and references to events in other novels within the series; Penny explores themes of parenthood, loss, and betrayal. This... Read A Great Reckoning Summary

Alchemised

by SenLinYu

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Nation, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

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All about Love

by bell hooks

Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Equality, Safety & Danger, Sexual Identity

Tags Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Psychology, Love & Sexuality, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Relationships, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

... Read All about Love Summary

All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot

Publication year 1972

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Love

Tags British Literature, Animals, Humor

All Creatures Great and Small is the first in a series of fictionalized memoirs by Yorkshire veterinarian James Alfred “Alf” Wight (1916-1995), writing under the name James Herriot. Originally published in the UK as two shorter volumes, If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (1972), the US publisher released them as a single volume in 1972 under a new title drawn from the Anglican hymn “All Things Bright and... Read All Creatures Great and Small Summary

All Fours

by Miranda July

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Midlife, Future, The Past, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Humor

... Read All Fours Summary

All's Well That Ends Well

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1602

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Marriage, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, Humor, Dramatic Literature, Romance

All’s Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare (1582-1616), one of the most influential writers in the English language. The date of composition is not known, but All’s Well That Ends Well was first performed between 1598 and 1608. It was published in 1623, in the First Folio. Shakespeare’s work is part of Early Modern English literature, alongside playwrights like Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe, during which time the play and theater... Read All's Well That Ends Well Summary

All The Bright Places

by Jennifer Niven

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Romance, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

All the Bright Places (2015) is a young adult novel with elements of romance written by Jennifer Niven that deals with the topic of teen suicide. The book was winner of the Goodreads Choice award and has become a popular read among the BookTok community. Niven tells the story from two different voices, those of high school students Theodore Finch (who goes by “Finch”) and Violet Markey. The characters first meet at the top of their... Read All The Bright Places Summary

All the Glimmering Stars

by Mark Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction

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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

by Bryn Greenwood

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Love, Family

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness

Bryn Greenwood’s novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (2016) acknowledges and inverts the features of fairy tales and romance novels to depict a relationship that challenges accepted social values and questions the definition of love itself. Sunk in the depravity and degradation of her father’s drug-dealing lifestyle, eight-year-old Wavy finds her only solace in a questionable attachment to Kellen, a 24-year-old man who is also isolated and longing for some scrap of beauty in... Read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary

All the Way to the River

by Elizabeth Gilbert

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Self Discovery, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Grief & Death

... Read All the Way to the River Summary

All the Years of Her Life

by Morley Callaghan

Publication year 1936

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Forgiveness, Mothers, Coming of Age

"All the Years of Her Life" is a short story by Canadian author Morley Callaghan, first published in his collection Now That April’s Here and Other Stories in 1936. Set in a drugstore in an unknown city, it centers around a young man named Alfred Higgins, who is caught by his boss stealing items from his workplace. Instead of calling the police, the owner, Mr. Carr, calls Alfred’s mother to discuss her son’s actions. Exploring... Read All the Years of Her Life Summary