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.

Lightlark

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

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Like Water for Chocolate

by Laura Esquivel

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Food, Family, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Marriage, Self Discovery, War

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Like Water for Chocolate is the debut novel of Laura Esquivel, published in Mexico in 1989 and then translated into English by Carol and Thomas Christensen. Esquivel has sold over four million copies of the novel worldwide. She is a novelist and active politician serving in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. She collaborated with her husband at the time to adapt the novel into a film in 1992, which was then nominated for a Golden... Read Like Water for Chocolate Summary

Lila

by Marilynne Robinson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Shame & Pride, Death, Love, Loneliness

Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships

Lila is a work of literary fiction by American novelist Marilynne Robinson. Originally published in 2014 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, the novel is set in Robinson’s fictional Gilead universe and tells the story of Reverend John Ames’s enigmatic wife, Lila Dahl. When Lila discovers that she is pregnant with the reverend’s child, she begins to reflect on her life. She is happy with John but still struggles to make sense of how much her... Read Lila Summary

Lisey's Story

by Stephen King

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Marriage, Literature, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature

Lisey’s Story (2006) is a psychological horror romance novel by Stephen King. It follows Lisey Landon, whose husband, Scott, was a famous author who died two years before. With pressure from the literary world to look through Scott’s writing, Lisey finally decides to go through her husband’s study. As she revisits memories of her past with her husband, she discovers a supernatural world that both haunted and inspired Scott’s creativity. At the same time, a... Read Lisey's Story Summary

Litany

by Billy Collins

Publication year 2002

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Literature, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Environment, Marriage

Tags Free Verse, Lyric Poem, Comedy & Satire, American Literature, Love & Sexuality

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Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Coming of Age, Love, Friendship, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Leadership, Politics & Government, Science & Nature

Little Brother, a dystopian young adult novel written by Cory Doctorow, was published by Tor Teen books in 2008. The book debuted at number nine on The New York Times Bestseller list and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2009. Little Brother also won the 2009 White Pine Award, Prometheus Award, and John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The story takes place in the near future and chronicles the efforts of... Read Little Brother Summary

Little Men

by Louisa May Alcott

Publication year 1871

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Friendship, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Joy, Love, Femininity, Masculinity, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Environment, Place, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Good & Evil, Art

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Satirical Literature, Realism, Russian Literature, World History, Romance

Lolita, a novel by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov, was published in 1955 in Paris. American publishing companies refused to publish the novel due to its scandalous plot, but the book was considered a classic almost instantly. In 1967, the novel was finally published in America and, since then, Lolita has appeared on several lists of the greatest English-language and American novels of all time. The novel blends genres, offering readers elements of romance, erotica, and... Read Lolita Summary

Longbourn

by Jo Baker

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Equality, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History, Regency Era

Longbourn (2013) is a work of fiction by British author Jo Baker, who is the author of several other novels of historical fiction and literary suspense. Longbourn depicts what life is like for the servants of the Bennet family of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. While events in Austen’s book frame this novel, Longbourn follows the inner lives of housemaid Sarah, housekeeper Mrs. Hill, and James Smith, the mysterious footman who shows up... Read Longbourn Summary

Long Island

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Gender Identity, Midlife, Place, Marriage, Self Discovery, Immigration

Tags World History, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature

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Lorna Doone

by R. D. Blackmore

Publication year 1869

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Romance, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1869, R.D. Blackmore’s historical romance, Lorna Doone, remains a critically acclaimed story with several television and movie adaptations. Set in the 17th century during a fraught political climate, the novel centers on the star-crossed lovers, Lorna Doone and John Ridd, as they struggle to be together despite the differences in their social classes and the enmity between their families. The main character, John Ridd, is the narrator, telling his story years later... Read Lorna Doone Summary