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.

Mornings in Jenin

by Susan Abulhawa

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, War, Religion & Spirituality, Nation, Community, Colonialism, Grief

Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Politics & Government

Mornings in Jenin is a historical novel that spans the years between 1941 and 2003 and is focused on the Israeli invasion and occupation of Palestine. The author, Susan Abulhawa, is the child of Palestinian refugees and was brought up in several countries, including the United States. She writes the novel from the points of view of several members of a Palestinian family who lose their land, home, and loved ones. The novel relates the... Read Mornings in Jenin Summary

Mortal Engines

by Philip Reeve

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Fate, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Technology, Social Class

... Read Mortal Engines Summary

Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1598

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, Comedy & Satire, Modern Classic Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, Renaissance, Education, Education, Romance, Humor

Much Ado About Nothing, a comedy dating from the mid-career period of William Shakespeare was probably written just prior to 1600. The play has the trappings of a theatrical farce with its use of assumptions and misunderstandings. Main characters Benedick and Beatrice are duped into announcing their love for each other while Claudio is fooled into spurning Hero at the altar when he mistakenly believes that she has not been faithful to him. The theme of lovers being tricked... Read Much Ado About Nothing Summary

Murder by Cheesecake

by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Love, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Murder by Cheesecake Summary

Murder Road

by Simone St. James

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, The Past, Self Discovery, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read Murder Road Summary

My Cousin Rachel

by Daphne du Maurier

Publication year 1951

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Appearance & Reality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fear, Mental Health

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

Published in 1951, My Cousin Rachel is a Gothic psychological novel by British author Daphne du Maurier, who is best known for her novel Rebecca (1938). The story takes place on an isolated Cornish country estate, a setting that du Maurier frequently used. The narrator, a naïve young man named Philip Ashley, gradually becomes convinced that his beloved guardian, Ambrose, may have been murdered in Italy by the mysterious Rachel, the woman he spontaneously married... Read My Cousin Rachel Summary