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.

Summer of '69

by Elin Hilderbrand

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Family, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Marriage, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Relationships, Race & Racism, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance

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Summer Romance

by Annabel Monaghan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Beauty, Order & Chaos

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

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Swann's Way

by Marcel Proust

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Love, Nostalgia

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Modernism

Swann’s Way is a novel by French writer Marcel Proust. First published in 1913, it is the first volume in a series titled In Search of Lost Time. The series is famous for Proust’s exploration of memory and nostalgia and is widely considered among the greatest works of world literature. Swann’s Way has been adapted for film, television, and stage. This guide is based on an eBook version of the 1922 Henry Holt and Company... Read Swann's Way Summary

Sweet Tooth

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Nation, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Relationships, Arts & Culture, European History, Politics & Government, British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance

Sweet Tooth is a 2012 novel by Ian McEwan. Set in the 1970s, it tells the story of one woman’s involvement with MI5 and the world of literature. Themes include the balance of power, navigating lies and deceit, and conditional versus unconditional acceptance.Plot SummarySerena Frome grows up in a small, uninteresting English city. In the 1960s, her mother encourages her to study mathematics at Cambridge University even though Serena (a keen reader) would rather study... Read Sweet Tooth Summary

Swordheart

by T. Kingfisher

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Regret, Femininity, Gender Identity, Midlife, The Past, Family, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Humor, Action & Adventure

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Symposium

by Plato

Publication year 380

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Education, Masculinity

Tags Philosophy, Ancient Egypt, Education, Education, Philosophy, World History, Classical Period, Classic Fiction

Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote the Symposium around 385 BCE. One of Plato’s best-known and most important works, the Symposium is a philosophical dialogue that explores the nature and virtues of Love (Eros) through seven speeches delivered at a symposium in 416 BCE. The Symposium is considered fiction, though the setting and characters are based on historical fact: For example, Socrates features in the dialogue, but Plato gives him a fictional speech. Plato is one... Read Symposium Summary

Tamerlane

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1827

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Death, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Love, Guilt, Grief, Memory, Regret

Tags Narrative Poem, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction

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Tar Baby

by Toni Morrison

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Race, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Race & Racism, Social Class, African American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

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Tarzan of the Apes

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Publication year 1912

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Animals, Race, Family, Love, Colonialism, Education

Tags Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Tarzan of the Apes is an adventure fiction book written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912 and initially published serially in the pulp magazine The All-Story before being printed as a novel in 1914. Burroughs was an American from Chicago who had a variety of careers before building a name for himself as a writer of pulp fiction. His first story, entitled Under the Moons of Mars (1911), became the first book in the science... Read Tarzan of the Apes Summary

Taste

by Stanley Tucci

Publication year 2021

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Fame, Beauty, Memory, Love

Tags Food, European History, Arts & Culture

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