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.

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

... Read Swordheart Summary

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

... Read Tamerlane Summary

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

... Read Tar Baby Summary

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

... Read Taste Summary

Tell Me Lies

by Carola Lovering

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Love, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Mothers, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Romance, Coming of Age

... Read Tell Me Lies Summary

Tender Is the Night

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Marriage, Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Dramatic Literature, American Literature, Mental Illness, French Literature, World History

In 1934, F. Scott Fitzgerald published his fourth and final (completed) novel, Tender Is the Night. Considered by the author to be his masterpiece, the book captures the same Jazz Age-prose style and Lost Generation philosophy as his previous novels, with the added depth of being arguably his most personal novel. Unlike The Great Gatsby, which was published in the middle of the 1920s, Tender Is the Night reflects upon the Roaring Twenties after they... Read Tender Is the Night Summary

The Accidental Tourist

by Anne Tyler

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Marriage, Family

Tags Romance, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist is a literary fiction novel that follows the character-driven story of Macon Leary, who must navigate life following the death of his son and the dissolution of his marriage. The Accidental Tourist was originally published in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Accidental Tourist is Anne Tyler’s 10th novel and one of her most recognized works. This study guide follows the paperback Berkley edition released in... Read The Accidental Tourist Summary

The Acorn People

by Ron Jones

Publication year 1976

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Children`s Literature, Disability

... Read The Acorn People Summary

The Age of Innocence

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Family, The Past, Love, Gender Identity, Midlife

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, Gilded Age, American Literature, Gender & Feminism, World History, Romance

American writer Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Age Of Innocence (1920) was a post-armistice reflection on the 1870s New York society of her youth. Wharton, an American who lived abroad in Paris, was already the successful author of other novels, including The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911).In a The New York Times article, Elif Batuman reflects that “eventually, each classic tells two stories: its own, and the story of all the... Read The Age of Innocence Summary