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.

The Cat Who Saved Books

by Sōsuke Natsukawa, Transl. Louise Heal Kawai

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Grandparents, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Japanese Literature, Contemporary Literature

... Read The Cat Who Saved Books Summary

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

by Bertolt Brecht

Publication year 1944

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Love, War, Justice

Tags Drama, Symbolic Narrative, Modernism, German Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Bertolt Brecht’s celebrated play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, was written in 1944. The story is structured as a play within a play and touches on themes of justice, motherhood, and moral choices in times of crisis. Brecht, a German playwright best known for his unique style of drama called “epic theater,” was based in the United States at the time, and the play was translated into English by his friend, Eric Bentley. It went on... Read The Caucasian Chalk Circle Summary

The Changeling

by Thomas Middleton, William Rowley

Publication year 1622

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Love

Tags Tragedy, British Literature, Harlem Renaissance, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Changeling is a Jacobean tragicomedy written in collaboration between established playwrights Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. It was first performed in 1622 and published in 1653. The play is adapted from John Reynolds’s 1621 story collection titled The Triumphs of Gods Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sinne of Willful and Premeditated Murther.The play has two plots: a tragic main plot and a comedic subplot. Scholars believe Middleton wrote the majority of the main... Read The Changeling Summary

The Charm Offensive

by Alison Cochrun

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Love, Forgiveness, Appearance & Reality, Femininity, Disability, Masculinity, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Friendship

Tags Romance, Humor, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

... Read The Charm Offensive Summary

The Chaser

by John Collier

Publication year 1940

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Love, Masculinity

Tags Magical Realism, Symbolic Narrative, Humor, Satirical Literature, Love & Sexuality, Business & Economics, Relationships, American Literature, Post-War Era, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

John Collier (1901-1980) is best known for his short stories, many of which are constructed as fantastic parables of modern day life. He also wrote poetry and screenplays, and was a developer for the television show “The Twilight Zone.” “The Chaser” first appeared in his short story collection Fancies and Goodnights, which won the 1952 Edgar Award and the 1952 International Fantasy Award. It is a cautionary parable of love, capitalism, and the wisdom of... Read The Chaser Summary

The Choice

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Fate, Grief, Marriage

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Nicholas Sparks’s The Choice (2007) is a traditional romance novel that delves into the complexities of love, choices, and life’s unforeseen events. The story unfolds in the picturesque coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina, where Travis Parker, an easygoing bachelor, encounters a life-changing series of events when Gabby Holland, a determined medical student, becomes his neighbor. The novel examines the themes of Coincidence Versus Destiny, Choices and Their Consequences, and Challenges to Romantic Relationships.Sparks is... Read The Choice Summary

The Christie Affair

by Nina de Gramont

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Love, Conflict, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Literature, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Romance

... Read The Christie Affair Summary

The Christmas Box

by Richard Paul Evans

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Gratitude, Love, Friendship

Tags Inspirational, Special Occasions, Christian, Religion & Spirituality

The Christmas Box (1993) is a holiday-themed, loosely autobiographical novel by American author Richard Paul Evans. It tells the story of Richard, a workaholic who learns important lessons about the meaning of Christmas and the importance of family. He makes these discoveries with the help of an elderly widow and an angelic entity who visits Richard in his dreams. Evans was a 31-year-old advertising executive and had no formal writing experience when he self-published The... Read The Christmas Box Summary

The Cider House Rules

by John Irving

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Love, Fathers, Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, US History, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

The Cider House Rules is the sixth novel by the American Canadian author John Irving. It was published in 1985 by William Morrow and Company. The novel was made into a movie directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 1999. Other works by this author include Avenue of Mysteries, A Son of the Circus, and Until I Find You.This guide uses the 2012 William Morrow Kindle Edition of The Cider House Rules.Plot SummaryThe Cider House Rules is... Read The Cider House Rules Summary

The Cinnamon Peeler

by Michael Ondaatje

Publication year 1992

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Love

Tags Lyric Poem, Romance, Free Verse, Love & Sexuality

Michael Ondaatje is the author of the poem “The Cinnamon Peeler.” First published in his fictionalized memoir, Running in the Family (1982), Ondaatje republished the poem in his poetry collection Secular Love (1984), and the poem is one of many that comprises the final section, titled “Skin Boat.” Ondaatje is a Canadian citizen who lived in England and was born in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka—a former English colony famous for its cinnamon (Ceylon... Read The Cinnamon Peeler Summary

The Clean House

by Sarah Ruhl

Publication year 2004

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Siblings

Tags Comedy & Satire, Drama, Relationships, Gender & Feminism, Grief & Death, Social Class, American Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

The Clean House, which premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2004 and opened Off-Broadway in 2006, was the first major play by celebrated American playwright Sarah Ruhl, whose other widely recognized works include Eurydice (2004), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (2007), and In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (2009). The Clean House received a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2004 and was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Ruhl also earned... Read The Clean House Summary

The Conscious Lovers

by Richard Steele

Publication year 1722

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Social Class, Conflict, Guilt, Love, Femininity, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, Restoration

The Conscious Lovers is a sentimental comedy play by 18th-century playwright Richard Steele. The play was first performed at Drury Lane in 1722, and it was published the same year with a different Epilogue. The Conscious Lovers, which is based loosely on Andria, or The Woman of Andros, a comedy by ancient Roman playwright Terence, is an explicitly moral comedy, following characters that are rewarded for their uprightness: Bevil Jr. wants to marry Indiana, a woman... Read The Conscious Lovers Summary

The Cost of Knowing

by Brittney Morris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Fathers, Equality, Fate, Justice, Safety & Danger, Music, Appearance & Reality

Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Fantasy

... Read The Cost of Knowing Summary

The Cruelest Month

by Louise Penny

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Community, Friendship

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny is the third book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series. Published by St. Martin’s Press, the novel earned the Agatha Award for Best Novel of 2008. Formerly a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) journalist and radio host, Penny published her debut novel, Still Life, in 2005. The first book in the Gamache series, Still Life received numerous awards and propelled Penny into the top echelon of modern mystery writers. The... Read The Cruelest Month Summary

The Darling

by Anton Chekhov

Publication year 1899

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Fate, Religion & Spirituality, Loneliness, Love, Femininity

Tags Historical Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Russian Literature, Education, Education, Romance, Classic Fiction

... Read The Darling Summary