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 Five Year Lie

by Sarina Bowen

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Objects & Materials, Marriage, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance

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The Flamethrowers

by Rachel Kushner

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Love, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, European History, Love & Sexuality, Arts & Culture, American Literature, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

The Flamethrowers is a historical fiction novel published in 2013 by the American author Rachel Kushner. It follows the story of Reno, a young woman experiencing the turbulence of the 1970s in New York City. An aspiring artist, Reno finds herself in remarkable situations both in New York and abroad in Italy. Kushner weaves Italian and American history to highlight how people experience the implications of the societies and histories they inherit. Kushner subverts typical... Read The Flamethrowers Summary

The Flea

by John Donne

Publication year 1633

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Guilt, Love, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope

Tags Lyric Poem, Metaphysical, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

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The French Lieutenant's Woman

by John Fowles

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Romance, Victorian Period, British Literature, Postmodernism

The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a 1969 historical novel by English author John Fowles. The novel provides a postmodern exploration of Victorian society, telling a story from the era in a manner which also function as a social critique. The French Lieutenant’s Woman was widely praised on release and in the decades after. In 1981, it was adapted into a film of the same name.This guide was written using the 2004 Vintage edition of the... Read The French Lieutenant's Woman Summary

The Furnished Room

by O. Henry

Publication year 1904

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Loneliness

Tags American Literature, Horror & Suspense, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

“The Furnished Room” by American author O. Henry (the pseudonym of William Sydney Porter) is a short story in the realism genre that also incorporates O. Henry’s trademark situational irony and surprise ending. O. Henry, a resident of New York City at the time, often wrote about life in the city and published short fiction in the weekly magazine New York Sunday World. “The Furnished Room” was first published in 1904 in serial form. O... Read The Furnished Room Summary

The Gambler

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Publication year 1866

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Russian Literature, Existentialism, World History, Romance, Philosophy, Philosophy

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The Games Gods Play

by Abigail Owen

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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The Garden of Evening Mists

by Tan Twan Eng

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Gender Identity, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Military & War

The Garden of Evening Mists (2012) is a historical novel by Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng. A former intellectual property lawyer, Eng received international acclaim for his first novel, The Gift of Rain (2007), which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. The Garden of Evening Mists, his second novel, was shortlisted for the same prize. The narrative follows Teoh Yun Ling, a Malaysian woman who, while confronting a degenerative neurological condition that is erasing... Read The Garden of Evening Mists Summary

The Gift of Rain

by Tan Twan Eng

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Race, The Past, War

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, Asian Literature

The Gift of Rain (2007) is a historical novel by Tan Twan Eng. Set in Penang, Malaysia, during World War II, the novel follows Philip Hutton, a Chinese British young man. As he navigates his dual heritage, Philip forms a complex relationship with a Japanese diplomat who becomes both his mentor and betrayer, forcing him to confront questions of loyalty, identity, and survival during the Japanese occupation. The Gift of Rain was Tan Twan Eng’s... Read The Gift of Rain Summary

The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

Publication year 1905

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Poverty

“The Gift of the Magi” is a classic Christmas story of love and sacrifice. Written by O. Henry (the pen name of prolific short story writer Willian Sydney Porter), the story was first published in the New York Sunday World in December 1905.James (Jim) Dillingham Young and his wife Della live in poverty. Jim’s salary has recently been reduced to $20 a week. O. Henry highlights their financial struggles with descriptions of the apartment: “In... Read The Gift of the Magi Summary

The Gilded Six-Bits

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1986

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Appearance & Reality, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature

“The Gilded Six-Bits” is a short story written by Zora Neale Hurston and originally published in 1933 in Story magazine. The story explores themes of Sex, Physical Desire, and Marriage, The Function and Morality of Money, and Appearance Versus Reality. Hurston, in addition to being a noted African American author, was also an anthropologist and folklorist. She is best known for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. “The Gilded Six-Bits” is Hurston’s most... Read The Gilded Six-Bits Summary