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.

A Ruin of Roses

by K.F. Breene

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Safety & Danger, Guilt, Hope, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Humor

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As A Man Thinketh

by James Allen

Publication year 1902

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Love, Mental Health, Future, The Past, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, New Age, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Inspirational

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As Bright As Heaven

by Susan Meissner

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Grief, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II

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A Severe Mercy

by Sheldon Vanauken

Publication year 1977

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Beauty, Grief, Death, Self Discovery, Love, Trust & Doubt

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Grief & Death, Biography

Sheldon Vanauken’s celebrated memoir A Severe Mercy is a moving portrait of deep love confronted with suffering and death. Published in 1977, A Severe Mercy was written by Vanauken from the compilation of many years’ worth of journal entries, hand-written letters, and firsthand accounts of the people and events that the narrative relates. As a Yale- and Oxford-trained scholar and professor of English and an accomplished poet and author, Vanauken brings his literary expertise to... Read A Severe Mercy Summary

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

by William Wordsworth

Publication year 1800

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Aging, Death, Environment, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief & Death, Romanticism

William Wordsworth (1770–1850) is the author of the lyrical ballad “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal” (1800). The poem appears in the second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800), which featured poems by Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. There are four editions of Lyrical Ballads, and the first edition (1798) helped launch English Romanticism. The movement stressed the tumultuous power of nature and the individual human spirit. “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal” reflects the principles... Read A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Summary

A Spark of Light

by Jodi Picoult

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Guilt, Love, Politics & Government

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Health, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Published in 2019, Jodi Picoult’s novel A Spark of Light tells the story of a gunman’s attack on an abortion clinic from multiple points of view, examining the lives of different characters and the events that lead them to the clinic on that day. Picoult is a New York Times best-selling author and has written 28 novels, several of which have been adapted for film and television. Her books are known for tackling social issues... Read A Spark of Light Summary

A Stage Set for Villains

by Shannon J. Spann

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies

Shannon J. Spann’s debut novel, A Stage Set for Villains (2026), is a dark fantasy that draws heavily on the traditions of ancient Greek theater. The story is set in the world of Theatron, where society is divided by its relationship to the Players—immortal, godlike beings who wield a powerful magic called Craft through performance. The protagonist, Riven Hesper, has been an outcast for a decade, suffering from a mysterious curse after a childhood encounter... Read A Stage Set for Villains Summary

As You Like It

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1599

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Love, Siblings

Tags Elizabethan Era, Comedy & Satire, Romance, Education, Education, Humor, Classic Fiction

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy that features romance by William Shakespeare. The date of its first performance is unknown, but it is believed to have been written in 1599. As You Like It was first published in 1623 in the First Folio, the first of the posthumously published collections of Shakespeare’s plays.This summary refers to the 2019 Folger Shakespeare Library updated edition. Your edition’s line numbers and spellings may vary slightly.Plot SummaryWhen... Read As You Like It Summary