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 Life She Was Given

by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Animals, Place, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Beauty, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Drama, Animals, World History, Dramatic Literature

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The Little Paris Bookshop

by Nina George, Transl. Simon Pare

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Love, Grief, Death

Tags Romance, Psychological Fiction, German Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, French Literature, Travel Literature

Nina George’s romance novel The Little Paris Bookshop was originally published in German in 2013 and was translated to English by Simon Pare in 2015. The story follows Jean Perdu, a bookseller, as he travels from Paris to Avignon on his floating bookstore, the Literary Apothecary. Perdu leaves Paris on a whim after receiving heartbreaking news about the death of his former lover. Perdu is joined in his travels by Max Jordan, a bestselling author... Read The Little Paris Bookshop Summary

The Longest Ride

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Coming of Age

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

In 2013’s The Longest Ride, Nicholas Sparks, one of the most prolific and successful American romance novelists of the millennium, investigates how despite their differences, opposite personalities can find their way to commitment. In juxtaposing two relationships, one ending after more than 50 years and the other just beginning, this #1 New York Times bestselling novel explores how love can flourish, endure, and sustain even through the most difficult times. The novel is part Western... Read The Longest Ride Summary

The Lover

by Marguerite Duras

Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Family, Memory, Guilt, Community, Shame & Pride, Love, Forgiveness, Fear, Hope

Tags Relationships, American Literature, French Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction

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The Love Wager

by Lynn Painter

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Fate, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hope, Loneliness, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Humor, Contemporary Literature

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The Magic Fish

by Trung Le Nguyen

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Love, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope, Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Asian Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Magician's Elephant

by Kate DiCamillo

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Relationships, Animals, Action & Adventure

A fortuneteller tells 10-year-old Peter that an elephant will lead him to his lost sister, which starts Peter on a journey of self-discovery and wonder in Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant (2009). When a magician miraculously conjures an elephant, its appearance affects everyone in town. In his efforts to find his sister Adele and rescue the homesick elephant, Peter must overcome obstacles and unite a diverse group of characters that includes a policeman... Read The Magician's Elephant Summary

The Maids

by Jean Genet

Publication year 1947

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Siblings, Social Class

Tags Drama, Absurdism, French Literature, Dramatic Literature, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction

Jean Genet’s play The Maids (or Les Bonnes) premiered in Paris at the Théâtre de l’Athénée in 1947. By this time, Genet was already an established novelist and playwright, but this one-act play was his first foray into the conventions and aesthetics of the movement now known as the Theatre of the Absurd. The Maids is based on the true story of the Papin sisters, two maids who shocked France in 1933 by murdering their... Read The Maids Summary

The Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett

Publication year 1930

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Apathy, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, The Past, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos, Art, Good & Evil, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Immigration

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression

Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon (1930) is a detective novel that was first serialized in the magazine Black Mask. As Hammett’s third novel, The Maltese Falcon includes the introduction of Sam Spade as the protagonist, a departure from the nameless Continental Op who narrated his previous stories. Spade’s hard exterior, cool detachment, and reliance on his own moral code would become staples of the hardboiled genre, and The Maltese Falcon has since been named one... Read The Maltese Falcon Summary