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 Summer Book

by Tove Jansson

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Love, Place, Grief, Grandparents, Childhood & Youth, Aging

Tags Grief & Death, Scandinavian Literature, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

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the sun and her flowers

by Rupi Kaur

Publication year 2017

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Environment, Family, Immigration

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness

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The Sun and the Star

by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Memory, Love, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Plants, Trust & Doubt, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, LGBTQ+, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Psychology, Trauma & Abuse

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The Talisman

by Stephen King, Peter Straub

Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, Mothers, Death, The Past, Future, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Space, War, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure

The Talisman is a 1984 novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It is a fantasy novel with horror elements and has connections to the works in King’s Dark Tower series. The Talisman is a road trip book that tells the story of Jack Sawyer and his quest to save his mother. The Talisman examines themes of lost innocence, coming of age, friendship, the corrupting nature of power, and more.The Talisman has a sequel... Read The Talisman Summary

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

by Anne Brontë

Publication year 1848

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Romance, British Literature, Gothic Literature, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the second and final novel written by Anne Brontë (1820-1849), the youngest of the three celebrated Brontë sisters. The novel was published in 1848 under Anne’s pseudonym, Acton Bell. Unlike Anne’s first novel, Agnes Grey (1847), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was an immediate sensation and stirred strong reactions to its subject matter, which touched on adultery, marital separation, alcohol use disorder, and domestic abuse. After her death, Anne’s... Read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Summary

The Time Traveler's Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Love

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Postmodernism, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a novel by Audrey Niffenegger published in 2003. It tells the love story of Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, revealed through their alternating perspectives in which each character is the first-person narrator. Henry was born as a with a condition that allows him to travel in time, though when and where in time he travels is out of his control.Using a non-linear plot structure, Niffenegger explores a range of themes... Read The Time Traveler's Wife Summary

The Tragedy of Mariam

by Elizabeth Cary

Publication year 1613

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Gender Identity, Love, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

The Tragedy of Mariam, Fair Queen of Jewry recounts actual historical events surrounding the execution of Mariam, the second wife of Herod the Great. Written by Elizabeth Cary, the Viscountess Falkland, this five-act play published in 1613 is unique in several ways—chiefly, in that it is the first English-language play authored and published by a woman. Multiple tragedies occur in the drama, which falls into the genre of a Senecan revenge tragedy. It’s also a... Read The Tragedy of Mariam Summary