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 Marriage Plot

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Literature

Tags Romance, American Literature, Relationships

Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Marriage Plot (2011), set in the early 1980s, follows a love triangle among a group of recent Brown University graduates. As the 20-somethings forge a path into adulthood, they explore the dynamics of love and commitment while wrestling with ways to imbue their lives with meaning and make a purposeful mark on the world. The title references a plot trope common to 19th-century British novels, such as those by Jane Austen, in... Read The Marriage Plot Summary

The Marvelous Land of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

... Read The Marvelous Land of Oz Summary

The Master

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Literature, Loneliness, Love, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Irish Literature

... Read The Master Summary

The Mastery of Love

by Don Miguel Ruiz

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Fear, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Philosophy, Psychology, Love & Sexuality, Philosophy, Inspirational, Psychology

... Read The Mastery of Love Summary

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv

by Erin Litteken

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Regret, Femininity, Race, Death, The Past, Plants, Place, Family, Community, Immigration, Nation, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction

... Read The Memory Keeper of Kyiv Summary

The Mighty Red

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Climate, Environment, Plants, Marriage, Mothers, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

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The Mindf*ck Series

by S. T. Abby

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Revenge

Tags Horror & Suspense, Romance

S. T. Abby’s The Mindf*ck Series (2016) is a dark romance and psychological thriller that gained viral popularity on TikTok. Originally self-published, the series became a cornerstone of the dark romance subgenre and a key example of the “female rage” trope, which celebrates female antiheroes who seek violent retribution. The story follows Lana Myers, a survivor of a brutal gang rape who was left for dead 10 years prior. Now living under a new identity... Read The Mindf*ck Series Summary

The Ministry of Time

by Kaliane Bradley

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Regret, Race, Future, The Past, Climate, Environment, Social Class, Community, Economics, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

... Read The Ministry of Time Summary

The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness

by Arundhati Roy

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Love

Tags Asian Literature, Indian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction

Spanning the 1950s to the 2010s, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, a 2017 novel by Arundhati Roy, follows the interconnected lives of several characters against the backdrop of contemporary India. The novel skips backwards and forwards in time freely, often pauses for detours into the stories of minor characters and includes several texts within the main text (e.g., Bhartiya’s manifesto, or Tilo’s Kashmiri-English Alphabet). At heart, however, the novel consists of two main narrative threads... Read The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness Summary

The Miser

by Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Publication year 1668

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Love, Social Class

Tags Comedy & Satire, Classic Fiction, French Literature

The Miser, by Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (better known by his stage name, Molière) was written in 1668 and was first performed at the theatre of the Palais-Royal in Paris on September 9th, 1668. The five-act play, which takes much of its inspiration from Plautus’ Latin comedy Aulularia (or The Pot of Gold), is a comedy centered on a penny-pinching old miser, Harpagon, who schemes to make more money by arranging marriages for himself and his two... Read The Miser Summary

The Mistake

by Elle Kennedy

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fame, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags New Adult, Romance

... Read The Mistake Summary

The Mountain Between Us

by Charles Martin

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Food, Place, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Beauty, Fate, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Christian, Romance, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction

The Mountain Between Us (2010) is a survival romance novel by Charles Martin. It tells the story of Ben Payne, a surgeon who becomes trapped in the remote Utah wilderness with writer Ashley Knox. The novel interweaves Ben’s personal history with his growing feelings for Ashley as they rely on each other for survival, and their love begins to pose a potential complication in the lives to which they hope to return. Through their journey... Read The Mountain Between Us Summary

The Museum of Innocence

by Orhan Pamuk

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, The Past, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Arts & Culture

The Museum of Innocence (2008) is a novel by Orhan Pamuk. The novel follows an Istanbul society bachelor named Kemal Basmacı, who falls in love with his younger distant relative, Füsun Keskin, just as he is getting engaged to another society woman. As Kemal becomes increasingly obsessed with Füsun, he upends his life for her, leading to tragedy for both of them. The novel explores The Devastating Impact of Obsession, Modesty as a Tool of... Read The Museum of Innocence Summary