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  • Experts

Love Books

We have a superb selection of interviews devoted to the best books on love, exploring this complicated phenomenon in all its aspects. Jenny Davidson, professor of English and Comparative literature at Columbia, chooses her best love stories. Skye Cleary, philosopher and author of Existentialism and Romantic Love, delves into the philosophy of love; she ponders, among other things, whether love is a choice. On a more practical level, therapist Mira Kirshenbaum chooses her best books on relationship therapy and stresses the importance of understanding a relationship’s dynamics as a system in order to overcome or avoid problems. Ella Berthoud, a bibliotherapist, discusses her practice and love and relationships; TV presenter Riz Kahn chooses his best books on enduring love.

On the subject of love's more negative aspects and complicated consequences, novelist Katie Kitamura chooses her best books on marriage and divorce in literature; historian Nancy Goldstone talks about strong (mainly royal) women in bad marriages; and the poet and novelist Evan Zimroth chooses her best books on adultery. Taking a more broadly historical view, war correspondent Janine di Giovanni looks at love, war and longing.

Beyond these interviews dedicated to love, there are many other book recommendations all over the site on the theme of love, from Sappho’s poetry of the 7th century BC to the best romance books.

    The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries

    1

    Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love
    by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America by Beth L. Bailey

    2

    From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America
    by Beth L. Bailey

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves by Christian Rudder

    3

    Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves
    by Christian Rudder

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari

    4

    Modern Romance: An Investigation
    by Aziz Ansari

  • Read
    The best books on Dating - The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder by Nichi Hodgson

    5

    The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder
    by Nichi Hodgson

  • The best books on Dating - Ars Amatoria, or The Art of Love by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries
  • The best books on Dating - From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America by Beth L. Bailey
  • The best books on Dating - Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race, and Identity — What Our Online Lives Tell Us about Our Offline Selves by Christian Rudder
  • The best books on Dating - Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari
  • The best books on Dating - The Curious History of Dating: From Jane Austen to Tinder by Nichi Hodgson

The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

“Love,” wrote Ovid, “is no assignment for cowards.” Cultural critic Mia Levitin talks us through the history of seduction from the Classical era, through ballroom dancing, calling cards and into the present age of swiping on our mobile phones. Here she recommends five of the best books for those braving the modern dating scene.

The best books on Dating, recommended by Mia Levitin

    The Best Love Stories, recommended by Jenny Davidson

  • Read
    The Best Love Stories - Persuasion by Jane Austen

    1

    Persuasion
    by Jane Austen

  • Read
    The Best Love Stories - Cyrano de Bergerac by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand

    2

    Cyrano de Bergerac
    by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand

  • Read
    The Best Love Stories - Just Above My Head by James Baldwin

    3

    Just Above My Head
    by James Baldwin

  • Read
    The Best Love Stories - A True Novel by Minae Mizumura

    4

    A True Novel
    by Minae Mizumura

  • Read
    The Best Love Stories - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

    5

    Howl's Moving Castle
    by Diana Wynne Jones

  • The Best Love Stories - Persuasion by Jane Austen
  • The Best Love Stories - Cyrano de Bergerac by Anthony Burgess (translator) & Edmund Rostand
  • The Best Love Stories - Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
  • The Best Love Stories - A True Novel by Minae Mizumura
  • The Best Love Stories - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Best Love Stories, recommended by Jenny Davidson

From Jane Austen to James Baldwin, the best love stories in literature recommended by Jenny Davidson, novelist, historian and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.

The Best Love Stories, recommended by Jenny Davidson

    The best books on Philosophy of Love, recommended by Skye C Cleary

  • Read
    The best books on Philosophy of Love - The Philosophy of (Erotic) Love by Edited by Robert C Solomon and Kathleen M Higgins

    1

    The Philosophy of (Erotic) Love
    by Edited by Robert C Solomon and Kathleen M Higgins

  • Read
    The best books on Philosophy of Love - The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

    2

    The Second Sex
    by Simone de Beauvoir

  • Read
    The best books on Philosophy of Love - Tête-à-Tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre by Hazel Rowley

    3

    Tête-à-Tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre
    by Hazel Rowley

  • Read
    The best books on Philosophy of Love - Dialogue on the Infinity of Love by Tullia d'Aragona

    4

    Dialogue on the Infinity of Love
    by Tullia d'Aragona

  • Read
    The best books on Philosophy of Love - All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

    5

    All About Love: New Visions
    by bell hooks

  • The best books on Philosophy of Love - The Philosophy of (Erotic) Love by Edited by Robert C Solomon and Kathleen M Higgins
  • The best books on Philosophy of Love - The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
  • The best books on Philosophy of Love - Tête-à-Tête: The Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir & Jean-Paul Sartre by Hazel Rowley
  • The best books on Philosophy of Love - Dialogue on the Infinity of Love by Tullia d'Aragona
  • The best books on Philosophy of Love - All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

The best books on Philosophy of Love, recommended by Skye C Cleary

What is love? Can you choose to do it? If love ends, was it really love? The author and academic Skye C Cleary selects five key texts that deal with philosophy of love, whether romantic, erotic, familial or platonic.

The best books on Philosophy of Love, recommended by Skye C Cleary

    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature

  • Read
    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

    1

    Rebecca
    by Daphne Du Maurier

  • Read
    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

    2

    The Portrait of a Lady
    by Henry James

  • Read
    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - Lust by Elfriede Jelinek & Translated by Michael Hulse

    3

    Lust
    by Elfriede Jelinek & Translated by Michael Hulse

  • Read
    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - My First Wife by Jakob Wassermann & Translated by Michael Hofmann

    4

    My First Wife
    by Jakob Wassermann & Translated by Michael Hofmann

  • Read
    Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

    5

    The Argonauts
    by Maggie Nelson

  • Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
  • Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
  • Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - Lust by Elfriede Jelinek & Translated by Michael Hulse
  • Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - My First Wife by Jakob Wassermann & Translated by Michael Hofmann
  • Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature - The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson

Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature

Love and marriage may go together like a horse and carriage, but what happens when the horses are spooked and the whole procession is run off the road? Katie Kitamura, whose new novel A Separation charts the disastrous—and tragic—failure of a marriage, considers some of literature’s most heartfelt accounts of relationship failure

Katie Kitamura on Marriage (and Divorce) in Literature

    The best books on Relationship Therapy, recommended by Mira Kirshenbaum

  • Read
    The best books on Relationship Therapy - Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows

    1

    Thinking in Systems
    by Donella Meadows

  • Read
    The best books on Relationship Therapy - The Mirages of Marriage by William Lederer and Don Jackson

    2

    The Mirages of Marriage
    by William Lederer and Don Jackson

  • Read
    The best books on Relationship Therapy - The Family Crucible by Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker

    3

    The Family Crucible
    by Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker

  • Read
    The best books on Relationship Therapy - Uncommon Therapy by Jay Haley

    4

    Uncommon Therapy
    by Jay Haley

  • Read
    The best books on Relationship Therapy - Change by John H. Weakland and Richard Fisch & Paul Latzlawick

    5

    Change
    by John H. Weakland and Richard Fisch & Paul Latzlawick

  • The best books on Relationship Therapy - Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
  • The best books on Relationship Therapy - The Mirages of Marriage by William Lederer and Don Jackson
  • The best books on Relationship Therapy - The Family Crucible by Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker
  • The best books on Relationship Therapy - Uncommon Therapy by Jay Haley
  • The best books on Relationship Therapy - Change by John H. Weakland and Richard Fisch & Paul Latzlawick

The best books on Relationship Therapy, recommended by Mira Kirshenbaum

Systems thinking is key to figuring out how relationships work, says Mira Kirshenbaum, psychotherapist and clinical director of the Chestnut Hill Institute. She chooses the best books to help us understand modern relationship therapy.

The best books on Relationship Therapy, recommended by Mira Kirshenbaum

    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone

  • Read
    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

    1

    Eleanor of Aquitaine
    by Alison Weir

  • Read
    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - The Serpent and the Moon by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent

    2

    The Serpent and the Moon
    by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent

  • Read
    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre

    3

    The Heptameron
    by Marguerite de Navarre

  • Read
    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P Murphy

    4

    Murder of a Medici Princess
    by Caroline P Murphy

  • Read
    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Wedlock by Wendy Moore

    5

    Wedlock
    by Wendy Moore

  • The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
  • The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - The Serpent and the Moon by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent
  • The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre
  • The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P Murphy
  • The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages - Wedlock by Wendy Moore

The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone

The author of The Maid and the Queen takes us on an enjoyable ride through European history, looking at well-connected women who outwitted their husbands or asserted their independence.

The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone

    The best books on Love and Relationships, recommended by Ella Berthoud

  • Read
    The best books on Love and Relationships - The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

    1

    The Enchanted April
    by Elizabeth von Arnim

  • Read
    The best books on Love and Relationships - Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

    2

    Greengage Summer
    by Rumer Godden

  • Read
    The best books on Love and Relationships - On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

    3

    On Chesil Beach
    by Ian McEwan

  • Read
    The best books on Love and Relationships - Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau

    4

    Les Enfants Terribles
    by Jean Cocteau

  • Read
    The best books on Love and Relationships - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

    5

    Lolita
    by Vladimir Nabokov

  • The best books on Love and Relationships - The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
  • The best books on Love and Relationships - Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
  • The best books on Love and Relationships - On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
  • The best books on Love and Relationships - Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
  • The best books on Love and Relationships - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The best books on Love and Relationships, recommended by Ella Berthoud

Bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud prescribes some reading for love. Rekindle your relationship, remember first passions and beware obsessive love with help from these suggestions.

The best books on Love and Relationships, recommended by Ella Berthoud

    The best books on Enduring Love, recommended by Riz Khan

  • Read
    The best books on Enduring Love - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

    1

    Shantaram
    by Gregory David Roberts

  • Read
    The best books on Enduring Love - The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

    2

    The Remains of The Day
    by Kazuo Ishiguro

  • Read
    The best books on Enduring Love - The World According to Garp by John Irving

    3

    The World According to Garp
    by John Irving

  • Read
    The best books on Enduring Love - Before She Met Me by Julian Barnes

    4

    Before She Met Me
    by Julian Barnes

  • Read
    The best books on Enduring Love - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

    5

    Wuthering Heights
    by Emily Brontë

  • The best books on Enduring Love - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
  • The best books on Enduring Love - The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • The best books on Enduring Love - The World According to Garp by John Irving
  • The best books on Enduring Love - Before She Met Me by Julian Barnes
  • The best books on Enduring Love - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The best books on Enduring Love, recommended by Riz Khan

Television presenter Riz Khan chooses books on enduring love. Wuthering Heights, Remains of the Day, John Irving and Julian Barnes all make the list

The best books on Enduring Love, recommended by Riz Khan

    The best books on Love, War, and Longing, recommended by Janine di Giovanni

  • Read
    The best books on Love - The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth

    1

    The Radetzky March
    by Joseph Roth

  • Read
    The best books on Love - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

    2

    A Moveable Feast
    by Ernest Hemingway

  • Read
    The best books on Love - The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elliot Paul

    3

    The Last Time I Saw Paris
    by Elliot Paul

  • Read
    The best books on Love - Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gelhorn

    4

    Travels with Myself and Another
    by Martha Gelhorn

  • Read
    The best books on Love - The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson

    5

    The Odyssey
    by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson

  • The best books on Love - The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
  • The best books on Love - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
  • The best books on Love - The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elliot Paul
  • The best books on Love - Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gelhorn
  • The best books on Love - The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson

The best books on Love, War, and Longing, recommended by Janine di Giovanni

War reporter tells us that her life is permeated with sense of loss and longing. She quotes her heroine Martha Gellhorn: “I have a sudden notion of why history is such a mess. Human beings do not live long enough”

The best books on Love, War, and Longing, recommended by Janine di Giovanni

    The best books on Adultery, recommended by Evan Zimroth

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

    1

    The End of the Affair
    by Graham Greene

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - Light Years by James Salter

    2

    Light Years
    by James Salter

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - Julia Paradise by Rod Jones

    3

    Julia Paradise
    by Rod Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux

    4

    Simple Passion
    by Annie Ernaux

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - Unopened Letters by Linda Zisquit

    5

    Unopened Letters
    by Linda Zisquit

  • Read
    The best books on Adultery - Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes

    6

    Birthday Letters
    by Ted Hughes

  • The best books on Adultery - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
  • The best books on Adultery - Light Years by James Salter
  • The best books on Adultery - Julia Paradise by Rod Jones
  • The best books on Adultery - Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux
  • The best books on Adultery - Unopened Letters by Linda Zisquit
  • The best books on Adultery - Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes

The best books on Adultery, recommended by Evan Zimroth

The poet, novelist and author of memoirs explores parallels between faith in the divine and commitment to a worldly erotic passion, and books that show you can have purity within licentiousness

The best books on Adultery, recommended by Evan Zimroth

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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