1. On Love by Stendhal
“Happiness never stays the same, except in its origin; every day brings forth a new blossom.” Stendhal uses a confessional and witty tone to detail the insightful process of falling in love. Stendhal provides the reader a mixture of anecdotes, philosophy, and social observation from his personal experience and tries to make them universally applicable.
2. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
Martians “go to their caves” while Venusians “go to the well.” John Gray helps the reader to understand and accept the differences between a man and a woman. This book explains how such knowledge can create happier relationships.
3. The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
“Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision?” This book shows how love is harder to achieve in the modern world. It helps the reader to understand how love can conquer loneliness and make one a more magnanimous person.
4. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
“Love remains. I don’t know why we should suffer so much. Perhaps I shall find out.” Regarded as Henry James’ finest work, Isabel Archer’s marriage to Osmond Gilbert leads to her suffering from a cruel and oppressive husband. This book portrays to the reader what it means to be a radiantly good person who falls in love with a terrible person.
5. Roman Elegies by Goethe
“I’m fairly fond of boys, but my preference is for girls; When I have enough of a girl, she serves me still as a boy.” This is a cycle of twenty-four poems by Goethe. Through his Italian Journey, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe celebrates the sensuality and vigor of romance and love. If you are looking for intelligent erotica, this is a book to read.
6. Le Grand Meaulnes by Alaine- Fournier
“I thought too that our youth was over and we had failed to find happiness.” If you are looking for a novel or a book that paints the nostalgic tale of lost adolescent love, then you should read this. A clear narrative by a fifteen year old, Francois Seurel, of his friendship with Augustine Meaulnes, who falls in love with a mysterious woman, Yvonne, only to find her years later, the book is magical and takes on a search for lost love.
7. The Sonnets of Shakespeare
“For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lillies that fester smell far worse than weeds.” Sonnets offer the reader the most touching expressions of love. They also offer melancholic and lovely reflections by the author.
8. First Letter to the Corinthians by St Paul
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. The book offers a vivid detail of love linking it to kindness, modesty, and forgiveness. It also provides the reader with some thoughtful and influential assertions about the nature of love.
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” This book offers a logical and evocative picture on every stage of love. With complete naturalness, the author does well to hold the story together and offer the reader an intelligent and deep perception of love.
10. Essays in Love by Alain de Botton
“We are all more intelligent than we are capable, and awareness of the insanity of love has never saved anyone from the disease.” Although the book tries to offer a comical appeal of how serious the subject of love can be, the author offers an analysis of the various stages of a relationship, from first sight to separation. Featured photo credit: http://www.morguefile.com via mrg.bz
