Love in the New York Times Book Review

Today’s New York Times Book Review, in a delightful special Valentine’s Day issue, focuses on the topic of love. There are several reviews of books about, or highlighting, love, romance, sex, marriage and related topics. Special features include a “roundup” in which “writers share the books that taught them about love”; contributors to this roundup include Hilary Mantel, Colm Toibin, Ann Patchett, Khaled Hosseini, Charles Baxter, and Ruth Ozeki. Then there are two brief “Bookends” essays, by Francine Prose and Dana Stevens, on the question “How does literature’s classic marriage plot stand up in 2014?” All in all, this issue is a treat.