For word people: The many definitions of love

The ancient Greeks knew.

They had four words for different forms of love: “Eros” for romantic love, “Storge” for love of family, “Phila” for brotherly love and friendship, and “Agape” for love of God.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, volunteers with the Tucson Festival of Books were invited to suggest recent books that explore “love,” writ large:

“The Flower Bearers” by poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a newly released memoir that explores how she coped during a remarkable year in her life. On Sept. 24, 2021, Griffiths married author Salman Rushdie. That same day, Griffiths’ best friend died. Eleven months later, Rushdie was savagely attacked by a knife-wielding Muslim extremist while onstage in New York. In her new book, Griffiths reflects on the beauty and pain that come when we open ourselves fully to love. — Lynn Wiese Sneyd

“Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy takes us to a remote island near Antarctica that is now occupied by a single family, the Salts. During a major storm, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. As the story evolves, McConaghy explores how far people will go to protect those they love. — Shannon Baker

“Apapacho Love” is a newly published picture book by Oro Valley author Cynthia Harmony. “Apapacho” is the Nahuatl word for a special hug commonly used in Latin America. In Harmony’s book, Mami’s hugs show Luna the many ways love comes to us every day. — Kathy Short

“History Lesson” by Zoe B. Wallbrook is a funny, romantic mystery featuring a young professor who spends most of her time reading, grading papers and navigating a disastrous love life. When a fellow professor is found dead, she learns she could be next. — Tricia Clapp

“The Bones Beneath My Skin” by TJ Klune follows a man who needs to get away. Nate’s parents have died. His brother no longer speaks to him. He has lost his job. Looking for a place to regroup, he heads for his family’s middle-of-nowhere cabin in Oregon. Much to his surprise, there are people there: a man named Alex and an extraordinary 10-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. — Jody Hardy

“Can't Get Enough” by Kennedy Ryan is the third in a romance series featuring three groups of friends and their families. We get to see romantic relationships build out while the main characters are doing hard work at home. — Jessica Pryde

“Heart of the Jaguar” by James Campbell is a love letter to nature … and one of its most magnificent creatures, the jaguar. These big cats once roamed freely from Mexico to South America. Now they are critically endangered, and Campbell’s book honors the conservationists who are fighting to save them. — Angela Seidler

“Chamorrita Song” by Danielle P. Williams is a collection of poems that explore different forms of love. There is the love for Black and Chamorro identity, love of community, love of family, love of language … Williams urges us beyond the feeling, toward the gesture: "Words like / nice and sweet and love are nothing / without action." — Cameron Quan

“Apostle Cove” by William Kent Krueger is a tale centered around a man who was wrongly convicted of murder, but who willingly accepts the verdict to protect someone he loves. — Bill Viner

“Wreck” by Catherine Newman is a sequel to “Sandwich,” her summer-vacation treat published two years ago. This time we join the family at home, where life is totally normal … until it’s not. Newman explores the hidden rules of family, and how, no matter how much you love them, they cannot always be who you want them to be. — Pamela Treadwell-Rubin

“A Chance to Make a Difference” by John Schaefer is a love letter to scholarship, research, photography and community. His impact on the University of Arizona and Southern Arizona is still being felt today. — Karyn Prechtel-Altman

“The Wasp Trap” by Mark Edwards opens with six friends gathering to mourn their recently deceased, one-time employer. He had brought them together to build a dating website based on psychological testing. A night of nostalgia soon becomes a test of survival. — Kimberly Peters

“Never Mind the Happy” by Marc Shaiman is a memoir from a man who was the composer and lyricist for such memorable rom-coms as Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally and the American President. — Lori Roman

“After Hours at Dooryard Books” by Cat Sebastian is a beautiful tale with romantic love, familial love and even a bookstore. — Jessica Pryde

“So Far Gone” by Jess Walter features a man who has gone off the grid, thinking he isn’t needed or wanted anymore. Years later, he is drawn back into the real world to help his daughter and save his grandkids. — Bill Finley