There have been a lot of relationship books for couples written over the years. I’ve learned a lot from every one I’ve read. Yet, some of them stand out among the crowd. Here are some of my favorites, which cover everything from how to get guys to stop bad habits, how to communicate better with your significant other, how to avoid arguments and cope better with stress, and how to live with the heartbreak of infertility.
The Problem with Women… Is Men
By Charles J. Orlando
If you’re a woman, and you’re with a “typical” man, you’ll be begging your guy to read The Problem with Women… Is Men. If you’re a man, this book will help you realize what will make your woman happy and how to have a more peaceful relationship.
In The Problem with Women… Is Men, author Charles Orlando—a reformed playboy—takes men to task for their core flaws including lack of etiquette (burping and farting loud in front of their women or in public), uber-dominance (a desire to control everything including the woman you’re with), and infidelity. He shows men how to toss aside the ways of a “Man’s Man” and become an “Evolved Man.”
But despite the title of the book he doesn’t leave women blameless either. He reminds women to value their self-worth and to not put up with bad behavior just because you’re afraid of losing the man.
Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know
By Barbara DeAngelis, Ph.D.
Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know helped me understand how men think. For example, until I read this book I never realized why most men always want to sit facing the door when we’re in a public place.
Dr. DeAngelis points out the biggest mistakes women make with men, including one I was guilty of when I was in my 20s—mothering men.
In Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know, Dr. DeAngelis also shares:
• Why men hate it when women get upset and emotional.
• How women can enjoy oral sex with their boyfriend or husband.
• Why giving advice to a man can make him feel like you don’t trust him.
• The discovery that men communicate best when they have a focus for the conversation.
After reading this book I didn’t only learn about men—I also learned a lot about myself and the way I relate to men.
Men might also want to check out Dr. DeAngelis’ book What Women Want Men to Know.
The Indestructible Relationship
By Kimberly Pryor
Okay. I know. It’s my own book. But Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul says that if you write a book to help people and you don’t ever promote the book it’s like having a cure for cancer and keeping it to yourself. And I wrote The Indestructible Relationship because I knew it could bring your own relationship to a whole new level. The wisdom presented in The Indestructible Relationship can help you:
• Stop saying hurtful things when you’re arguing and learn how to argue more effectively.
• Avoid the number one factor that can destroy a relationship in times of stress.
• Fall passionately back in love with your partner.
• Achieve one very important and easy change in your attitude that can revitalize a marriage in trouble.
• Discover a simple strategy you can use to see your partner’s point of view and head off arguments before they start.
The couples featured in the book have gone through some of the most stressful experiences anyone can face including cancer, bankruptcy, death of a child, having their home damaged in a wildfire or flood, and more. What they’ve discovered from their experiences can help you and your significant other overcome any stress—whether it’s your sick kids up all night or something more traumatic such as chronic illness.
The Indestructible Relationship was a finalist in the 2011 Global eBook Awards and is one of only three non-fiction finalists in EPIC’s 2012 eBook Awards.
Silent Sorority: A (Barren) Woman Gets Busy, Angry, Lost and Found
By Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos
One of the most heartbreaking things a couple can experience is the realization they’ll never be able to have children. According to the Mayo Clinic, 10 to 15 percent of couples in the United States are infertile.
In Silent Sorority, Tsigdinos shares the struggles she and her husband experienced in their efforts to conceive. The book portrays her journey toward accepting the knowledge she will never be a mother. For any couple going through the same challenge, this book will help you realize you’re not alone. Pamela’s thoughts, feelings, and wisdom will give you insight on how you, too, can find the strength to live with the enduring heartbreak of infertility.
The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
By Gary Chapman
Chapman helps couples understand how to make each other feel loved. The secret, he says, is to speak your partner’s love language. If you don’t feel loved by your partner or your partner doesn’t feel loved by you, The Five Love Languages will help you understand why there’s a disconnect between the two of you. Chapman helps couples fill their “emotional love tank,” stopping the gauge from running on empty and helping many lukewarm marriages and relationships be reborn.
