Comments on: Ask The Readers: Favorite Books On Life And Marriage

By: Heidi Hass Gable

Heidi Hass Gable — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:35:03 +0000

Great idea for sharing – I look forward to checking out the books!

Here are some of the books that have had a big impact on my thinking (and therefore on my marriage as well!)

A Year By The Sea by Joan Anderson – her own story of reaching midlife, finding herself unhappy with her marriage, lost without the all-consuming job of looking after kids and wondering what happened to the person she used to be (the joy, the passion). It’s a story of RE-discovering marriage.

Anything by Terrence Real:
How Do I Get Through To You – talks about the personal and societal beliefs that get in our way in relationships.
I Don’t Want To Talk About It – actually about the legacy of male depression, but I got some real insights that help me understand some of our patterns.
The New Rules of Marriage – very empowering and give really practical ways of turning adversarial into collaborative, being clear about your needs, finding ways to help each other be your individual bests, etc…

Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn – although a parenting book, this one has helped me understand my own reactions and patterns so that I can stop judging myself – and therefore I’ve been able to be more present in my marriage and stop judging him too…

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:06:12 +0000

1. The Bible

2. Key to Yourself by Venice Bloodworth

3. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

4. Getting The Love You Want by Harville Hendricks

5. Created To Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl (certain parts I loved, some I hated, but the good parts were very helpful)

6. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (agreed & disagreed with some parts, but what I agreed with and learned made it worth the read)

By: Success Professor

Success Professor — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:28:32 +0000

I’ll add one book to the list, “Jesus Creed” by Scot McKnight.

On the flip side, I’ll speak out against “Wild at Heart”. I find much of the book significantly over the top. I’ve seen people take the premises from the book and apply them to parenting for terrible results.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:44:26 +0000

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman is a must read for engaged couples or newlyweds, in my opinion.

By: Jess

Jess — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:02:46 +0000

“The Mystery of Marriage” by Mike Mason.

I read it just before getting married and my thoughts were something like, “Wow – marriage is going to be so hard … and I can’t wait to get started!”
It was both realistic and encouraging at the same time.

By: Corey

Corey — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:58:11 +0000

@Art- Thanks for adding the Bible. I have that on my list as well.

By: Art Gonzalez

Art Gonzalez — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:49:14 +0000

For me definitely is The Bible. Also 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey has been helpful. Many blessings to all, Art Gonzalez Check my Squidoo Lens at: Quantum Knights

By: Mo

Mo — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:23:35 +0000

The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra…a great book on the spiritual side of marriage.

By: cory huff

cory huff — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:33:28 +0000

following in Hayden’s footsteps, I really loved the fantasy series, the Sword of Truth. If you are familiar with Ayn Rand’s essays, Richard Cypher, the main character, is the model of an ideal man.

By: Crispy

Crispy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:31:38 +0000

When my wife and I were working through some issues a while back, we found Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages” was one book we kept coming back to again and again. Not that we really felt that every marriage fits neatly into Chapman’s five little boxes, but rather that both partners need very different things from a marriage, and communicate that in very different ways.