We all know that marriage is not only about love and commitment, it is about compromise and communication. Just like everyone has his or her good and bad days, healthy relationships have their moments. Turning conflict into progress and learning how to talk without hurting your partner is key to making marriage work. Below are seven books that will help your marriage stand the test of time.
by Emiliano Horcada
How to Have A Great Relationship: 96 Tips For Turning A Healthy Relationship Into The Perfect Relationship
by Maree Crosbie
Even though there are almost 100 tips, this well-written book is a quick read. Open it up to any page and learn a few guidelines for transforming your relationship from something smooth to something inspirational. Even though some of the tips may seem obvious at first, they are practical and easy to apply to any relationship.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert
by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver
This book gets you off the couch and into relationship exercise mode. Quizzes, exercises, and to-do lists help you take control of your marriage. The book offers sound advice for dealing with marital problems—even those that may never be resolved. Learn to work together as individuals who are part of a long-term partnership.
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
by Sue Johnson
In this book, Dr. Sue Johnson reveals the facets of Emotionally Focused Therapy as a way to enrich a relationship. With a focus on building emotional health, and an attached bond through attempts to connect with each other via communication, Johnson helps readers become aware of their own vulnerabilities in order to validate each other’s’ feelings.
Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples
by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D.
Marriage is more than just a partnership; it is a friendship. According to Hendrix, it is a passionate friendship. Partners in a healthy marriage nurture each other, encouraging growth and support. Hendrix explains how married couples can fulfill each other’s needs and provides a 10-week program to learn how to promote healthy communication and encouragement in a marriage.
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
by Gary Chapman
Like a dictionary for your marriage, this book describes the languages of love and how to decode them in your partner. Just like an American will have trouble connecting with someone who only speaks Chinese, spouses will have trouble bonding if they don’t speak the same love language. Chapman explains how to fill up each other’s love tank, even with the prices of gas rising.
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex
by John Gray
If you understand the alien-like attitudes of your partner, you’re much more likely to succeed in your marriage. The different ways that men and women form and maintain relationships and express their emotional needs requires different ways of communicating. If you understand where your partner is coming from, you can enable healthy interaction among yourselves.
Communication Miracles for Couples: Easy and Effective Tools to Create More Love and Less Conflict
by Jonathan Robinson
After all, marriage is ultimately about love, right? Even partners in loving, committed relationships have their ups and downs, though. When you’re at the point that you find it easy to snap at your partner or blame him or her for all that is lacking in your marriage, read this book for some easy-to-adopt tips on how to communicate.
Even when love seems lost, working on your relationship can help you and your partner bond. Sometimes the moments that you struggle through the most are the ones that end up sustaining you. Learning how to love, trust, and communicate can help a marriage through the bumps and make it endure.
Sharon Brady is a wedding planner and part-time blogger, who loves recommending special books, as well as unique gifts and cards like the handmade wedding cards from Lotus Art Studio.
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