Seven Great Marriage Books

Note: I just edited to correct the first couple lines which just came across sounding really wrong. Not what I intended. Note to self: Proofread better, CG.

Let's face it, our husbands are not perfect. (Neither are we!) But as women, we hold amazing power in our hands to make our marriages better, and to influence our men for good, just by loving them in a way they understand, respecting them, and putting them first. Here are a few books that have blessed my marriage. They aren't all necessarily Christian books, but they all contain sound advice. Let's do our part to make our marriages better!

His Needs, Her Needs By Willard F. Harley

This is a great book that discusses the five major needs of men and women respectively, in a marriage relationship. It was so helpful to me as a newlywed. I still refer to it now, as a refresher.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

This helps you understand how your spouse receives love. It may not be the way you receive love. It's not necessarily a cure-all, but great information nonetheless.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger

In classic Dr. Laura style, this book is a swuft kick in the rear, and not at all politically correct. I loved it. It's humorous but to the point.

For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhan

I've heard great reviews of this and read most of it in the bookstore yesterday. It's very good! Learn what makes your man tick, how he thinks, and what's important to him. Well worth the price.

Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl

I'm sure I'll get some flack for recommending this book because it's been very controversial. Debi is a hyper-traditionalist and contends that our created purpose is to help our man. It's a sort of kick-in-the-rear version of For Women Only. It's not perfect, and like the previous two books does not even touch on what our husbands should be doing. However, it does tap the power we have as women to make our marriages better. Let's take responsibility for our part. Put a smile on your face and quit making your husband beg you to go to bed with him. Those would be two major themes of the book.

Since I'm pretty traditional myself, it didn't bother me. I'm also a chew and spit person--chew up the meat, and spit out the bones. If you aren't the kind of person who can take the good and leave the bad, you probably don't want to look at this book. It's also not a cure-all. But if you read it in harmony with other marriage books for balance, it's extremely helpful. I liked it.

Intimate Issues by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus

Excellent book on...well, intimate issues...for married Christian women. Not an exhaustive treatise on Christian s*xuality, but an excellent resource for us girls. It also has study notes, for group or personal study. Direct, but very tasteful.

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

Why is it that we so often nag and complain before we pray for our husbands? Before Billy and I got married, I adopted Stormie's statement as my motto: "Shut up and pray." Not that I've done it perfectly every time. But I've tried. Prayer works a lot better than nagging.