When it comes to relationships, we believe that our marriage should be number one priority! Spend the time and money to invest in these must-read marriage books. You'll be so glad you did!
No matter how much we value and love our children, friends, and family (soooo much!!), our number one earthly commitment is to our husband or wife! Our marriage need to be strong and healthy. If it's not, the rest of our family will ultimately suffer. Whether you are in a great place in your marriage or you've been stepping through a rough patch, these books will change your view on marriage for the better!
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Decide right now to take the time to invest in your spouse and create a strong foundation based on communication and understanding. We have compiled a list of our absolute favorite marriage books that have helped us the most. We think you should invest in one or ALL of these and start reading them together today!
THE BEST MARRIAGE BOOKS
Now these are listed in no particular order! But you gotta start somewhere. So here we go!
5 LOVE LANGUAGES
This super popular book, written by Gary Chapman, is one of our favorite marriage books of all time! This book goes into detail about how each of us is created differently and how we each show love in our own unique ways. For example, while you may show you love through acts of service, your spouse may show love through physical touch.
Understanding these things about each other is so helpful because it allows us to see things from our spouse's perspective! They may not have intended to offend you by leaving those dishes for later, but by understanding that putting them away is speaking directly to your love language—they may be more motivated to do just that!
You may be surprised just how easy it is to step into the other spouse's space when you have a full understanding of their motivation!
Pssst…Not a reader?! Sign up for a free Audible Trial and have the book read to you while you drive, clean-up or relax—multi-tasking at it's finest!
HIS NEEDS, HER NEEDS
Written by Willard F. Harley, Jr., His Needs, Her Needs is another excellent marriage book to begin with! One of the biggest themes in this book is the concept of a Love Bank—a theoretical bank inside all of us where people make deposits and withdrawals. Interesting, huh??
In the book, Harley describes ten basic needs, five for men and five for women. It discusses how meeting those needs subsequently affects each love bank. While he discusses gender differences, he also recognizes the marriage as an ultimate partnership to help you understand how to work together on the tasks at hand!
Harley also discusses the light of hope after an affair so if you or someone you know has been walking that difficult road… this book is a MUST READ! The ultimate goal of this marriage book is to reignite those affections and feelings you had for one another before you were married. Based on the book's reviews… he seems to have been able to do just that!
SHE COMES FIRST
Do you and your spouse struggle to connect intimately at times? It's okay… we have ALL been there, we promise! Physical intimacy ebbs and flows throughout a marriage but that doesn't make it any easier to navigate!
This book called She Comes First was written by Ian Kerner in an attempt to fix the epidemic of men “ill-cliteracy!” (HA! His words… not ours!!) Not only will this book help your husband know what makes you… you know… tick, if you read it alongside him, you may just learn some things you didn't know either!
This book doesn't only focus on the physical aspect of intimacy for a woman, but Kerner also demonstrates a thorough understanding of how women think as well. Okay, just trust us on this one… READ IT!
HE COMES NEXT
The other book written by Ian Kerner! He Comes Next is the male counterpart to the original book called She Comes First. This book was written for women to be able to step into the mind of a man and understand what makes him tick physically!
A nationally recognized sexual counselor, Ian Kerner makes the topic fun and easy to understand with just enough wit to keep things exciting! This is not a how-to guide for sex! No, instead it is geared toward couples who have been together for some time and seek to reignite that spark and passion they had in the beginning! Another must-read, ladies!!
THE PROPER CARE AND FEEDING OF HUSBANDS
The last book on our list is The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. If you know much about Dr. Laura, you may be thinking noooo way! She is extremely conservative and “old-school,” but just trust us… this book is SO WORTH THE READ! Remember, you do not have to agree with every single word to get some useful wisdom from a good book!
In The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, Dr. Laura really gets women to think about what goals and expectations they have set in their minds for their husband and their marriage. Once those have been identified, she challenges women even further to self-reflect and see just how they themselves have been treating their spouse.
This book is full of wisdom on how WE have to become the equivalent of what we expect from our spouse BEFORE we can expect him to become that. Mind blown, right?? Yeah—us too! Dr. Laura suggests that women can create the happy, loving homes they desire simply by doing their part and watching their husband respond positively!
And there you have it, our five favorite marriage books to help you and your spouse no matter where you are in your marriage. We believe every single marriage should have a therapist, but if that isn't something you can do… these marriage books are a great place to start!
Pssst…Not a reader?! Sign up for a free Audible Trial and have the book read to you while you drive, clean-up or relax—multi-tasking at it's finest!
Let us know which ones you have read and what you thought in the comments below!
Looking for more helpful ways to connect with your spouse?
- Stop fighting about money and learn how to hold a money date night that is actually fun!
- Check out these FREE at home date night ideas that are not cheesy at all!!
- Use this printable 10 Things I Love About You printable to show your spouse how much you love them today!
Which of these books would you say a hard copy is mandatory for or will you get the same thing out if you do the audio versions?
That really depends on how you best read a book. If you’ll get the most out of a hard copy, then that’s the way to go. But if you love audiobooks, then they’re all great that way as well!
I concur with Love Languages, His Needs/ Her Needs, and the Care and Feeding. In fact, we frequently give one of the first two as a wedding present, along with 1-2-3 Magic (child discipline) and Millionaire Next Door. Frankly, the most useful wedding presents ever. Because you recommend the books I know and recommend, I’m buying what I’m not familiar with that you recommend. Thank you.
Hi, I’m new here but I was wondering if you had read the book “The act of marriage” by Tim and Beverley LaHaye. Gosh I cant even describe it with justice so it’s better just to look it up and read it’s own description. I think that’s a must read.