I love to read – any book, all books, big books, small books, picture books, fiction or nonfiction, old or new, electronic or leather-bound… you get the idea.

But in the last years, I’ve been really focusing on reading about and researching marriage – specifically, how marriages with husbands and wives who encourage each other make a difference in their world.  So I thought I’d share a little bit about my favorite marriage/relationship books.

My 5 favorite books about marriage and relationships are:

  • The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
  • The Marriage Builderby Dr. Larry Crabb
  • Pray Big for Your Marriage by Will Davis Jr.
  • The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Workby John M. Gottman
  • Heart Connections by Gordon & Gail MacDonald

The Five Love Languages

This book is my top favorite for marriage/relationship books of all time.  Why?  It’s simple to understand and the concepts are simple to implement.  We buy lots of copies of this book and give them away.

I was first introduced to the book through the course “Marriage Works” by the Association of Christian Counsellors, and a few years ago Robert and I attended an all day seminar by Gary Chapman revolving around this book.  To learn more about the author check out his bio. 

His idea is that we all express our love – but our spouse may not ‘hear’ our expressions of love because we’re not speaking their ‘language’.  Gary Chapman says there are 5 Love Languages:  Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Physical Touch and Quality Time.  Check out the assessment tool here to see what your love language is – then read the book. 

You’ll be able to use this concept with your spouse, your kids, your parents and anyone else you love.  In fact, there are separate volumes specifically for singles, and children.

Learn more about Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages here.

Have you read The 5 Love Languages?  What did you think?

Do you have another favorite marriage/relationship book that’s not on my list of top 5?  What is it?  Why do you love it?