A Strong Marriage

The books, in order

1. 1

   Relationships · 17 min

   The Four Seasons of Marriage

   Gary Chapman

   Describing your own relationship with one honest word, like autumn or winter, reveals more about your marriage than the automatic "we're fine" we answer when someone asks.

   See the summary

2. 2

   Relationships · 16 min

   Love & Respect

   Emerson Eggerichs

   According to the book, love shows up as closeness, openness, understanding, a willingness to make peace, loyalty, and esteem, and each couple discovers which of these gestures matter most to them.

   See the summary

3. 3

   Relationships · 16 min

   Sacred Marriage

   Gary Thomas

   For Thomas, marriage works as a spiritual discipline: it shapes the character of the people who practice it consistently, the same way praying or serving others does.

   See the summary

4. 4

   Relationships · 16 min

   The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

   John Gottman

   Going silent in the middle of a fight is often the body protecting itself from a limit that has already been crossed, not a lack of interest in the problem.

   See the summary

5. 5

   Relationships · 16 min

   Relationships

   John M. Gottman and Joan DeClaire

   According to the book, a relationship rarely breaks in a single fight: it wears down through the sum of small bids for attention that nobody noticed.

   See the summary

6. 6

   Relationships · 15 min

   Hold Me Tight

   Sue Johnson

   Underneath an accusation like 'you never help around the house' there is often a simpler fear: carrying too much weight alone.

   See the summary

7. 7

   Relationships · 18 min

   Difficult Conversations

   Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen

   An interpretation gains strength when it can withstand questions, not just when it finds someone willing to defend it.

   See the summary

8. 8

   Relationships · 16 min

   Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love

   Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller

   Counting on someone reliably doesn't trap you, it usually sets you free: you spend less mental energy managing the relationship, and you have more courage to take risks in the rest of your life.

   See the summary

9. 9

   Relationships · 18 min

   Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence

   Esther Perel

   The emotional safety that comforts the heart in a shared life is the very same certainty that tends to put the urgency of physical desire to sleep.

   See the summary

10. 10

    Relationships · 17 min

    The Meaning of Marriage

    Timothy Keller

    Looking for a perfect partner to validate your every desire turns the relationship into a satisfaction test that no real human being can sustain.

    See the summary