Love & Relationships
The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook

The Real Thing: Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter’s Notebook

What really makes relationships work? Washington Post weddings reporter McCarthy weighs in with this wise, warm, and relatable collection of essays, based on her interviews with more than 200 couples who’ve walked down the aisle. McCarthy dishes on what she’s learned on the beat, and shares her own insights on love and marriage (and breakups, including the one she endured her first day on the job), in essays bearing titles such as “Screw Meeting Cute,” Don’t Look for Lightning,” and “Top Ten Reasons to Call It Off.” Smart, funny, hugely enjoyable—though her sociologist’s approach will make some of you crazy.

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Brave Girls: Raising Young Women with Passion and Purpose to Become Powerful Leaders

Brave Girls: Raising Young Women with Passion and Purpose to Become Powerful Leaders

$16.00$2.99

This topic has been covered in many books in recent years, but rarely well. I have daughters, I work with young women, and I am crossing my fingers that this book does these issues justice.

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The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

Gottman is the famed researcher who’s able to predict with 91% accuracy if a couple will divorce after observing them for a mere 5 minutes. Gottman fleshes out what successful relationships have in common, and shows you how to view your own relationship through a marriage counselor’s eyes. Investing in your marriage is easier than you might think.

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Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading

Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading

This easy and enjoyable read will equip parents to discuss kid lit with their young readers. When it comes to kids and books, the authors believe that every book is, essentially, a mystery: books are puzzles to solve, and we can learn to ask the right questions to figure them out. You’ll learn what those questions are and how to use them to talk about reading. Warning: this book will make you want to join a parent-child reading group.

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Carry On, Warrior

Carry On, Warrior

Like the rest of the world, I first encountered Glennon Melton after her blog post “Don’t Carpe Diem” went viral. It appears in this essay collection, alongside other popular posts from Momastery and a good bit of new material. Funny, poignant, and brave.

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Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

Leman is one of my favorite marriage and family authors: his Birth Order Book deserves to be in the next installment of The Books That Changed My Life. But I haven't recommended this one because:

1. It’s about sex.

2. I’m not 100% on board with all his advice.

3. Sometimes his tone makes me cringe.

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Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls

Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls

$6.99$4.99

This book made a big impression on me when I was a new mom. Add Audible narration for $10.99.

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Boundaries with Kids: When to Say Yes, How to Say No
The Gift of Failure
Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes

$8.63$1.70Audiobook: 3.99 (Whispersync)

Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages says, "Rearing children in our contemporary culture is difficult, but rearing grateful children is even harder. In Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, Kristen Welch gives solid practical advice. Grateful children become responsible adults. I highly recommend this book." Add Audible narration for $3.99.

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Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code said: "This is the book parents have been waiting, hoping, and praying for, because it’s far more than a book. It’s a map, flashlight, and GPS device for navigating the landscape of adolescent girlhood. Dr. Lisa Damour proves to be the perfect guide and companion: wise, whip-smart, and relentlessly practical on every page. As the father of three teenage girls, I wish I’d had this book years ago—and I hope that it is read by every parent, teacher, coach, administrator, and human being who wants to help girls grow and thrive in today’s world."

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