Book Nook: Lists to Live By for Busy Husbands/Wives

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to improve your marriage? I recently got a chance to review two companion books that may help.

Mark and Susan Merrill understand that couples crave love, but don't always know how to express it to one another which can lead to miscommunication and emotional turmoil.

As the founders of the national non-profit Family First, Mark and Susan wanted to share the practical dos and don’ts along with step-by-step advice based on their own research and experience. Their books, LISTS TO LOVE BY FOR BUSY HUSBANDS and LISTS TO LOVE BY FOR BUSY WIVES, present a collection of lists created for those wanting a more intimate, fulfilling marriage.

The books are a series of concise lists, things like how to understand your spouse, how to show each other that you love each other, how to resolve conflict. Each list provides a brief explanation of each item on the list, and how it really affects a relationship. The books are relatively short, so they work well for a quick read, a reference point on a particular topic, or for couples to read together. Both books are very similar, with about 90% of the material the same. Each book has one chapter that is completely different, and the explanations are targeted slightly towards different genders, but for the most part, both the husband and wife will get about the same message. The only part of the book I wasn't in total agreement with was the opinion of the authors on physical intimacy; however, nearly all of the topics will be universally appropriate for all marriages.