Everything I Know About Love

Single, Dating, Engaged, Married

Navigating Life and Love in the Modern Age

Ben Stuart

God gives us purpose in each relational season we experience: singleness, dating, engagement, and marriage. Discover how to thrive in each one in the updated edition of the bestselling Single, Dating, Engaged, Married, now with a new chapter. In a society where everyone is supposedly more connected, why do more people than ever feel so lonely? Even as marriage rates decline, studies show that most single adults still hope to get married. But how can we navigate life and love in this disconnected culture? Has social media eroded the institutions that brought us together—and the deeper emotional intimacy they provided? Pastor and author Ben Stuart guides you in navigating the four stages of a relational life and embracing the intentions and truths God has established for each one. This updated edition includes an additional chapter on how to end dating relationships well. As you embark on this journey, you will discover how to: Leverage singleness to make an impact for the kingdom of God Pursue dating with clarity and purity Break up in a healthy and respectful way Use the season of engagement wisely to prepare for marriage Maximize your life as a married couple for shared mission Continually seek God and His will throughout each stage Discover how to embrace God's design, invest your life in what matters most, and find meaning in whatever season of life you're in.

Why Men Love Bitches

From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship

Sherry Argov

Describes why men are attracted to strong women and offers advice on ways a woman can relate to men and gain a man's love and respect.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Tucker Max

"My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead. But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world."--Introduction

The State of Affairs

Rethinking Infidelity

Esther Perel

“Perel is a master at what she does.” ―The New Yorker “[Perel] knows the depth of your shame and the vibrancy of your lust.”- The New York Times From iconic couples’ therapist and bestselling author of Mating in Captivity comes a provocative and controversial look at infidelity with practical, honest, and empathetic advice for how to move beyond it. An affair can rob a couple of their relationship, their happiness, their very identity. And yet, this extremely common human experience―universally forbidden yet universally practiced―is poorly understood. Why do people cheat―even those in happy marriages? Why does an affair hurt so much? Do our romantic expectations of marriage set us up for betrayal? Is there such a thing as an affair-proof marriage? Is it possible to love more than one person at once? Can an affair ever help a marriage? For a decade, psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel traveled the globe and worked with hundreds of couples who have grappled with cheating. In this illuminating book, she weaves real-life case stories with incisive psychological and cultural analysis to provide insights and answers to help couples survive and thrive. Betrayal hurts, but it can be healed. An affair can even be the doorway to a new marriage―with the same person. Affairs, Perel argues, have a lot to teach us about modern relationships―what we expect, what we think we want, and what we feel entitled to. They offer a unique window into our personal and cultural attitudes about love, lust, and commitment. Through examining illicit love from multiple angles, Perel invites readers into an honest, enlightened, and entertaining exploration of modern relationships in its many variations. “Esther Perel is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on marriage.”- Sunday Times Style “A fresh look at infidelity.” - Los Angeles Review of Books “Perel―a whip-smart emotional savant who pierces through human defenses with the efficiency of a surgeon―is a wonder to behold.”- Huffington Post “She doesn’t peddle in bromides or offer a shoulder to cry on―she’s too busy trying to shake you to your senses, insisting on your agency, your vitality, and your complicity in what happens in your marriage.” - The New York Times “[The State of Affairs] explores a vast landscape of the adulterous terrain . . . in a way that’s deeply humane and never preachy.” - NPR

From Front Porch to Back Seat

Courtship in Twentieth-Century America

Beth L. Bailey

From gentleman callers to big men on campus, from Coke dates to "parking," From Front Porch to Back Seat is the vivid history of dating in America. In chronicling a dramatic shift in patterns of courtship between the 1920s and the 1960s, Beth Bailey offers a provocative view of how we sought out mates-and of what accounted for our behavior. More than a quarter-century has passed since the dating system Bailey describes here lost its coherence and dominance. Yet the legacy of the system remains a strong part of our culture's attempt to define female and male roles alike.

Eight Dates

Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love

John Gottman, Julie Schwartz Gottman, Doug Abrams, Rachel Carlton Abrams

Whether you’re newly together and eager to make it work or a longtime couple looking to strengthen and deepen your bond, Eight Dates offers a program of how, why, and when to have eight basic conversations with your partner that can result in a lifetime of love. “Happily ever after” is not by chance, it’s by choice– the choice each person in a relationship makes to remain open, remain curious, and, most of all, to keep talking to one another. From award-winning marriage researcher and bestselling author Dr. John Gottman and fellow researcher Julie Gottman, Eight Dates offers an ingenious and simple-to-implement approach to effective relationship communication. Here are the subjects that every serious couple should discuss: Trust. Family. Sex and intimacy. Dealing with conflict. Work and money. Dreams, and more. And here is how to talk about them—how to broach subjects that are difficult or embarrassing, how to be brave enough to say what you really feel. There are also suggestions for where and when to go on each date—book your favorite romantic restaurant for the Sex & Intimacy conversation (and maybe go to a yoga or dance class beforehand). There are questionnaires, innovative exercises, real-life case studies, and skills to master, including the Four Skills of Intimate Conversation and the Art of Listening. Because making love last is not about having a certain feeling—it’s about both of you being active and involved.