Dating and relationships Books

Book SynopsisMore than 80 percent of adult couples in the US report a desire discrepancy between partners - a misalignment not only in frequency of sex but also in what turns them on. Many people harbour fantasies that they feel uncomfortable sharing. With Sprinkles on Top offers a positive and empowering guide to talking about and working through sexual differences - particularly between kinky and non-kinky, or vanilla, partners. Sex therapist Dr. Stefani Goerlich helps readers explore what excites them, what they want to share with their partner, and how to communicate and try new things. With empathy and understanding, the book addresses the fears experienced on both sides of a desire divide and provides guidance for relationships of many different shapes and orientations. It offers evidence-based facts about BDSM and its effects on relationships, reassurance about what a partner’s interests might imply (or not!), support and validation of one’s own preferences, and important tips for differentiating between violence and kink. Here, readers will find specific suggestions for protecting, preserving, and strengthening their relationships despite differences in fantasy and desire. With Sprinkles on Top invites readers into playful and sex-positive exploration and affirms that vanilla and kinky people can thrive together in healthy relationship.

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Book SynopsisCertified lifecycle celebrant Christopher Shelley is on a mission to revolutionize the wedding ceremony—or at least to make it as enjoyable as the reception. In Best. Ceremony. Ever., he will forever alter the way couples and wedding pros think about tying the knot. Shelley, who has officiated hundreds of weddings, walks couples and officiants through working together, from setting the atmosphere to telling an unforgettable love story. He shares questions for the couple to ask themselves before meeting with their officiant, and offers a wedding vow workshop and complete sample ceremonies. Shelley cares about the guests as much as the couple getting married, and his friendly, entertaining guide is a treasure chest of ideas to make guests laugh, cry, and then laugh at how much they’re crying. From announcing the wedding (insert cliff-hanger) to selecting venues (consider breweries!) to choreographing processionals (dance party!) to explosive recessionals (balloon drop!), opportunities to surprise guests abound.Trade Review"If you’re looking to plan a wedding that feels like yours and not your grandmother’s, then you need this book. With warmth and humor, Christopher Shelley uses his years of experience as a celebrant to lay out everything you need to make your ceremony fun and memorable for everyone. Don’t worry, Grandma will love it, too." -- Jennifer Wright, author of It Ended Badly: 13 of the Worst Break-Ups in History (happily married to Daniel Kibblesmith)"Christopher Shelley tells it all with the panache, wit, and experience of a professional, savvy celebrant. If you are about to get married, this book delivers the all-important information you need with clarity, humor, and supreme coolness. His keen advice, direction, and examples are sure to make a wedding day the best it could ever be—for both the couple getting married and their tribe of family and friends. Shelley is one of our most skilled, talented, and debonair certified Life Cycle Celebrants®; he makes all his couples and their guests feel ‘royal.’" -- Charlotte Eulette, International Director of the Celebrant Foundation & Institute"Shelley is the maestro of matrimony. He has been gifted with a divine power to imbue your wedding ceremony with off-the-chain joy. The kind of joy that starts your marriage off with a bang. Read this book. You’ll learn at the feet of the master and have a ball doing it." -- Jen Spyra, staff writer at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"I would love for Chris to be my celebrant. I say that despite the fact that I know it would probably just end up as more material for another hilarious book on weddings. After reading this book, if your questions still aren’t answered about what goes down at a wedding, don’t get married." -- Jordan Carlos, comedian and writer"A funny, practical, and romantic guide to why most weddings suck and why yours doesn’t have to. My favorite work by a Shelley since Frankenstein—and ideally Chris would’ve sewn me and my wife into one person as well." -- Daniel Kibblesmith, author of Santa’s Husband (happily married to Jennifer Wright)

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Book SynopsisThe Kinky Vanilla Love Project is an intimate expose of Lord Coltrane’s provocative and profound experiment of becoming thirty different women in thirty days, which transformed a heartbreaking moment of infidelity into a juicy love affair with her husband, in and out of the bedroom. By exploring the variety of roles we play in life and love, you can learn how to get the deep, profound, and super sexy intimacy that you deserve. Lord Coltrane shares with you the ultimate guide to transform betrayal into bliss; have a juicy love affair with your partner; unleash your sexy, lovable, and multidimensional self; discover how roleplay can heal betrayal and ignite more passion in your relationship; take the monotony out of monogamy; fall madly in love again with your partner and with yourself; ignite your feminine powers and know your soul. The Kinky Vanilla Love Project is the definitive guide to healing the wounds of betrayal, transforming your marriage, and reinventing the way you love and make love.

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Book SynopsisLove is eternal-but our concepts of relationships and marriage evolve to fit the times. In an age when we live longer, communicate differently, and value gender equality, is it any wonder so many people are looking for new ways to support lasting, loving partnerships? "Monogamy is no longer a simple concept," says Dr. Tammy Nelson. "More couples every year are experimenting with open relationships and newer, more flexible versions of commitment . . . yet few of us have been prepared with the skills we need to make those agreements work." Open Monogamy is Dr. Nelson's guidebook for couples who wish to explore new directions in their relationships-to bring in excitement, variety, and fresh experiences without sacrificing trust, security, and respect. In this practical, skill-based book, she helps you find your place on the "monogamy continuum"; have honest conversations about attraction and desire; remove shame and suspicion from an open relationship; and create agreements-traditional or otherwise-that are fulfilling, exhilarating, and built for enduring love. Dr. Nelson's 30 years of experience as a relationship and sex therapist have shown her that nontraditional relationships can flourish when the old idea of monogamy fails. Here is an invaluable resource to help couples redefine their relationships with "understanding, empathy, and validation for the new rules of love."

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Book SynopsisChippy the Dog is looking for a loving home! Find out how much Chippy would love you if he was your dog in this heartwarming picture book!From one of the internet's favorite webtoon pups and gif sensation comes an adorable picture book where Chippy builds his case for adoption throughout the book, showing how he'd always be there for you and your little one, always love you both, if he could only be your dog. Through a series of heartfelt messages and displays of unconditional love, Chippy hopes that by the end of the book he has convinced you to make him part of your home. Discover the true meaning of love in this sweet, illustrated book that follows your life with Chippy.The perfect heartfelt, sentimental, and encouraging gift, this book is perfect for those looking for honest messages of love, kindness, and empathy to enjoy every upon every reread.

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Book SynopsisSlow Pleasure is a practical and philosophical exploration of pleasure, teaching you how to claim, prioritise and integrate pleasure into your daily life.We live in a world of breakneck speed. It can be intimidating and nearly impossible to slow down. In this crisis of pace, we are often disembodied, disconnected, and forget that we even live in a body!In this beautiful book, pleasure coach and educator Euphemia Russell (they/them) teaches us that, despite our collective challenges, we can cultivate pleasure and connection. Starting with the philosophy of pleasure, Euphemia deepens your understanding and then helps you interrogate what is impeding your ability to feel the whole pleasure spectrum. Slow Pleasure will help you establish a pleasure practice of your own, expand your pleasure dial, help you understand your desires and teach you how to continue to explore the depths and boundaries of your pleasure.Woven throughout the book are reflection questions and pleasure practices that bring you back into your body, make you slow down to listen to yourself, and help you consciously begin to prioritise your pleasure.Slow Pleasure teaches us that pleasure goes way beyond sex and should be cultivated and celebrated in every moment.

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Book SynopsisDuring the pandemic, the focus has been on how education and social interaction with peers were integral to children? s functioning. However, very little regard was given to another very important question- how do our children feel about the pandemic and how do they process this experience? Why is it assumed that cognitive functioning and social interaction are the most significant areas of child development? What emotional factors are at play? Are the children alright? How are their families coping and does this have an impact on the children? What I hope to achieve by compiling this edited collection is to bring awareness to the child? s perspective, within the family unit, in addition to addressing other contributing factors that had an impact on their coping mechanisms. This collection will hopefully inform whether the choices, that were made and should be made related to children, have been sound ones and perhaps should be re-examined as a result of this book? s findings, conclusions and speculations

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Book Synopsis Only half of today's marriages stick - why is that? The social revolution has made marriage fairer and unacceptable behaviour more 'frowned upon' so shouldn't our marriages be healthier and more long lasting?Why is it that an institution that forms the basis of society is in crisis? And what can we do to improve things?Here are the 6 questions to ask yourselves if you are preparing for, or are already part of, a marriage.1. WHAT? - The nature of your marriage 2. WHO? - The partners in your marriage 3. WHY? - The reasons for your marriage 4. HOW? - The practicalities of your marriage 5. WHEN? - The timing of your marriage 6. WHERE? - The purpose of your marriageThis book won't make you feel guilty and suggest impossible solutions (we've all read THOSE sort of books before!). It'll make you realise what you can do and suggest a plan to implement it.Is your marriage important? - Show that it is! There are also 2 helpful appendices:1. Pre-marriage Studies 2. Why not? - Sexual temptation in the workplace Trade ReviewThis is a readable and compact book to give soon-to-be married or married couples. The Content is biblical and Straightforward, but down to earth and not falsely idealistic. These are two very helpful appendixes, one with excellent pre-marital studies, the other dealing with sexual temptation in the workplace. Strongly recommended! -- FIEC Magazine

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Book SynopsisFinally, a unique book for the Relationship Challenged -- for haggard men who may be experiencing post-sex syndrome, who look older than their years, who dive to the ground when startled by friendly women, or who wake up in cold sweats when it dawns on them that they are living with women! Rather than engaging in endless neurotic examination of relationships and ways to improve them or (worse) ways to improve yourself, Relationship Realities offers you the things you really need -- the right attitude and useful information that teaches you the rules of the game and how to play!

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Book SynopsisGo F*ck Yourself, Cian! is a laugh-out-loud alternative relationship guide by Facebook's favourite comedian, Cian Twomey.Fine, nothing, and okay are three words when used by your partner, that are guaranteed to make a man's testicles shrink in fear - and so they should according to Cian Twomey, Facebook's favourite comedian, whose imaginary other half has threatened to push him into a well and when all else fails hopes he chokes on his own slice of pizza. What did Cian do to deserve such atrocities? A lot - according to erratic Emily, the difficult other half to Cian's own personality.Go F*ck Yourself Cian is the relationship guide for you, no matter your status; single, friends with benefits, loved up, or ashamedly whipped, this book holds the answers. Learn what to do with Cian's practical advice, from that awkward first date to that even more awkward first fart. Learn what not to do with Emily's not so helpful interjections and high maintenance demands, and get to know the real Cian and Emily and their heart-warming romance. Cian Twomey: 'There's days where I think my girlfriend is the most beautiful thing on the planet, there's also days when I want to leave her in a forest...'

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Book SynopsisWomen would like to make better choices in selecting a mate, and this book helps them recognize the qualities they desire and how to find them beneath the façade men often possess. The book looks at nine different player stereotypes, including truth tellers, mama’s boys, betrayers, and deceivers, and teaches women to read the signs through the player’s behavior and past history. Many men don’t want commitment, but are not honest and many women believe what men say, but and are tired of playing games. Addressing the issues of honesty and communication, this book empowers women to find the mate they want and deserve.

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Book SynopsisAn all-encompassing guide for those wanting to use social media to look for love in the digital age, Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated But It Doesn’t Have to Be! is a humorous yet helpful book that navigates the ins and outs of Facebook, Twitter, online dating sites, e-mail, Foursquare, and more. Filled with testimonials from men and women, this relationship reference also includes information on what should and shouldn’t be posted on Facebook, appropriate times to tweet photos, the best and worst dating websites, and situations in which it’s best to send an e-mail, pick up the phone, or simply chat in person. Arming people with the tools necessary to attract the mate they really want, this guide helps readers find out what their love interests are really like based on what they are—or aren’t—saying, posting, tweeting, or e-mailing.

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Book SynopsisDid you know that the same parts of a personality that contribute to insecurities, conflicts and mediocrity in leadership are the same parts that contribute to unfulfilling and challenging romantic experiences, devoid of joy and deep emotional intimacy? The foundation of great leadership and an amazing love life is the same—Self-leadership. CLIMAX: Why Great Leaders Need Love Affairs is a leadership fable of two mediocre leaders who come to a crossroads: either do the inner work to shed the masks and egos or become another statistical casualty by joining the two-thirds of leaders who fail. Learn the root causes of leadership failures that traditional leadership development paradigms and books do not address.

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Book SynopsisThe premise of OCD AND MARRIAGE is simple: an OCD caregiver and sufferer can successfully manage symptoms and improve their quality of life and their marital relationship. OCD does not have to take over a marriage. The three aims of this book are to (a) encourage individuals diagnosed with OCD to face the disorder head-on together with their spouses in creative ways, (b) permit married couples to reach out for support, and (c) seek relation-based healing that complements established, evidence-based OCD therapies. Rather than approach coping with OCD from a clinical perspective, the authors choose to offer sufferers and their spouses a resource they wished they had when they struggled with the myths, barriers, and impact of OCD. Central to this is a focus on strengthening marital relationships through active, creative communication. This focus on communication highlights our belief that living with OCD is a family affair by which everyone affected -- whether care giver or sufferer -- can survive and thrive.Table of ContentsForeword i What Others Say iii Preface v Authors’ Note viii How to Use This Book ixSection I: Understand OCD in Your Marriage 1Chapter 1: Our Stories 3 Chapter 2: What Makes a Good Marriage? 11 Chapter 3: Defining OCD and Its Subtypes 17 Chapter 4: Do's and Don'ts of Accommodating OCD in the Marriage 35 Chapter 5: Our Levels of Awareness: How did We Know? 39 Chapter 6: Mindfulness and Treatment 45 Chapter 7: Examples From Our Experiences 51Section II Six Ways to Rebuild Your Marriage 71Chapter 8: Pathway One—Six Ways to Rebuild Your Marriage 71 Chapter 9: Pathway Two—Address Emotions in the Relationship 77 Chapter 10: Pathway Three—Improve Communication 83 Chapter 11: Pathway Four—Get Treatment for Both of You Chapter 12: Pathway Five— Find Your Voices 92 Chapter 13: Pathway Six— Rebalance and Reignite Romance 101 Chapter 14: All Pathways: Evaluate the Implementation of Your Action Plans 105 Chapter 15: Interactive Exercises 109Section III: Tools and ResourcesConcluding Thoughts125 References 159 Index 165

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Book SynopsisThis is How We Do It!This is How We Do It, but to Montell and Kristin Jordan, this phrase is more than just the title of one of Montell's most popular songs. It is a clear statement about how they have approached every day of their more than twenty years of marriage.When the couple entered a marriage covenant together in front of God, family and friends years ago, divorce was never an option, and today it is still not. That is quite a stance in a world where divorce is just as accepted (even celebrated) as marriage is, but the Jordans hope to inspire others to see the joys, rewards and peace that comes from marriage through their new book, This is How We Do It! Making Your Marriage a Masterpeace. Focusing on providing humorous but straightforward Christian marriage counseling, the Jordans highlight important factors to consider, whether you are single, engaged or are married, to help define God's plan for marriage to others.Scripture is included throughout Masterpeace to educate readers on how the word meets the world to reveal the covenant blueprint for marriage, God's reasoning for bringing man and woman together, and how children are to be raised in a godly manner. Faith is important to the Jordans and, as expressed in their book, kept their marriage strong through challenging times in career, family and walks with Christ.Readers also will get a glimpse of the first meeting between Montell and Kristin, seen by both as more comical than romantic, but that lead to the realization of God's intervention in their lives to make them one. It's not just a celebration of how God brought two people together into a lasting marriage; This is How We Do It is a teaching lesson to all couples that marriages determined by God are meant to last into eternity.

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Book SynopsisIn a culture in which feelings are often valued more than facts, we can find ourselves searching for reasons why our relationships are tumultuous, inconsistent, and incomplete. In this book, we will tackle how to find serenity within ourselves, how to practice healthy romantic relationships and healthy friendships, and also how to harmonize with the institutions that are central to the human experience. With 15 years of ministry experience, including youth, evangelism, and church planting, Joey Furjanic gives his relevant and biblical point of view on a timeless topic: healthy and whole relationships. While people may be complicated or difficult, it is possible to attain real relational health and personal peace by growing higher. For many, it’s a good time to dig deeper and rise to a higher level. It’s time to level up!

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