I am not a reader. In fact, it is a goal I’ve had [I usually reset it at least once a week] to read more. There are only a few types of books I like. And they are not really genres, more… topics. I can really get into books about Charleston/the South, non-fiction Christian encouragement/general knowledge, and…Harry Potter. That being said, I LOVE reading magazines. I think that is where most of my knowledge came from as a child. Seventeen, Teen Vogue… now it’s more like Garden & Gun, Virginia Living, and the occational “the-grocery-store-line-took-too-long-so-I-just-HAD-to-grab” Vogue.

I was thinking about the books I read to prepare for marriage. How many times in my life had I read about “the next step.” I didn’t read a book about how to live through braces. Or how to pick your college and have a great college experience. Why? When you can relate to someone else, it makes you at least FEEL more confident. And so many other people have been there, learned lessons, and have written about them. So when it came to picking my spouse and entering into marriage, I read a whole slew of books [ok, 5]. Some recommended higher than others, but all super good.

1. Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. I read this book out of duty, and I’ll admit, it’s a little cheesy. But it has so much good info in there for how to choose your spouse. Sounds strange, but it is a really sweet book–Chicken Soup for the 20 Something Soul! Great for singles and people in a dating relationship.

2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. “Didn’t he write The Chronicles of Narnia?” Why, yes. Yes, he did. He is a passionate man with a unique way of explaining things. There is only one chapter on Marriage, and I quoted it earlier. This book is a bit humbling and gives a GREAT explanation of the basics of Christianity as well as marriage.

3. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. By far, this is my favorite. This book is dense, and it beat me down, pointed out my flaws as a wife, let me know that it’s ok and that I have “until death” to get it right. It will do the same for guys and girls, as it speaks to both. I started it 6 months into marriage. So many of my selfish and skewed thoughts about marriage were set straight by this book. I recommend it to all of my engaged and married friends.

4. God’s Blueprint for Biblical Marriage by Buck Hatch. This is not a book. It is a series of classes from Columbia International University taught by this man. In order to listen or watch them, you’ll need an account from this website! It’s basic, easy to understand, taught by a really cute old man, and applies to EVERY marriage.

5. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. First let me say, this is not just for marriage. And don’t get turned off by the purple and pink cover with the stock beach photo on the cover. This book, although a little silly sounding, changes people. It is a simple concept… how do you show love? How do you receive love? It shows you your strengths and weaknesses, and they even have an edition for singles, y’all!

So there you have it. Some great resources. What are some of your favorite books?