7 Life-Changing Books to Make Your Good Relationship Great

If you’ve ever felt like your partner is speaking another language, this might be the translation dictionary you need. An updated edition of couples counselor Gary Chapman’s relationship classic, the game-changing book looks at the five basic ways in which all humans communicate their affection. Whether your communication style values quality time, words of encouragement, giving of gifts, acts of service, or physical touch, the book instructs you in becoming fluent in all five languages of love. 

Shop the book: The 5 Love Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman, $13, amazon.com

Document your romance and uncover hidden truths about each other with this line-a-day, three-year journal for two, which includes questions that run the gamut from the lightweight ("What’s the softest thing you are wearing today?") to heavy hitters ("What’s the prevailing theme of your life?"). 

Shop the book: Our Q&A a Day: 3-Year Journal for Two People by Potter Style, $16, amazon.com

This one lets you and your partner redeem 20 things you really want from your relationship. We’d wager that “Five free spots at the top of the Netflix queue” and “Thirty seconds of my undivided attention” will be among the first cashed in. 

Shop the book: Good for One Mediocre Shoulder Rub: Considerate Coupons for Couples by Meera Lee Patel, $8, amazon.com

Taking a scientific approach to what keeps marriage—and other romances—blissful, psychology professor and National Public Radio guest John Gottman distills his decades of clinical "love lab" research into this book. First looking at seven common relationship-wounding practices, he then offers small and simple changes that will transform your union into an emotionally intelligent partnership. 

Shop the book: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman and Nan Silver, $10, amazon.com 

If “‘till death do us part” is the goal, this slender book will help you get there with a healthy dose of adventure. Document your dreams and aspirations as a couple and then get down to business checking them off your list. 

Shop the book: The Bucket List for Couples by Lovebook, $13, amazon.com

Think of your true love, and now fill in the blanks: “I love how you ___ my ___” and “You deserve the ____ award.”  This is the simple concept behind What I Love About You, a cute personalizable book that reminds the one you adore exactly why you fell in love with them in the first place.

Shop the book: What I Love About You and Me by Knock Knock, $10, amazon.com

We’re guessing that you haven’t played Mad Libs since junior high recess. Here’s your chance to revisit the fill-in-the-blanks game in a way that’s a little—and we emphasize a little—more grownup. From “How to Write a Love Letter” to “Meet Your Dream Person,” the results are a silly, fun, and a light way to have a cheesy laugh with your partner in crime.

Shop the book: Mad Libs in Love by Roger Price, $3, amazon.com