Relationships, whether platonic, romantic, familial or professional can be challenging to navigate. Because people bring diverse backgrounds, experiences and expectations into relationships, human interactions are inherently complex. As a result, we cannot automatically be expected to know the best way to deal with differing priorities, misunderstandings or conflict. Against what our egos might lead us to believe, reading about relationships can prove extremely valuable by providing practical insights and advice. We’ve compiled a list of top relationship reads based on the recommendations of two major book distributors to help improve your connections and overall relationships.
Jay Shetty, author of the New York Times bestseller Think Like A Monk, tackles love in his subsequent book, 8 Rules of Love. Divided into four sections – solitude, compatibility, healing and connection – Shetty’s book explores how we experience love (or lack thereof) as children. Furthermore, it explores how this experience can manifest in adult relationships and illustrates where we need to focus our energy to put in the sort of work that heals and cultivates growth and healthy love.
Order it here from R360.
Uncomplicated in its approach and charming through its delivery, Relationships by the School of Life points out that, contrary to what we may believe, we aren’t born knowing automatically how to love. Relationships aren’t easy, and they certainly aren’t intuitive either. Instead, Relationships makes clear that love is a skill, something that we can and must learn to do correctly. By removing luck from the equation, it offers a practical approach to navigating key issues in relationships.
Order book here from R274.
Philippa Perry is a celebrated psychotherapist and writer and the author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read – a million-copy international bestseller. Addressing relationships – with family, partners, friends, colleagues and yourself – in a sane and sensitive way, The Book You Want Everyone You Love to Read illustrates how to approach life’s big challenges. Ultimately this includes conflict management, loss, change and finding and keeping love.
Order book here from R400.
Published in 2000, All About My Love: New Visions by author, bell hooks (her name is written in small letters) offers an interesting take on romantic love that is as relevant today as ever. Dissecting love across eleven chapters, the author addresses a different aspect with each chapter. Through illustrating how love is linked in both our public and private lives, hooks challenges readers to rethink how they understand love. Additionally, she mentions the importance of self-love without being selfish or self-centered.
Order here from R340.
With over two million copies sold, Willard F. Harley Jr.’s His Needs, Her Needs is a classic, repeatedly topping the bestselling marriage book charts. Dr. Harley’s sage and sound counsel makes a dream marriage a reality. Additionally, he provides the guidance spouses need to foster a more creative, more sensitive approach to loving. By identifying the ten most important needs of men and women alike, His Needs, Her Needs provides the guidance to satisfy your spouse’s needs.
Order here from R299.
Dr. Myles Munroe is an internationally acclaimed author, teacher and speaker, with a number of best-selling books to his name. In Waiting and Dating, Dr. Munroe emphasises the importance of sharing faith in God, and of finding real friendship within a relationship. With the Bible at its core, this book offers a fun, practical and balanced view for navigating dating.
Order here from R399.
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