Sex Relationships Books

I have read a lot of marriage-related material lately, and I would recommend this book as the most succinct. It's a quick read and gives lots of good Biblical advice, plus cites several other books which would be of interest. If everyone read this book and took it to heart, there would be no divorces!!

This is an other great book by Terah Kathryn Collins and I would recommend it to any one interested in Feng Shui

I wanted a book that was quick to read and gave specific ideas of what to do to improve the romantic mood of my bedroom. This small book was perfect! It focuses on the Yin and Yang elements and how to acheive the right balance in your rooms. You don't have to be a Feng Shui believer to benefit from this book as many of the suggestions make logical sense. Not only did it have easy suggestions for the bedroom, it has a chapter on how to bring balance to every room of the home. In just a couple hours of reading I had practical solutions that I could implement. This book is so much better than the hours I wasted on other Feng Shui books that went on about house orientation, etc. and never offered many practical solutions.

Unlike some of the other reviewers here, I was completely unfamiliar with Carolyn Hax before reading this book. Here, she comes across as wise, witty, funny, realistic--and yes, a bit unapologetically preachy and moralistic, but in a good way. There's good advice here for any woman or man whose love life is less than 100% satisfactory. It's mostly obvious, common-sense type stuff, but there are plenty of people who need to hear it. (And yes, I found a couple of words of wisdom here that I personally need to take to heart.) This is the kind of advice that your best friends would give you, if they were smart enough to see it and foolish enough to risk offending you.

Physician, heal thyself. Hax was fun to read years ago when she first started her column, but she's grown tired and predictable. She wondered why she caught such hell when she and her husband divorced shortly before announcing she was pregnant and engaged to another man. She actually wondered. She needs a good advice columnist to straighten her out. I don't recommend she look for one in this book, though.

I'm one of those "devoted fans." Hax has said in her chats and column that she and Nick are spliting - that's where the info comes from. But more importantly, a divorce does not disqualify an advice columnist. A person who lives life well is not incapable of making mistakes. Actually, if they were, their advice would stink.

This is the only "relationship book" I would recommend without reservation to anyone, of any gender/age/sexual orientation combination you can think of. Carolyn covers--with humor, compassion, and common sense--all of the mistakes that so many of us make when looking for luuuuuuv. Actually, just about everything she says could easily be applied to any kind of relationship. She has a lot of good stuff to say and she's totally unpretentious. This is a readable "relationship" book that actually applies to real people in real situations. Who knew?

You know, this book is okay... I mean, it brings up some good points, but Carolyn Hax ended up really annoying me. The whole time, it seemed like she was looking down her nose at me, like she was far more superior. No one wants to read a book that makes them feel stupid. I found her comments not witty, but petty. I don't want to be reading something that tells me not to do stuff all the time. It's never fun to be told what to do and when to do it. If I wanted that kind of treatment, i'd hang out with my mother.

Parts of it are good, but if you're looking for a book that helps, look elsewhere... or learn your own dating philosophy, because Hax's seems to be nothing but rules, rules rules.

Though I didn't agree with everything the authors put forth, I did find the book helpful in several ways. It was not a typical, shallow report on extremist views of any particular religion. There seemed to be an apparent objectivity, allowing the readers to make conclusions for themselves. Some of the statements may be over generalized but in all fairness, they chose not to exaggerate fringe beliefs of the major religions.
How the authors decided what was a "major religion" must have been a daunting task. They did mention that they ran into trouble for example with some Mormons who wondered why they were listed separately from Christians. This book was written by authors who for the most part came from a Judeo / Christian background. No doubt that makes the research a little more slanted
This is an academic work and it does provide helpful information. All in all, it's a good read and I recommend it to my students in Philosophy class
Terry Bell, author of the LOVE ETHICThe Love Ethic

I usually don't like edited volumes where the chapters are written by diffrent authors - the result is often that some chapters are strong, others not so. This is exactly the case here -- some chapters were very accessible and interesting, others were dry or overly-academic. However, they all cover basically the same areas -- which is good. I have read some volumes on sex and religion that are hyper post-modern and the chapters are personal essays or random rants. These essays are neither: they convey important information clearly, so you get a real sense of what these major religions "say" about sex.
I liked the Introduction a lot. It was provocative and thoughtful.
If you just want basic information on what various religions teach about sex, this is a great book to begin with.

I like the author, she doesn't an excellent job teaching kids and young adults about abstanence. A bit over simplified for a sophisticated audience, ideal for people 13-24. For people 25+ I would suggest:
"Unprotected: A Campus Psychiatrist Reveals How Political Correctness in Her Profession Endangers Every Student"

This book is really great-- Its so up front and easy to read and understand. Its full of the truth, with nothing held back. It explains every "std" and it anwsers all the questions we don't talk about.
Lakita has been a great role model and has done a great job of making this book a tool for parents and church workers and interesting enough for young people.
I would like to encourage you to get this book and buy one for another family ---and for your church group as well.
[...]

Garth is a nationally renowned speaker about abstinence, and her book, The Naked Truth, speaks to teens about abstinence from sexual activity prior to marriage. She is a Christian who was raised in a healthy, strong environment where strict morals were taught to her and her brothers.

The book deals with the various types of sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and emotional issues that can occur when you have pre-marital sex with someone. Saving yourself for marriage is something Garth did. But she doesn't specify exactly what abstinence means. In other words, at what point is it okay to kiss your significant other.

Littered with Biblical quotes, and some of Garth's experiences dealing with Senate members, pepper her book. Her stories are bleak about what having pre-marital sex can do to you. However, her writing is about an eighth-grade level and some of her audience should be college students, but college students may not relate to this book. Her vernacular and street talk, including giving nicknames to STDs, may turn off an older audience.

Garth explains that self-control, self-discipline, and delayed gratification are essential to living an abstinent lifestyle in our current sexually saturated culture through television, video games, magazines and peers. She stands behind her principles, but also stresses that controlling yourself isn't just beneficial for sexual abstinence, but also for you to achieve your personal goals.

An excellent book for parents to get a handle on the latest statistics about STDs and what they are, as well as help them understand their teens.

Armchair Interviews says: Teenagers are the main audience and this book is a must read for teens thinking about having sex--before they have it.

Holly Hollenbeck reminds us to put our spouse and our relationship at the top of our "To Do" list. I love her opening chapter -- you might see yourself!

With so many of us making New Year's resolutions, I know I need to resolve to keep my marriage strong and reignite the passion. I'd recommend this book for a book club (don't forget the chocolate martinis!), a gift for a new (or not so new) bride or any gal pal.

With managing a home with five (yes, five)kids and trying to maintain sane, I know this book was a good one for me to read.

Sex Lives of Wives is a entertaining and informative book on how to maintain the passion in marriage. Holly Hollenbeck writes with a down to earth real world style. She writes from the perspective of a fellow traveler on the journey to greater marital passion. As a wife and mother from the mid-west she is easy to identify with as a reader. Wives and Husbands should read this book together and then begin a passion quest together.

Sex Lives of Wives is an entertaining and fun read. Additionally, it provides you with practical advice on how to keep the passion alive in your marriage--something very worthwhile. Buy this book, you won't regret it and neither will your spouse!

Written for married women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel trapped in passionless marriages, "Sex Lives of Wives" offers ways for these women to rediscover the passion within themselves. Although Hollenbeck describes experiences by married women (from her Passion Seekers support group and from online research) who participated in extra-marital affairs, swinging, and alternative sexual practices to reignite their passion, the book's theme always returns to the spouse.

Using the metaphor of "passion quest," Hollenbeck describes most of her ideas in figurative terms such as taking emotional and sexual journeys to new places, and occasionally in literal terms including actually traveling to a couple's only resort and visiting a nude beach. This book offers many different ways of reigniting the passion in marriage, and concludes with a glossary of passionate terms, a guide to sexy entertainment, resources on human sexuality, and Passion Seekers coupons. "Sex Lives of Wives" is an informative and entertaining book.

Leslie Halpern, author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies and Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science.

Holly Hollenbeck is a marvelous storyteller. She brings the stories of married women to life with respect for the complexities of modern day wife-hood, and a challenge to women to get back in touch with the passion that day-to-day life sometimes robs us of. Holly has brought together important research and common sense ideas to help women form a new way of thinking about how to connect with their husbands.
I was concerned about the chapters that discuss alternative lifestyles, including swinging and affairs. I'm not a big fan of partner swapping, and I abhor infidelity, so I was interested in seeing where this would go. I think the basic message that came out here--even though it made me uneasy--was that the power of connecting with your partner trumps the immediate gratification of having a fling with others.
Ultimately the book challenges women (and men) to think differently about how to get passion in their lives. And I'm all for that!

I recommend this book as a way to help single people look at things we can change in our lives to fall in love. The luxury/necessity thing that others have mentioned is a big insight, as is the "good enough" marriage -- although he says he disagrees with Fein/Schneider's "The Rules" there are a lot of similar recommendations between the two books; just with different underlying reasons. I'm sticking with "The Rules" but it was still a good read and I will look for his other books.

People's communications usually reflect themselves. This book is a case in point. Rabbi Boteach is an Orthodox Rabbi so his views are quite traditional. He does, however, modify them somewhat with an understanding of some of the realities of life in America. But, by making marriage (his goal of love) a given NEED, it skews his view of dating, psychology, etc. At first it seemed to have a feminine flavor, but I believe that it's really more of a Feeling (vs. Thinking from a Jungian perspective) view of the world. Also a bit more Extroverted than Introverted. Some of his pronouncements seem quite naive to me (e.g. his "Declaration of Dependence" in Chapter 8). Nevertheless, he does provide some solid, usable advice which counters some recent practices and identifies addictive dating and its ramifications. Also, he interjects a bit of humor and some illustrative stories as examples. I only gave it 3 stars, but I can easily see that other people in other circumstances could give it more. I think that those who despise this book might look within to see why that is. You can certainly disagree with R. Boteach's perspective and values, but to overly, emotionally react to the book seems irrational to me.

I probably read a copy of a different edition. Nonetheless, I bought the book because I had been asking myself the same question.

If you're looking for some possible answers to the question yourself, bear with his preaching. Some truths are indeed hard to swallow. Yes, I laughed a lot at myself reading his sharp bullets. And he's funny too. The author provides simple, direct, and unpopular suggestions. Take it or leave it. I got tired with some of the ideas presented repetitively, but it's probably for emphasis.

A bit orthodox, of course. But definitely a must read for people who are wondering about the same thing. You never know what you'll discover. Sometimes his points echoed in my mind just when I was looking for something. I kept the book for reference when in need!

I have to agree with many of the other reviewers...this was a provoking book. Rabbi Boteach's humor makes this rather insightful and "heavy" book an easier read. His focus on relationships as something sacred is refreshing...the idea that you are on your search for your "true love," rather than just "dating."

Before this book, I felt that if someone find love, good, if not, so what. Now, I realize that love is a NEED!

But i'll admit, I think alot of what's in this book seem kinda wierd. The author seems to support younger marriages. Not teen, but early 20s. To me, don't younger people who get married are more likely going to divorce?

The author married the first girl he dated!! To me it kinda seems that anyone who marry their first girlfriend/boyfriend is on the desperate side. Then again, I notice that most people who marry their first gf/bf tend to choose to date the right person from the get-go and are more likely to stay together. Example are my parents, grandparents, etc.\

Also, it's has alot of jewish christian references. I'm neither religion but the author still manage to pararllel my buddhist values.

Overall, though I think the book is wierd, I do think it's a great book with good advice. After, it did change my view on love. Love is a NEED and without it, we have nothing! Maybe it's not that wierd. Its how society is right now that makes it seem wierd.

For such a slender book, it's packed full of tips and tricks to make sex not just better, but more fun and more exciting. I bought a larger book with a similiar title that didn't have even half of the same useful advice in it. I highly recommend this title for anyone looking to spice up their love life.

I actually never heard of this write befoer I purchased the book but she is an in your face type writer. She pulls no punches and tells it as it should be told.
This book is great for the novice or for someone who wants to spice up their sex life.

everything was great about this purchase, the shipping speed, condition of the book, and the price i bought it for!

I thought "Getting Girls" by Lisa Altalida was pretty good but I have now found that "Dr Z on Scoring" by Dr. Victoria Zdrok, PhD is a much superior book on the subject. Dr Victoria Zdrok is a sexologist, dating coach and relationship advisor who is not only extremely intelligent but equally as beautiful. She is the only woman in history to be both a Playboy Playmate and a Penthouse Pet of the Year and she also holds a PhD in clinical psychology as well as a JD in law. She uses much more than just personal knowledge and education in writing her book as she also interviewed lots of beautiful and desirable women to determine just what these women look for in a man. After she collected and studied this information she was able to deduce what women really look for in a man. She then gives you a guild on how to attract women to you. Her writing style is enjoyable to read, funny and full of interesting and useful information. If you decide to buy just one book on this subject I'd highly recommend "Dr Z on Scoring", I'm sure you'll find it as worthwhile as I have!

RDS

This book is OK, but its not the meat of what your looking for.
This book is more based on what not to do then anything else.
E.G. "Don't get into politics or talk about yourself to much, cause girls are more into talking about them selfs."
Lisa Altalida really doesn't tell much of what you need to hear.
When I first bought this I thought that "What better way then to get into a girls head then a girl?" But thats not the case here.Instead she pretty much offers you on what the average guy knows.
Where I'm from there are a lot, and I mean a LOT of girls that are stuck up and think that their candy is way to good for everyone, so instead they get stuck with a dead end job and get knocked up by some trailer trash hick who ends up in prison or becomes a deadbeat drug addict who hangs around all the time.
My advise to you is keep looking, something more advanced.

I love this book! Its simple,straight forward and tells you what you need to know,when you need to know it and why.This is the most compact book on getting girls/picking up women type books I've read.This book covers so much yet its a small book.There is so much advice in here.If you see a woman you'd like to meet,it tells you what to look for.What signals are you getting from the woman?It then helps you make the next move.There are very few books that cover everything and this is one of those rare books.If the full version of this book was printed it would be THE best book! This book is inexpensive.For value this book is a gem.Every guy should have a copy of this book.

I also recommend these books to buy with this book:
1)"U.S.S."(undercover sex signals) By Leil Lowndes.
2)"Understanding women" By Romy Miller.
3)"How to meet the right woman" By Roger Ratcliff,David Conaway & Diana Ohlsson.

This is a great book for women and men alike who are looking for love, friendship and fun! The book is such an easy read that you can practically finish reading it in between comercials. Sure, the title of "Getting Girls" may sound bit out there, but every chapter rings truth. For the guys, it's a useful guide and real life tips that can be used by anyone. For the girls, it's such a fun read that you can share the fun tips with all your guy friends. The truth is I gave the book to a guy friend who found it quite insightful. The real question is when is Lisa Altalida going to come out with the sequal "Idiot's Guide to Keeping the Girl"! Trust me, this will be one fun stocking stuffer for everyone on your xmas list and they will love you for it!

My one sentence review is if you were going to read just one book on marriage this year, I would pick Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs, and that just happens to not be The Shadow Side of Intimate Relationships: What's Going on Behind the Scene or TSSIR for short.

The fundamental premise of TSSIR is that we have "shadow" sides to our personalities (as in the Jungian sense of shadows). While we maintain a positive "mask" to the world at large, lurking in our hearts are many different archetypes from parents to children, from benevolent givers to angry takers. TSSIR goes on to say that in intimate relationships, these masks cannot be maintained indefinitely, and that positive intimacy comes from partners together creating an environment where their true feelings can be expressed.

I found the portions of the book that dealt with this underlying theory to be reasonable and of value to an intimate relationship. Men and women do tend to hide behind masks in relationships, and truthfulness seems like the generally best policy. (There is certainly a place for social tact.)

Unfortunately, two-thirds of the book centered on the notion that often marriages are stuck predominantly in a parent-child relationship, and I did not find these portions of the book to be useful. While I can imagine cases where there are father-daughter and mother-son type relationship instances, I have not seen that dynamic as the predominant issue in the relationships where I have counseled couples over the past 25+ years.

This focus on the parent-child aspect also undercut the earlier, engaging message that there are many archetypes at work in the "marriage dance."

The first several chapters are worth a read, but I would skim the last two-thirds of the book.

This is an absolutely excellent book about what is truly going on in relationships! The author's will probably tell you what you don't want to hear about yourself, but if you are ready to face it, this book will take you to another life. This book makes us face how our own insecurities and inferiorities are having a destructive influence on our relationships. It forces us to change for the better. If you like this book, you will also like "Rhythm, Relationships, and Transcendence" by Toru Sato. It is a great book on a similar topic but explained from a different perspective. I recommend both of them highly!

What a timely book! It exposes the reality of human connection over the fantasy. And how long can the fantasy last? Powerful truth for those looking to last...as couples and as individuals in our rough and tumble world...

My partner and I were stuck. After 2 years together we seemed to be at a crisis in our relationship, and we didn't know whether to get married or split up. Overall we had a GREAT relationship, but things had gotten weird lately. I'd been critical, he'd been withdrawn. What was going on? This book jumped out at me from the amazon.com web site, so I got it and read it in about a week. It was an eye-opener. So many times I recognized myself in these patterns of behavior (or, if I didn't see myself, I saw the behaviors told to me by friends who'd been in failed relationships.) I've read a lot of self-help books, and this is among the best. Clear, well-organized, concise ideas with just the right number of case studies & examples. If you're having trouble in your relationships, maybe not even "big" trouble, just nagging kinds of things.... you will be amazed by the TRUTH of these ideas & observations about relationships. (Same authors have also written "How to Make Your Second Marriage a First-Class Success" which I also recommend.)

This is an essential book for anyone who wants to sustain an intimate relationship over a long period of time. How many of us in a relationship feel we already know what the other person is thinking or feeling? Conversation becomes a series of set pieces. The Shadow Side of Intimate Relationships explains in jargon-free prose why and how we all get trapped in a particular communication paradigm. Moreover it provides the tools for exploring ways to break free of those traps, both in the way we speak to our intimate partner and the way in which we interact with each other. Doug and Naomi Moseley focus on what each of us as an individual can do for ourselves to understand why we act and react the way we do. These tools can then be applied as instruments to change our individual behavior. For me this book was like a bolt of lightning, illuminating and energizing. It has my highest recommendation.