Grace and I have personally benefited from the following books; they are easy to read and are among the best in their areas of instruction. We have recommended these books many times over the years and have purchased many copies for our friends.

Marriage & Family

Family

• God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation (Crossway, 2004) by Andreas J. Köstenberger and David W. Jones

Marriage

• Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace (Crossway, 2006) by Gary and Betsy Ricucci
• Sacred Marriage (Zondervan, 2000) by Gary Thomas

Sex

• A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God’s Gift of Sexual Intimacy (Thomas Nelson, 2002) by Douglas E. Rosenau
• Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know (Crossway, 2004) by C. J. Mahaney (for men)
• Intimate Issues: 21 Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex (WaterBrook Press, 1999) by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus (for women)

Home

• Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others (Crossway, 2007) by Patricia A. Ennis and Lisa Tatlock

Parenting

• Shepherding a Child’s Heart (Shepherd Press, 1995) by Tedd Tripp
• Grace-Based Parenting (Thomas Nelson, 2005) by Tim Kimmel

Parenting Teens

• Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens (P & R, 2001) by Paul David Tripp
• Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood (Crossway, 2005) by Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre
• How and When to Tell Your Kids About Sex: A Lifelong Approach to Shaping Your Child’s Sexual Character (NavPress, 2007) by Stan and Brenna Jones

Women

• Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother (Crossway, 2004) by Carolyn Mahaney

Men

• Disciplines of a Godly Man (Crossway, 2006) by R. Kent Hughes

For those of you wanting to dig deeper and find books in particular areas of study, especially biblical study, you would benefit from bookmarking http://www.bestcommentaries.com/. For those looking to purchase a Bible, the ESV Study Bible is the new standard for study Bibles. Also great for personal reading and note-taking is the ESV Journaling Bible, patterned after the Moleskine.

Death By Love:

Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears tackle some of the most serious redemptive aspects of Jesus' work in these twelve letters of counsel to individuals. Find out more.