Parenthood and Relationships Recommended Books and Bestsellers

1Girl of the Limberlost

By Gene Stratton-Porter

A Girl of the Limberlost, a novel written by the American writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter, was first published in August, 1909. The story takes place in Indiana, in and around the Limberlost Swamp, during the early 20th century. (Summary from Wikipedia)

2Old Christmas

By Washington Irving

A tale of the quaint and old English traditions of celebrating Christmas. Irving travels to the English countryside and meets an old schoolmate, who invites him home to spend Christmas at the family estate. (Summary written by Gesine)

3Rainbow Valley

By Lucy Maud Montgomery

Rainbow Valley, the seventh book in the Anne of Green Gables series explores the world of Anne & Gilbert’s six children along with the exploits of the Merediths, the children of the town’s new minister. With no mother and an absent-minded father, the Meredith children are not being properly brought up. This leads to their many adventures causing the ladies of the town to gossip, risking their father's job. These kind-hearted, but misguided children fumble their way through bringing themselves up, and learn about life and love along the way. Summary by Robin Cotter

4Cricket on the Hearth

By Charles Dickens

John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his wife Dot (who is much younger than he), their baby, their nanny Tilly Slowboy, and a mysterious lodger. A cricket constantly chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family, at one point assuming a human voice to warn John that his suspicions that Dot is having an affair with the lodger are wrong.<br></br>The life of the Peerybingles frequently intersects with that of Caleb Plummer, a poor toymaker employed by the miser Mr. Tackleton. Caleb has a blind daughter Bertha and a son Edward, who travelled to South America and seemingly never returned. Tackleton is now on the eve of marrying Edward's sweetheart, May.<br></br>In the end, the lodger is revealed to be none other than Edward. Tackleton's heart is melted by the Christmas season, like Ebeneezer Scrooge, and surrenders May to marry her true love. It is suggested ambiguously that Bertha regains her sight at the end. (Wikipedia)

5New Chronicles of Rebecca

By Kate Douglas Wiggin

This book tells further stories from the period of Rebecca's sojourn in Riverboro.

6Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper

By T. S. Arthur

Is housekeeping such a trial? Mrs. Smith thinks so and confesses all in this merry account of her escapades and near disasters! (Summary by Kehinde)

7Mother

By Kathleen Norris

With seven children and a home to take care of, Margaret wondered how her Mother could be so happy living a life that seemed all drudgery. As Margaret has new experiences, she comes to realize that "her mother was not only the truest, the finest, the most generous woman she had ever known, but the happiest as well". (Summary by Megan Kunkel)

8Dog's Tale

By Mark Twain

This short novel of Twain’s, from 1903, is told from the point of view of a loyal and beloved family pet. Themes of heroics, valor and heart-wrenching tenderness fill this work. The story is also filled with happy events as well as sad ones and is ultimately about what dogs are to us … best friends. A Dog’s Tale is quintessentially Twain. (Summary by Aaron Elliott)

9Santa Claus's Partner

By Thomas Nelson Page

Livingstone has reached a pinnacle in his life. He is finally worth 7 figures, yet his bottom line requires that he cut back on charities this year at Christmas time. Business is business, after all. But success makes him surly and his accomplishment soon feels anti-climatic. Regrets plague him. Can he rediscover the joy of life with the help of Santa Claus’s Partner? (Summary by Carolyn Frances)

10Marcia Schuyler

By Grace Livingston Hill

A compelling love triangle. Marcia is young & sweet. Her older sister Kate is vain & selfish. Marcia deeply admires the man that Kate is to marry: handsome & respected David Spafford. But on the eve of the wedding, Kate elopes with another man. Marcia is there when the note is found...the note that effectively breaks David's heart. Out of pity for his situation, Marcia offers to take Kate's place, in order to save David from humiliation. She grows in love for him, all the while aware that he's still grieving for his lost Kate. What will happen when Kate returns, fully intending to get David back? Will Marcia have the strength to fight for the man she now loves? (Summary by Chloey Winters)

1Good Housekeeping Marriage Book

By William F. Bigelow

A collection of articles from Good Housekeeping magazine, The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book focuses on the subject of marriage. With instructions and advice from courtship to raising children, this collection aims to assist those with questions and concerns surrounding marriage and the ensuing relationship. Published in 1938. (Summary by Robin Cotter)

2Englishwoman's Love-Letters

By Laurence Housman

It need hardly be said that the woman by whom these letter were written had no thought that they would be read by anyone but the person to whom they were addressed. But a request, conveyed under circumstances which the writer herself would have regarded as all-commanding, urges that they should now be given to the world; and, so far as is possible with a due regard to the claims of privacy, what is here printed presents the letters as they were first written in their complete form and sequence. From book explanation<br /><br /> Music composed and performed by Michael J. L.

This short book was written in 1920, and in it Chesterton, with his usual wit and incisive logic, presents a series of articles defending marriage and indicating the weaknesses in divorce. He did this 16 years before the first Christian denomination in the world allowed its members to divorce. Till then Christendom was unanimous in standing against it. Chesterton saw clearly the trends of this time, and delivered this defense. (Summary by Ray Clare)

4Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion

By Lyndon Orr

"Famous Affinities of History" is a book of passion-filled accounts of the most famous love affairs of history. The stories of Cleopatra, Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Byron, George Sand and other famous people of all times (even those of royal blood are not spared), are dealt with in Lyndon Orr's own interesting and suspenseful style. Written in four volumes, this book makes for an informative, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable read, giving us an insight into the lives and lifestyles of various popular figures of history. (Summary by Neeru Iyer)

5Hints for Lovers

By Arnold Haultain

"Hints for Lovers" is a thorough analysis of relationships between men and women, about everything that lovers should know, and delves deep into the psychology of men and women, and the philosophy of courtship, engagement, kissing, making love, marriage, etc, in a light-hearted tone, with refreshing humor. (Summary by Neeru Iyer)

6Guide to Men

By Helen Rowland

A series of occasionally witty one-liners, poems and considerations on the subject of Men, Women and their Conjunction. By turns tender, bland, sexist (in both directions!) and funny. Summary by Cori Samuel.<br /><br />From the text:<br /><br />A man is like a park squirrel; if you fling your favors or your charms at his head he will never come up and eat out of your hand.<br /><br />Even Satan could find a woman to call him "Dearie," if he would simply tell her that all he needed was "a beautiful woman's uplifting influence."<br /><br />Every bride fancies that she married the original "cave-man" until she tries to persuade him to go out and argue with the furniture-movers.

7Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1

By Havelock Ellis

The first of six volumes, this volume covers in extensive detail the topics of "The Evolution of Modesty", "The Phenomena of Sexual Periodicity", and "Auto-Eroticism". Written as an anthropological and psychological study from the point of view of Havelock, the famous British sexologist of the late 19th century, who was also a physician and social reformer. (Summary by Tim Ferreira)

8Marriage, as it was, as it is and as it should be

By Annie Besant

In this short pamphlet, Annie Besant - a well-known British women's rights activist - lays down British marriage laws as they were at her time. She opposes the view of married women as mere property of their husbands, with virtually no rights of their own, and makes suggestions for the improvement of marriage law, footed on equality of the sexes. In the second part of the pamphlet, she advocates for a law governing full divorce, instead of only the separation of husband and wife the church was granting, unwillingly, if at all. <br><br> Although the pamphlet was written in 1882, Besants views of equality of men and women in both marriage and divorce law are surprisingly modern. Her ideas of shared parenting in case of a divorce have not been realised until very recently.

"Married Love" is one of the most famous 'sex education' manuals. First published in 1918, it sold tens of thousands of copies, and was one of the first publications to openly discuss issues such as variations in male and female sexual desire in a form which could be easily read and understood by the ordinary reader. This is the 6th, revised and expanded, edition, from 1919. The main text is mostly unchanged. An appendix has been added with some extra information on subjects such as sex during pregnancy. (Summary by Archive.org)

10Neighbors - Life Stories of the Other Half

By Jacob A. Riis

These stories have come to me from many sources—some from my own experience, others from settlement workers, still others from the records of organized charity, that are never dry, as some think, but alive with vital human interest and with the faithful striving to help the brother so that it counts. They have this in common, that they are true. For good reasons, names and places are changed, but they all happened as told here. I could not have invented them had I tried; I should not have tried if I could. For it is as pictures from the life in which they and we, you and I, are partners, that I wish them to make their appeal to the neighbor who lives but around the corner and does not know it.(Summary from the Preface by Jacob A. Riis)