Baidrige, L. (2003). Letitia Baidrige's New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette. New York: Scribner. This book is so full of interesting information and valuable advice that it is hard to put down. There is material on family manners that includes roommate etiquette, making friends in a busy world that includes solidifying new friendships, dressing appropriately that includes the right thing to wear for both women and men, new manners in an ever-changing society that includes tips on dating, sex, and cohabitation, great material on engagements, weddings, pregnancy, birth, and funerals, and material on healing yourself and others when trouble strikes. Although all good reasons for listing this book, "The Key to Good Communication: More Than Electronics," "Great Telephone Manners at Home," and "The Electronic Revolution" are not only enlightening but useful as well. This is a 709-page book that offers worthwhile advice.

Boothman, N. (2001). How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less. New York: Workman Publishing. Boothman has written a book about how to connect with someone you want to connect with in order to get something you want, such as a date, promotion, or favor. His tips on connecting include knowing what you want from a person, aiming for a good first impression, being warm, confident, relaxed, and cheery, synchronizing yourself with the person you want to like you, and using good conversation skills. He says it's important that people like you so, first, they will listen to you, and second, so they will give you the benefit of the doubt. This is a straight-forward book full of practical advice.

Brinkman, R., & R. Kirschner. (2002). Dealing With People You Can't Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst. New York: McGraw-Hill. Although this is a book about relationships with others, it is basically a book about effective communication. Part 2, "Surviving through Skillful Communication," contains five excellent chapters that are the heart of effective relationships: "From Conflict to Cooperation," "Listen to Understand," "Reach a Deeper Understanding," "Speak to be Understood," and "Get What You Project and Expect." Part 4 discusses "Communication in a Digital Age" and treats the challenge of technology, phone conversation, and e-mail communication. The "Afterword" and "Appendix" are especially practical and worthwhile, especially the section and nine suggestions for "Changing the Way You Talk to Yourself."

Canary, D. J., & M. Dainton (eds.). (2003). Maintaining Relationships Through Communication: Relational, Contextual, and Cultural Variations. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Canary and Dainton focus on the communicative processes critical to the maintenance and enhancement of personal relationships. They include theoretical models, research programs, and specific studies in the areas of romantic relationships, family relationships, long-distance relationships, workplace relationships, and Gay and Lesbian relationships, among others. The book is appropriate for students and scholars interested in a synthesis of current research in relationship maintenance, the ways that behaviors vary in their maintenance functions across relational contexts, a discussion of alternative explanations for maintaining relationships, and possible avenues for future research.

Cloud, H., & J. Townsend. (2003) Boundaries Face to Face: How to Have That Difficult Conversation You've Been Avoiding. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. When there is a need for change in a relationship, the "first step is often a conversation, a talk, a face-to-face confrontation with the other person (p. 16)." In this 266-page book, and in 27 brief chapters, the authors discuss how talk can change your life and the benefits of good conversation. They explain—in separate chapters—each of 12 essentials of a good conversation—like being "emotionally present" and avoiding "shoulds." They have four chapters on seeing how it's done—like "telling people what you want" and "dealing with blame." They have two chapters on getting yourself ready for conversation, and then seven that discuss specific difficult people—your spouse, the person you're dating, your child, parent, adult children, co-workers, or with people in authority. This is a well-written book full of great advice and suggestions.

Hanauer, C. (ed.). (2002). The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage. New York: William Morrow (An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers). There are 26 stories here by smart, ambitious, contemporary women who find themselves in life situations that make them angry, dissatisfied, and stressed out. Life isn't all joy, success, and "happily ever after." Because of the realism, clear writing, and passion, this provocative, funny, and honest collection of original essays discuss the choices these authors have made and considering these choices, what has worked and what has not. In prose that is sometimes poetic, sometimes powerful, but always blunt, this is an intriguing, amusing, and enlightening must read.

Lamble, J. & S. Morris (2001). Online and Personal: The Reality of Internet Relationships. Sydney, Australia: Finch Publishing Pty Limited. In this 198-page, 10 chapter paperback, Lamble and Morris, clinical psychologists, base their observations on interviews with couples, singles, parents, teachers, professionals, and their extensive research of Internet use. Their primary focus is on Internet misuse, in particular, the dangers associated with forming relationships online. With numerous examples, cartoons, advice, ground rules, newsflashes, "lighter side" boxes, stories, summaries, strategies, chat-dialogue samples, and bulleted lists, these authors make this book a very interesting read. In addition, they offer a four-step program to help readers break the cycle of excessive Internet use.

Patterson, K., J. Grenny, R. McMillan, & A. Switzler. (2002). Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High. New York: McGraw Hill. The authors claim that when it matters most, we're at our worst. When a boss questions our work, when we have to tell higher-ups that they're going in the wrong direction, or when we have to deliver bad news, the adrenaline kicks in along with all those old survival genes, and we either go silent or start swinging—fight or flight. The authors offer seven steps to get ready for and get through a crucial conversation which the authors define as "a discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong." In the book there are great examples, a rich array of stories, numerous mnemonics, useful truths, and important subjects such as how to talk about emotionally charged issues without getting everyone's defenses up, how to honestly try to listen and open minds to new ideas, and how to get everyone on the same wavelength.

Rauch, Jonathan. (2004). Gay Marriage: Why It is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America. New York: Times Books (Henry Holt and Company). Rauch claims that marriage is more than a bond between individuals, because it also links them to the community at large. Further, he says that excluding some people from the prospect of marriage is not only harmful to them, but it is also corrosive of the institution itself. One essential value of this book is when Rauch shows how gay marriage works in the real world as it faces the realities of religion, social acceptance, the law, children, and divorce. Gay marriage, according to Rauch, strengthens the bonds that tie us together, and helps us remain true to our national heritage of fairness and humaneness toward all. This is a well-written, useful book.

Rosen, Margery D. (2002) Seven Secrets of a Happy Marriage: Wisdom from the Annals of 'Can This Marriage Be Saved? 'New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc. This collection of columns from Ladies' Home Journal cover trust, communication, conflict, power, money, lovemaking, and teamwork. In addition to the columns and advice, there are over forty pages of quizzes, self-appraisals, and exercises at the end of this 431-page book. The underlying truth of successful relationships includes trust, communication, fair fights, a balance of power, an understanding of money, good sex, and a willingness to make your partner your priority. The "she said, he said" format, the intimate detail, and the dozens of real-life stories makes this book an interesting, enjoyable, and practical learning experience.

Silverstein, Judith, and Michael Lasky. (2004) Online Dating for Dummies. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc. For those of you currently involved, thinking about becoming involved, or having engaged in it in the past, this book is a practical, no-nonsense, guide to making online dating work. The authors discuss how to maximize your ability, the differences between sites, how to jump aboard, and the in's and out's of signing up, establishing a screen identity, answering the questions, creating the essay, selecting a photo, and dealing with matters of sex. They fully explore the methods of getting matched up, exchanging emails, understanding etiquette, and how to deal with rejection. They offer all the cautions about going from the virtual to real contact and the importance of safety. They have an entire section on skirting the hazards that reveals how to unmask and avoid the frauds and the players. And they end with the ten ways to screw up online dating and the ten ways to succeed at it. Their special shaded sections of actual stories are especially interesting and instructive. Know someone involved? Give them this book as a gift.

Tracy, K. (2002). Everyday Talk: Building and Reflecting Identities. New York: Guilford Publications. Tracy offers students, scholars, and seasoned professionals an academic study of everyday talk. Here is a look at the "little stuff" of everyday conversation—what you say and how you say it, the terms you use to refer to others, the content and style of stories you tell, and numerous other factors. Tracy draws on discourse-analytic research, and she applies it to a wide range of real-life situations and examples—private conversations among friends and family, interchanges in the classroom, workplace, and public settings. Tracy's particular emphasis is on how talk reflects communicators' cultural and social background, nationality, ethnicity, social class, and gender.

Viorst, J. (2003). Grown-up Marriage: What We Know, Wish We had Known, and Still Need to Know About Being Married. New York: The Free Press. This is the book "I wish I had read" prior to getting married. No, it doesn't scare you from getting married, nor does it offer warnings or prerequisites. Instead, Viorst offers insights about what a grown-up marriage is and how it can be created. There are interviews with married men and women, evidence from couple's therapists, truths offered from literature and the movies, and explorations of her own marriage. In her well-written, easy-to-read style, she explores marital rivalry, manners, and sex, fighting and apologies, boredom and bliss, almost divorcing, marrying again, and growing older and old together. What makes this book so enjoyable is Viorst's honesty, humanity, and humor as she lays out the bottom line: a commitment to preserve and defend your marriage against all attacks.

Weinberg, G. (2002). Why Men Won't Commit: Getting What You both Want Without Playing Games. New York: Atria Books Dr. George Weinberg has been a clinical therapist for over twenty-five years, and he is a student of men. In this easy-to-read book full of relevant examples that are easy to identify with, women will not only come to understand men's psyches and the real insecurities they have, but will gain, too, the simple keys to understanding men's real needs. If women want loving, long-term, committed relationships with men, this book can offer serious and profound insight. For men, it just might provide the essential knowledge and understanding—from a man's vantage point—that can lead to better, long-lasting relationships—lifestyle changes. This is a book that gets to the real roots of meaningful relationships.