Top 4 Book Reads for Military Spouses
Navigating life as a spouse or significant other of a service member headed off to Boot Camp or deployment is hard enough, want to stay busy reading? If you love reading or want to start up to better understand the transition your love is going through during their first years of service (including deployments), here are our top picks!
4.8 out of 5 from 228 global ratings on Amazon
“One of those rare books that totally delivers what it promises—daily encouragement for those brave, unsung heroes who are called to be military wives.”
-Ron Holechek, director, The Navigators Military Ministry; vice president, The U.S. Navigators
If your spouse or someone you know has been deployed recently, the stress of this situation will resonate with you.
Jocelyn Green speaks directly to the wives of deployed soldiers, airmen, seamen, and marines through the experiences of their spouses. This book is not “ten easy steps” for a painless life; instead, it is a collection of devotions that squarely addresses the challenges wives face when their husbands are away protecting freedom, challenges like:
How does a military wife maintain a strong sense of patriotism without allowing her country to become an idol?
What good can possibly come from moving every two or three years?
How can I be sure that God has a purpose for my life that’s as strong as His purpose for my husband’s?
The foundation of this devotional is the unchanging character of God and the anchor of Jesus Christ, even amidst the shifting circumstances of a military family.
by Gary Chapman & Jocelyn Green
4.7 out of 5 from 1,814 global ratings on Amazon
#4 in Military Families (Books)
“As soon as I arrived in Afghanistan, I began reading The 5 Love Languages®. I had never read anything so simple yet so profound.” — Anonymous soldier
If you are in a military relationship, you know the strain of long deployments, lonely nights, and difficult transitions. For extraordinary challenges like these, couples need specific advice.
In this updated edition of The 5 Love Languages®:Military Edition, relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman teams up with Jocelyn Green, a former military wife, to speak directly to military couples. They share the simple secret to loving each other best, including advice for how to:
Build intimacy over long distances
Reintegrate after deployment
Unlearn harsh military-style communication
Rebuild and maintain emotional love
Help your spouse heal from trauma
and more
With more than 10 million copies sold, The 5 Love Languages® has been strengthening millions of relationships for over 25 years. This military edition will inspire and equip you to build lasting love in your relationship, starting today.
Includes stories from every branch of service, tips for expressing love when apart, and an updated FAQs section.
by Jen McDonald
4.7 out of 5 from 140 ratings on Amazon
#155 in Military Families (Books)
"Jen McDonald's words often bring tears and laughter of reliability within the same sentence. For years, she has been delighting audiences with the knowledge that they are not alone on this journey. Once again, she does it here."
- Kate Dolack, former Editor-in-Chief, Military Spouse Magazine
"If the military wanted you to have a spouse, they would have issued you one." -Uncle Sam
When you marry a military member, your life is suddenly no longer your own. You not only marry the one you love, but also a whole new way of life—one filled with separations, moves, deployments, and other challenges.
How to cope with this ever-changing life? Jen McDonald is right there with you. For three decades as a military spouse, she was in the trenches of this unique military world and carved out her own rewarding life, all while moving around the globe and raising four children.
In You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouse, Jen offers a helping hand and a whisper of "You've got this!" as you make your own way. She celebrates the great moments with you, commiserates when it's not so easy, and points you to hard-won wisdom and helpful resources. Most of all, she reminds you that you're not alone on this military spouse journey.
Each of the 30 daily readings is written from the perspective of faith. In her warm, authentic style, Jen offers practical tips (“Basic Training for Spouses”), related Scripture, and journal prompts for further reflection. Whether it's a deployment, move, or raising military kids, you’ll find real-life inspiration and hope from someone who's been there.
Since its first publication in 2016, You Are Not Alone has resonated with military spouses, both new and experienced, and ranked as a bestseller in the Military Family and Christian Devotionals category.
4.5 out of 5 from 19 ratings on Amazon
#93 in Military Families (Books)
“Open When by Lizann Lightfoot is a must-have resource for any military spouse. It’s so much more than a book, and it’s even more than a collection of letters written for any circumstance you’ll encounter in your military journey. Within these pages, you’ll find a friendly, honest conversation seasoned with hard-earned insights. A lifeline of support. A healthy, positive perspective that will recalibrate your thinking. So grab your coffee and your copy of Open When, and open it now. You’ll be so glad you did.” - Jocelyn Green, coauthor of The 5 Love Languages Military Edition and Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives
Dear Military Spouse,
I wrote these letters to encourage you throughout your military life journey. Whether you are celebrating a milestone, surviving an unfamiliar challenge, or feeling unheard, you are not alone.
I am here with you, from the first moments of falling in love with your service member, to attending your first military ball, giving birth while your spouse is deployed, and moving across country (or an ocean) on short notice. I know what it's like to be making new friends—again and again, finding strength to support other spouses in the community, preparing to leave active duty, and many other military life moments in between.
This collection of Open When letters is meant to deliver that special message from a friend who understands, whenever you need reassurance, helpful ideas, or a simple reminder of your own strength. We've got this!
With love from a fellow military spouse,
Lizann Lightfoot
The Seasoned Spouse
Next up, top reads for military PARENTS!
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