August 7th, 2026
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On Top Shelf
📚 New Books This Week 📰 Latest News 🎪 Reader Games

Fresh Fiction for August Is Here

Cowboys, castles, and shiftersβ€”this month has it all.

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Hotter than a Tuscan summer.


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Some promises cost you the one you love.


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Only she can pull him back from the darkness.


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One golden retriever knows this is love.


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Trust is the fiercest transformation of all.


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From Himalayan stargazing to the London Blitzβ€”one love endures.

THE REAL THING
By: Ellen McCarthy

Lessons on Love and Life from a Wedding Reporter's Notebook

Ballantine
May 2015
On Sale: April 21, 2015
288 pages
ISBN: 0345549694
EAN: 9780345549693
Kindle: B00N6PBIA2
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Self-Help

From a Washington Post weddings reporter who’s covered more than two hundred walks down the aisle comes a warm, witty, and wise book about relationshipsβ€”the mystery, the science, and the secrets of how we find love and make it last.

Ellen McCarthy has explored the complete journey of our timeless quest for β€œThe One,” the Soul Mate, the Real Thing. This indispensable collection of insightsβ€”on dating, commitment, breakups, weddings, and marriageβ€”gives us a window into enduring romance:

β€’ Go Online Alreadyβ€”β€œIt’s a major time suck and a black hole of rejection and ambiguity and lies. But you know what? It also works.” β€’ Keep It Confidentialβ€”β€œIf you have to get something off your chest, pick someone whose wisdom you really trust, and who isn’t likely to spread the gossip to all your mutual acquaintances.” β€’ Be Niceβ€”β€œBrewing the morning coffee, touching the small of your partner’s back, filling their car with gas. These things add up to more relationship satisfaction than a fancy dinner on Valentine’s Day ever could.”

The Real Thing features many more nuggets of wisdom, valuable information from the latest studies on commitment, candid testimonials from a variety of couples, and the personal story of McCarthy’s own search for β€œthe keeper”—which begins, ironically, with a breakup the very same day she started as the Post’s full-time weddings reporter.

Whether you’re looking for love or looking to strengthen your relationship, this book is a wonderful and clear-eyed map to the human heart.

Media Buzz

CBS This Morning - April 27, 2015
CBS This Morning - April 25, 2015

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