Publishing reflects life. If something is topical, relatable, and trending, you will quickly see book projects that touch on it in some ways. Contrary to the idea that copycat projects flounder, there are often multiple competing titles within a subgenre.
A few years back, before anyone had heard of catfishing, there were several books about modern dating. I often thought of them as the Carrie Bradshaw books, as they seemed to be inspired by the frothy appeal of Sex and the City. They varied from light to daring to logical.
Here are three I enjoyed.
1.
A charming Brit named Bridget looking for love in the big city? Not hard to see how a pitch like this caught attention in the early aughts. The author moved to New York to pursue her dream of being a tabloid journalist. After working the crime beat, she was promoted to write a column about her dating misadventures. Soon readers were hooked on their daily fix.
It’s impossible not to get drawn into a story like this. It was a bit long, but thoroughly enjoyable.
2.
Another winning concept: the author claims to have “gamed” the dating app algorithms to meet her husband. (Spoiler alert: his proposal near the pink rocks of Petra is a touching coda.) I loved this book. It is optimistic, funny, and relatable to anyone who has ever tried online dating. That said, it is undeniably geeky (her point system was unnecessary) and some of her gendered ideas sound like they would be comfortable in The Rules.
3.
These authors know how to pitch. This one has an intriguing premise: Jane Juska placed a personal ad saying, “Before I turn 67 next March, I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like.” Not surprisingly, she got replies.
This memoir is a well-written, entertaining story of about her ribald year. The author is irritating at times, but she is fearless.
Books Smitten 