The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

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Rah, Rah for Rosie!


Professor Don Tillman has a special skill set.  He has the persnickety precision of Phileas Fogg from Around the World in Eighty Days—minus the charm.  He has the analytical, mathematical, calculating mind of Mark Watney from The Martian—minus natural ease and ability to adapt.  He also has a brilliant intellect combined with the social deficiencies of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.

He's a tightly wound, abundantly smart, and socially inept man who he decides it’s time to find a wife.  So this highly scholarly and structured associate professor begins a quest:  The Wife Project.  He believes the best way to find a life partner is by creating a scientific survey to weed out all but the perfect candidates. He wants to collect “data to support life’s most critical decision.  Compromise would be totally inappropriate.” [1]

Suddenly a wrench is thrown into the mission when he meets Rosie.  She’s obviously an unsuitable contender for the Wife Project, but he nevertheless agrees to help her with her own search in the Father Project.  Despite logical reason, he develops a friendship with her.  Could it lead to more?

This book is one of those rare finds where I fell in love with it from page one. Not only is Professor Tillman’s stiff awkwardness amusing, but the situations he finds himself had me laughing out loud.  The back cover says it’s optioned to be a movie, and you can be sure when it comes out, I’ll be first in line!

This was a book club selection and my fellow readers thought the same.... they really liked it.  Thumbs-up. We were already discussing what actors we thought would play the characters in the movie.  
Update:  12-15-19.  CNBC: Bill Gates: This book was so good, 'I stayed up with it until 3 a.m.'—then gifted it to 50 friends.
Since good reads and good eats are some of my favorite pastimes, I’ve decided to highlight yet another wonderful restaurant I found in Spokane.  My husband, son, and I went to Boots Bakery and Lounge in October and fell in love with the place.  It’s a funky, eclectic eatery/bar with good coffee and great vegan dishes (alcohol is also served, but we didn’t have any at the time).  I'm not a vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free person, but I do like good food, and that's what this is. We had some very tasty salads and finished with carrot cake cupcakes and pumpkin bar desserts.  Here are a few quick highlights.
Bull Mural behind food case.  Three truly yummy salads:  lentil, tofu scramble, and German potato.

Some of the benches made from painted, old wooden doors. The bar area with suspended fireplace and blender pendant lights.  
Check it out if you’re in the area: 24 W. Main Ave, Spokane, WA.  Also, check out the amazing Geisha mural if you go there. I wanted to take a picture, but there were people eating at the table in front of it. Maybe if you go, you’ll be lucky enough to grab a seat there.

 Other Coffee Shop / Food Recommendations:
Daft Badger Brewing - Coeur d'Alene
Bakery by the Lake - Coeur d'Alene
Well-Read Moose - Coeur d'Alene
Strada Caffe - Coeur d'Alene
Sushi.com - Spokane

Happy reading, happy eating,
Annette



[1] Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project (New York, Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2013) 37.


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