One of the books I read over the my summer break is The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion which is one of the new books you will find in the store in February. Simsion’s book won the 2012 Premier’s Prize for an unpublished manuscript, and I found it a lovely holiday read with quirky characters and a touch of  romantic comedy.

The main character is Don Tillman who is getting married. He just doesn’t know who to yet. As the book progresses we realise that Don has Asperger’s syndrome although the only person who doesn’t know this is Don himself.

To find the perfect partner, Don has designed the Wife Project, a sixteen-page questionnaire. She will most definitely not be a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver. Of course, Don meets Rosie, the woman who is all these things. She is also fiery and intelligent and beautiful. And on a quest of her own to find her biological father—a search that Don, a professor of genetics, might just be able to help her with.

The Wife Project teaches Don some unexpected things. Why earlobe length is an inadequate predictor of sexual attraction. Why quick-dry clothes aren’t appropriate attire in New York. Why he’s never been on a second date. And why, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love: love finds you.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.