Monday, March 30, 2015

The Rosie Project - First Chapter / First Paragraph and Teaser Tuesday

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I've been removing books from my Kindle that I probably won't reread and leaving those that I enjoyed enough to read again. The Rosie Project gets to stay. It's a fascinating look inside the mind of a man who has Asperger syndrome (an autism spectrum disorder), told with humor, warmth, and great insight as he searches for a wife. If you like Sheldon Cooper from "The Big Bang Theory" (but with more heart), you'll like Don Tillman from The Rosie Project even more.

First Paragraphs:
I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem. As with so many scientific breakthroughs, the answer was obvious in retrospect. But had it not been for a series of unscheduled events, it is unlikely I would have discovered it.
      The sequence was initiated by Gene's insisting I give a lecture on Asperger's syndrome that he had previously agreed to deliver himself. The timing was extremely annoying. The preparation could be time-shared with lunch consumption, but on the designated evening I had scheduled ninety-four minutes to clean my bathroom. I was faced with a choice of three options, none of them satisfactory.

Teaser Tuesday excerpt (at 6% on my Kindle) - (Don decides how to screen women who he might possibly want for a wife.)
A questionnaire! Such an obvious solution. A purpose-built, scientifically valid instrument incorporating current best practice to filter out the time wasters, the disorganized, the ice-cream discriminators, the visual-harrassment complainers, the crystal gazers, the horoscope readers, the fashion obsessives, the religious fanatics, the vegans, the sports watchers, the creationists, the smokers, the scientifically illiterate, the homeopaths, leaving, ideally, the perfect partner or, realistically, a manageable short list of candidates.

Genre: Humor & Satire
Book Length: 305 Pages
Amazon Link: The Rosie Project
Sequel: The Rosie Effect

Synopsis:
      An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.
      Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
      Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.
      The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.


Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!
Link at ADailyRhythm.com






First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.
Link at BibliophileByTheSea



40 comments:

  1. Actually, I started this last week but I decided it wasn't for me. The MC is too anal retentive for me.

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    1. I had the same reaction when I first started reading it, but since my daughter-in-law recommended the book, I kept going. The more I got to know the main character, the more I got caught up in the story and the more I liked him. But the book isn't for everyone.

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  2. I'd have to read a bit more before making a decision. But I know someone to recommend this to.

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    1. I've never read a book quite like this one. That's one reason I enjoyed it.

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  3. I am one of the few people who did not really enjoy this story. I do hope you love it though.

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    1. Aren't we lucky that we have bookstores and libraries full of all kinds of books? Something for everyone!

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  4. One of my housemates read this one and she loved it! She couldn't put it down and is considering rereading it as well so I see why you're thinking about it as well! The teasers sound great though I'd have to do some work to get myself into the main character's mindset. But I guess that's why it's so good to have books from different people's point of view since you get to understand them! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great week!
    My Tuesday post
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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    1. I agree, Juli. One of the best ways to understand how different people think is to read about them. The mindset of someone with Asperger's is definitely unusual!

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  5. Thanks for sharing...and reminding me that this one and its sequel are in my reading piles. I've heard so many good things about them.

    My Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/03/first-chapter-first-paragraph-100.html

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  6. I enjoyed this one. The second book, not as much, but the characters definitely feel real in both books.

    I just upgraded to Paperwhite, so I, too, can move books off the device and "into the cloud," which was a concept that worried me until I realized how freeing it is. And the books are there! Just waiting.

    Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “BLUEPRINTS”

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    1. Sounds like you're really cleaning house -- both in your physical and electronic bookcases. Good for you!

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  7. I like the beginning to the novel and I like your recommendation leading up to it. I do like Sheldon. I'm going to find this one. Thanks.

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    1. Since you like Sheldon, you'll definitely like this book.

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  8. He's timed how many moments it will or does take to clean his bathroom. I'm thinking this is part of the Asperger's condition, not sure. It is an interesting opening.

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    1. Yes, it seems to be a part of Asperger's, at least in some cases. There's also a tendency to fixate on a certain thing to the point of obsession. I find these kinds of things fascinating.

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  9. Seems like he's seriously looking for a wife??

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  10. Have heard a lot about this one and it does sound good. Mine: Accused by Lisa Scottoline

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    1. I like Lisa Scottoline. Thanks for posting about Accused and for leaving a comment here.

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  11. I have heard lots of praise for this book and it also has a sequel, I understand. Hope you enjoy it!

    94 minutes to clean the bathroom. Hmmm...that is a lot of time. LOL

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    1. I haven't read the sequel, but I included the link to The Rosie Effect (on Amazon) in my post above. It's on my TBR list.

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  12. I've heard a lot about this one. I'm not sure it's for me, but I'd keep reading a little more to decide.

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  13. I adored this book. Before I read it I worried that the humour about Aspergers would seem insensitive but I thought it was perfectly judged. I'm convinced that this should be made into a film. Thanks for visiting my Tuesday post https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/first-chapter-first-paragraph-march-31/

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    1. I felt the same way. It seemed to me that Don's friends accepted his idiosyncrasies and that his Aspergers was presented in a sensitive way. No snarky comments like you'd hear in The Big Bang Theory.

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  14. "I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem." What an introduction! I'm curious to know what the character lists as "wife problems' though ha ha!

    My Teaser

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  15. I admit I am probably one among a small few who hasn't really had an urge to read this one, even despite the praise from fellow readers it has received. I don't know why either, exactly. I do like the intro and teaser you shared though. So, maybe there is hope for my reading it yet. :-)

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    1. So many book, so little time! We can't read them all.

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  16. So many readers love this book, but it's not calling to me...

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  17. This one has been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while. I just haven't had a chance to read it. Happy reading!

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  18. Sounds like this might be interesting.

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  19. What a sweet and fun cover. I'd love to read this. Reading about this from a mans POV would be insightful. When my son was little he was diagnosed as autistic, then Aspergers. Finally Acute Social Anxiety. It's so hard to watch him as a young man, trying to push through and come out of himself. I'm going to get this for him. Thanks so much for sharing this book.

    My TT - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/03/31/teaser-tuesdays-108-a-fright-to-the-death-by-dawn-eastman/

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  20. Loved this book! I have the sequel but have yet to read it yet!

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    1. I haven't read the sequel either, but it's on my TBR list.

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  21. This sounds like it will be right up my alley!

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  22. I have a good friend who has Asperger's and is happily married. It would be interesting to read about this relationship blooming in this book. Thanks for coming by!

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  23. I loved this book - read it on a train ride to Perth and back. It made me laugh out loud. I was lucky enough to meet the author at the Perth Writers Festival in February - he was talking about Character Quirks. I've since interviewed him, and his wife Anne Buist (also a writer) on Write Note Reviews: http://writenotereviews.com/2015/03/21/author-insight-graeme-simsion/

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    1. How wonderful! I'm sure his talk on character quirks was enlightening and entertaining. How lucky you were to be able to meet him.

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  24. So far, I've enjoyed every book I've read that featured someone with Aspergers. The style is unique and it's fascinating to glimpse inside the mind of those who see the world in a different way. I might have to check this out.

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    1. Have you read House Rules by Jodi Picoult? I enjoyed that one.

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