Reddit reviews An Abundance of Katherines

I read your biography:

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https://www.amazon.com/Abundance-Katherines-John-Green/dp/0142410705/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PBXWEO4UJP0U&keywords=an+abundance+of+katherines&qid=1571062108&sprefix=an+abundance+%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

An Abundance of Katherines was written by John Green.

And yay for getting your first car!! I love that color! :D

Hmm. Both.

I've found the Five Love Languages materials (easily found online) to be pretty interesting.

I got a book called No Nice Girl Swears, which was written for girls in the 1930s. It's interesting to pick up on the places where the author is being sarcastic-- it's social commentary on modern dating and courtship for women who were trying to figure these things out 80 years ago.

A friend recommended The Invisible Heart as a good story for people who like romance to include logic and statistics. I enjoyed An Abundance of Katherines for that reason, even though it's a light, funny read about teens and not relevant to my research on adult relationships.

I've been doing a lot of secret (but deliberate) observations of people on dates when I'm in coffee shops or restaurants. In my town, the first wave of weddings happens about 2 years after high school graduation (for people who didn't go to college), and then the final wave of weddings happens 1-2 years after college graduation. I generally have to go into the city to see people older than 24 on dates. I love when I find couples on first dates-- sometimes you can tell the "chemistry" is there and they're both nervously trying to figure out how to not screw this wonderful thing up, and sometimes things aren't going well and I feel awkward for them, and sometimes it's a little of both and it feels like a job interview with both people trying to appear confident and gracious while reciting generic date questions and commentary and responses that sound like they were rehearsed and memorized in advance.

I've also created a few online dating profiles mainly to see who I get matched with and what single men in my cohort are saying to try to attract women. Coffee Meet Bagel is an app that takes your Facebook friend list and asks you a few basic questions about what you're looking for and then shows you one eligible friend-of-a-friend each day that you might want to date. It's unexpectedly fun. I like trying to figure out who our mutual friends are (it doesn't immediately tell you who they are-- just how many you have). Match.com is interesting because it confirms my suspicions about single men in my area: they believe they look most attractive and impressive while holding up a red solo cup or the big fish that they caught in their fishin' hole somewhere. Their dating profiles all seek a woman who "won't play games" and "likes to go out and have fun, but is also happy to spend an evening at home." Many of them are looking for a "country girl." In short, I'm really happy that I'm single, and there are times when I'm tempted to give up on the experiment.

I have been out on one dinner date and a few "mini dates" so far, and it's definitely a learning experience. I think my INTJ avoidance of casual physical contact is going to be a problem with my research. I cringe at the thought of awkward post-date hugs goodbye. If I were attracted to these guys, I wouldn't mind the contact, but it's so weird to have zero chemistry with a person, barely know them, and yet be expected to press your body against theirs while lying about how you had a great time and will keep in touch. I wish it were acceptable to end bad dates with a smile, a handshake, and a hearty "best of luck in all your endeavors!"

How good do you want them to be? These aren't highbrow by any means, but they are some of my favorites:

• Firestorm by David Klass
  
  
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green or pretty much anything by John Green because he is amazing!
  
  
• The Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper although to be fair, I read these when I was like 12, so they might not be as good as I remember.
  
  That's all I can remember offhand. I'll think on it and add more if I have a chance.