The Curse of the Singles Table

April 26, 2004
Schlosberg (Fitness for Dummies
; Weight Training for Dummies
; etc.) tackles husband-hunting in this often side-splitting, occasionally poignant memoir. Humiliated by being seated at the dreaded "Singles Table" at weddings and pressured by crossing the "Great Divide" from "single" to "still single," Schlosberg embarks on a quest, not necessarily for "Mr. Right," but at least "Mr. Remote Possibility." She tries a jaunt to a Kenyan game park, a week at Club Med and a millennial New Year's Eve celebration in Jackpot, Nev. When her travels fail to do little more than help her avoid family gatherings fraught with awkward questions about wedding dates, she moves on to experimenting with feng shui and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, chimpanzee research and wheelchair athletes. She even submits her photo to hotornot.com, but draws the line at psychotherapy. Succumbing to the inevitable online dating experience, Schlosberg develops an efficient but ineffectual system of screening candidates, which she then tries out at the eight-minute Starbucks Speed Date. To celebrate her 1,001 days without sex, she sets off for the Arctic Ride of Pain, a mountain-bike trip to Deadhorse, Alaska, unexpectedly finding herself stranded in the dying town of Provideniya, Russia, where, finally giving up hope, her spirits improve. It's only then, of course, that Schlosberg finally meets her future husband, bringing her story to a sentimental but satisfying conclusion. Singles in their 30s will get the most out of this book, but anyone can appreciate Schlosberg's wacky humor. Agent, Felicia Eth. (June)

Forecast:
Ads in
InStyle and author publicity in Los Angeles and New York will target urban singles. Schlosberg has received advance praise from Lian Dolan of
The Satellite Sisters.

June 1, 2004
Schlosberg puts in perspective a sensitive topic--exile to the singles table at a major social event--for those women older than 30 who have experience of it. She is an expert on the subject, with 1,001 sexless nights under her belt, so to speak. She calls her dubious achievement The Streak, and this is the hilarious story of how she strove to end it. In it, Schlosberg becomes an Everywoman, and her journey will resonate with heterosexual women everywhere whose loving relatives are certain they are cursed to die old maids. From its beginning with her search for the nation's most date-friendly town to the pitfalls of Internet dating to the well-intentioned blind date to a disastrous week at Club Med and on to a happy conclusion, Schlosberg's sex travelogue is funny and real, warm and engaging.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)