(91) Remind Me Again Why I Need A Man? By Claudia Carroll

Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man is one of the best "Chick Lit" books of the year. And I have no problem saying that in print. It was smart, it was funny, it was a not as predictable as one may expect. And best of all, it is set in Ireland!!

Amelia Lockwood is 37 years old & she is tired of being single. She has just gotten over her last devastating break up with He Who Shall Remain Nameless when she decides to take a course for single women in their thirties. It is a course in how to get married.

Now, being one of the "Lovely Girls", Amelia knows & expect her darling friends to give her grief for attending such a class. Especially Rachel, the divorcee who has sworn to never marry again. But soon, all of her friends, including Jaimie, the Drama Queen gay guy, are helping her with her assignment. Contact ten of her ex-boyfriends to find out why their relationship didn't result in marriage.

The trip down memory lane leads to one conclusion for Amelia. She has bad taste in men. LOL. I couldn't help but take my own trip down memory lane while reading this book. Google is a dangerous thing. Between Google & a few other avenues this is what I discovered about my ex-boyfriends:

1. - Doug - My first love. He is now married & living in
Missouri's boothill.
2. - Brian - The first guy I really dated when I moved to KC. He is
married & living in KC with new wife & her kids.
3. - Eric - Eric was the closest I ever came to getting married.  He
is now Married to the slut he cheated on me with. Need I say more?
4. - Bruce - Married & Divorced since we last dated (yikes!)
5. - Steve - I was afraid to Google Steve. He is a true "Knight In
Shining Armor". Our problem was that I didn't need him to save me from
anything. I suspect he is married. He was too good to be single for
long.
6. - David. David was the most emotionally destroying breakup I have
ever had. And it nearly sent me to therapy when he contacted me
earlier this year to apologize for the way he treated me. We stayed
in communication for many months, before he dropped off the face of the earth
again. My guess is he found someone new to play with. But I
have no illusions that this man will ever get married again.
7 - John.  -- Most recent & last on my list is the man who was
still too screwed up over his divorce to fully commit to a relationship.
I ran into him at the store last week. MY store. Where he was
supposedly "meeting someone". It was like a punch to the stomach.

So what did I learn by my trip down memory lane? That I am attracted to the "married" kind of guy. They just don't want to be married to me.

Amelia, on the other hand, learned a lot about herself & what is truly important to her in life & love. She learned that there are somethings that even she isn't willing to compromise in order to be married.

Fabulous little book & a MUST read for all of you discouraged singletons out there.