MWF seeking BFF : my yearlong search for a new best friend

 by Rachel Bertsche. Moving from New York City to take the long distance out of her relationship, journalist Bertsche found herself in a tough spot two years into her Chicago tenure a young, married professional past her hard-partying days, far from her BFFs (best friends forever), desiring meaningful friendships, and feeling utterly lost as to how to go about it. Challenging herself to 52 friend-dates in a calendar year and reading up on relationship research along the way, what Bertsche learns and relays anecdotally alongside rundowns of each friend-date could be classified as the science of friendship. Some dates are great; some just so-so; some hilariously terrible and readers can really feel that they're along for each one. In another's voice, the material could easily have become trite or annoying, but Bertsche is just so darn, well, friendly that readers might even find themselves questioning or conquering their own occasional antisocial tendencies. Bertsche deserves applause for the profundity of her research, and she exhausts her topic without tiring readers. Useful index of friend-dates and recommended reading included. --Booklist (Check Catalog)