Your second life begins when you understand that you only have one (Ta deuxieme vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n'en as qu'une) - Raphaëlle Giordano

A feel-good book to begin with, but not much otherwise.  That was my reasoning for purchasing Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n'en as qu'une, after a colleague recommended this for my French book search (I make it a point to read books in languages other than English, so as not to lose touch...)

This would then be my go-to book for travelling, for evenings when I'm dead tired, in general for occasions when I don't need to think hard about the subject at hand.

What a surprise, then, when I realised that underneath the "light" packaging, this book actually has a lot of substance. I could identify with the main person of this story: I'm at the exact same point in life, I'm going through very similar thoughts, and I get the same type of reactions when I express my worries.

The Rosie Project, by G. Simsion

This is one of the books that grabbed my attention from the title:  The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, had all the ingredients that would make me buy the book in an instant: a chick-lit from a man's perspective.  How refreshing and delightful...

Don, a genetics professor, is exactly the cliché of a nerdy scientist.  He avoids human contact and he meticulously analyses  and plans every aspect of his life. When he's informed that he's good husband material, he jumps into this adventure - after all, according to statistics, there is someone for everyone - ergo, someone for him too.  But this is not a princess charming story - no, Don needs to spell out exactly what this someone will be, and he (again, obviously) starts with his Wife Project!