This may well be some of the best airplane reading ever. Part travel guide, part relationship primer, Around the World in 80 Dates mixes wry dating realities with preposterously romantic settings and a slightly more than backpacker budget. Author Jennifer Cox--an experienced travel journalist--gets friends around the world to act as matchmaker for an 80-date spree, and the result is, not surprisingly, highly entertaining.

As with dates everywhere, there are good (hot Swedish guy with a floating sauna), bad (hungover kid fresh from a Metallica concert), hysterically embarrassing (a shared pedicure turning into a poorly translated wart removal ordeal) and amazing (Mr. Soul Mate, Date No. 55). Almost every man goes out of his way to create sort of an ideal date--mostly involving Champagne and boats--and Cox's smirky humor and sincere desire to meet the man of her dreams combine for a sweetly honest--and honestly sweet--exploration of romance.

The romance kicks into high gear with No. 55, which happens over several days at Burning Man. She instantly feels he's "the One," but troops through toward the finish line, even daring to include No. 55 on a later date with No. 63. They sneak time together on a few continents, and it's with him that the serious romance happens (and their first date had nothing to do with either Champagne or boats). A life lesson or two are uncovered amidst the jet lag, and Cox hands those out with hard-earned wisdom that many women will recognize from their own lives. As for whether Mr. Soul Mate really turns out to be "the One," just think of it as a good mystery and don't peek--sometimes the journey is half the fun. --Jill Lightner

(Source from: Amazon.com)

Official website: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/minisites/80dates/

Head of PR and Spokesperson for Lonely Planet Publications for a decade, Jennifer Cox is one of Britain’s leading travel experts. A presenter for BBC Holidays and co-presenter of BBC1’s Perfect Holiday, Jennifer is also regularly interviewed on programmes such as Today or GMTV. She presented her own weekly travel show on BBC Radio 1 for three years, has a weekly slot on Sky News and has written for all the national papers as well as Marie Claire, Esquire and Cosmo. Film rights for Around the World in 80 Dates have been optioned to Universal Pictures.

(Source from: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/)