Love Illuminated: Exploring Life's Most Mystifying Subject (With the Help of 50,000 Strangers)

Editor of the popular New York Times column "Modern Love," Jones shares lessons learned over nearly a decade of reading contributors stories of love, dating, marriage, and all of their inherent calamities. Some stories are remarkable, a couple meet in Bangkok only to realize they are from the same small town in Alberta, Canada; others are quirky, a woman determined to date a pilot for the free flights. Jones provides insight on online dating and its pitfalls, the idea of destiny, and what it means to be truly devoted. He further explores "hookup culture" and vulnerability, recalling a woman who kept a storage unit filled with household supplies, a "single girl's starter kit," in case her relationship ended. In "Marriage 101," Jones addresses topics like settling on a last name in a way that "doesn't somehow honor the patriarchy" (easy solution%E2%80%94find and marry someone who already shares your last name), and fair division of labor, childcare, and household chores. Though he insists he is no expert, there is plenty of useful knowledge to be gleaned from Jones and his 50,000 helpers and his delivery and sense of humor make the education more palatable. (Feb.)