'Sexually, I’m More of a Switzerland:' hyper-literate lonely hearts strike again

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Out February 2, Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland is a follow-up to the popular 2006 title They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. For his second collection, editor David Rose has gathered another round of the funniest and most creative personal ads from the venerated publication where he is advertising director.

Since beginning the personal ads section of the LRB in 1998, Rose has created a sensation among its hyper-literate readers - what he calls "Britain's most romantically awkward eggheads" - and attracted readers both in the UK and abroad who enjoy the ads' characteristically brainy satire. (More than three years after the release of They Call Me Naughty Lola, the book is still a top-selling British humor title at the US Amazon store).

The book is divided into sections - "Mentally, I'm a size eight," "Look sideways with schadenfreude," "Hubris made me pen this ad," etc. - and includes such excerpts as:

"Part biopic, part utopian vision, all epic of redemption amidst the trials of mankind. This personal ad has everything. Woman, 38. Only one conviction for nuisance calling.

"English lecturer, 44. Modelling himself on The Fonz in an entirely non-ironic way since 1979."

"I celebrated my fortieth birthday last week by cataloguing my collection of bird feeders. Next year I'm hoping for sexual intercourse. And a cake. Join my invite mailing list at box no. 6831. Man."

The book will be published by Simon and Schuster on February 2 in hardcover ($16.00, £9.99) and digital editions.

For a further sampling of what the book has to offer, visit the LRB personal ads Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/LRBpersonals