This book is funny. Truth be told, if I was not a thirty-something single female living in New York City, I might even go a bit farther. Having revealed my bias, however, funny beach-reading humor will have to suffice .

In Cad: Lessons of a Toxic Bachelor, New York Times reporter Rick Marin chronicles the dating rituals of a twenty-eight-year-old recently divorced bachelor living and dating in New York City. This book provides a voyeuristic view of the dates and sexual experiences of our bachelor, exploring his reentry into bachelorhood – and his subsequent journey back out.

At first our bachelor seems to enjoy his newfound freedom and moderate success with the women he dates. He is content with “the Arrangement” -- the no-strings-attached-sex-until-either-person-finds-a-meaningful-replacement –- a situation he establishes with a woman certainly not destined to be his life partner.

As our bachelor dates and sleeps his way through New York City, things begin to change. Slowly, we see a yearning for something more: “[a]t the risk of sounding like a traitor to my gender, breasts are not enough.” And soon his desire for a successful personal life materializes to the point he breaks his habit of marking in his calendar the days he and his one-time girlfriend "do it," proudly confessing that this was a habit of his single days he has outgrown.

As time progresses, our bachelor’s goals become even more clear: “[m]y friends were snapping up lifemates right and left, popping out heirs. I, took, longed for the pitter –patter of little feet – and for once I didn’t mean the ‘Asian outcall’ service on Channel 35.” And, once committed to finding a true life partner, it is only a matter of time before he enthusiastically leaves bachelorhood and the trials and tribulations of New York City single life far behind.

Oh, and for any reader curious about the fate of Toxic Bachelor author Rick Marin, I am pleased to report that he has found the love of his life and is now happily married.