When I saw the title of Liz Tuccillo's novel, How to Be Single, I scoffed. "Yeah, right," I thought; I sneered! "As if anyone has perfected that or if being single even needs to be perfected." I assumed the book was a self-help guide, so I don't even know why I picked it up.

No, wait. I remember. The cover reminded me of a 30 Rock episode, the one in which Jack puts the fear of choking to death alone in her spinster apartment in Liz Lemon. That's why I picked up the book, opened it to a page at random, and read "Ruby thought about all the men she thought she was in love with, with whom she had fantastic sex, and with whom it didn't work out. They all meant nothing to her now. Serena was right. It is an illusion."

Still thinking this was a self-help guide, I thought with some embarrassment, "This book is for me." Divorced and statistically-more-prone-to-being-killed-in-a-terrorist -attack-in-New-York-City-(even though, heh, I live in California)-than-to-get-married me.

And even though it isn't a self-help book -- I mean, thank goodness it isn't -- I had a hard time remembering it was a NOVEL; it read more like a memoir -- an hilarious, painful, sharp truth, slap in the face, wonderful perfect story.

Julie is the hub for her friends Ruby, Serena, Alice, and Georgia. They are all smart, attractive, funny, single women in their late thirties (Georgia is divorced with two small children). When the five of them get together for a girls' night out (more like "man-hunting" (tip: go to a steak restaurant; avoid sports bars)) so that the newly-single Georgia can get her date on, an Incident sparks Julie's interest in finding out how single women around the world regard their single status, men, relationship, and love.

There are two important lessons for women especially to take from this informal survey which covers France, Brazil, Bali, China, India, Iceland, and, of course, New York. Julie realizes one, the one lesson she'd tried to resist -- and when she has her epiphany, I burst out laughing and crying at the same time, just like a woman. Thank goodness I wasn't at the gym.

The second important lesson, the one that Julie talks about but doesn't stress, is this: Women, have your pride.

I love this book; I love the women in it (I know they are based on real women or composites of real women); and I love Liz Tuccillo for writing it.