01
If you loved a brilliant, literal-minded scientist
The Rosie Project
Graeme Simsion
Why Matchbook recommends it: A genetics professor designs a questionnaire to find a wife — funny, heartfelt and full of Zott-like logic.
What to read next
Books Like Lessons in Chemistry
Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist in the early 1960s who is pushed out of science and ends up hosting a TV cooking show she uses to teach women to think. Readers searching for books like Lessons in Chemistry want witty, sharp heroines who refuse to be underestimated, period settings that expose sexism with humour, and stories that are funny and furious at the same time.
Our picks
02
If you loved a woman genius in a man's world
The Queen's Gambit
Walter Tevis
Why Matchbook recommends it: An orphaned chess prodigy takes on the male chess world of the 1950s and '60s.
03
If you loved women scientists fighting to be counted
Hidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
Why Matchbook recommends it: The true story of the Black women mathematicians whose work powered NASA — real history behind Elizabeth's frustrations.
04
If you loved a brilliant woman dismissed by men
The Only Woman in the Room
Marie Benedict
Why Matchbook recommends it: Hedy Lamarr was treated as a pretty face while quietly inventing technology that changed the world — a real-life Elizabeth Zott.
05
If you loved a woman devoted to science
The Signature of All Things
Elizabeth Gilbert
Why Matchbook recommends it: Alma Whittaker, a 19th-century botanist, pursues her research with the same fierce intellect as Elizabeth Zott.
06
If you loved a determined woman in a period setting
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Paul Gallico
Why Matchbook recommends it: A London cleaning woman sets her heart on a Dior dress — a charming mid-century story of quiet defiance.
07
If you loved wit with a big heart
The Guncle
Steven Rowley
Why Matchbook recommends it: A washed-up sitcom star cares for his grieving niece and nephew — hilarious, tender and full of heart.
What did you love about Lessons in Chemistry?
The romance? The characters? The setting? The twists? Tell Matchbook what worked for you — and what didn't — and we'll find your next read.