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Taking up where Emily Post and Miss Manners left off, Diane Mapes counsels the dating-distressed on today’s new rules of courtship. This smart, savvy etiquette guide addresses both nuts-and-bolts questions (Who asks? Who pays? Who makes the first call? Who brings out the condoms?) as well as the more puzzling aspects of modern romance (Do I really need to tell my new girlfriend that I had her investigated?). Advice, behavioral examples, and dating horror stories are gleaned from a number of sources, including singles, psychologists, scholars, authors, etiquette experts, relationship coaches, and the most well-mannered people on earth, Southern women and gay men. From how to avoid dating a serial killer to what to do at a snuggle part, How to Date provides single men and women, gay and straight, with a step-by-step road map for navigating today’s romantic quicksand with humor, grace, and aplomb.
Very fun to read for a dating book & good contentReviewed by Brent, 2007-10-08
This is definitely one of the better dating books I've read.
I found this book to be encouraging - it really enforced my belief
that both men and women are very lonely and that not very many
people actually enjoy being single. That most of us are trying to
find someone we think we deserve who we can be with long term, in
order to feel loved and less lonely. And that dating is the only
way you can do that, so you might as well go into it with a
positive attitude that you will enjoy dating and try to make it as
enjoyable for the people you date as well.
That's the main thing I took home from this book, but there is a
lot more. It was also a fast, enjoyable read because it was written
with a great sense of humor.
Overly basic and old fashioned. Makes me want to stay home and
watch tv.Reviewed by 33 year old lawyer, 2007-04-16
I agree with the reviewer who stated that this book seems to focus
on old fashioned basics like, "Try to have nice teeth." That stood
out for me, too. The author actually admits that she collects old
how-to dating books from the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. and throughout the
book you will find these old fashioned dating guides cited again
and again! And largely, this is a updated compendium of those.
There are also references to current authors on dating and
relationships and gender politics; the biggest thing I got out of
this book was a reading list of other books...that turned out to be
better than this one. Better guides to what it's like to actually
get out there and date? Dating Amy, You Have to Kiss a Lot of
Frogs, the online guide from Sarah Susanah Katz called Dating in
the Suburbs, and Suzanne Schlosberg's The Curse of the Singles
Table.
This is for very young people or for people who just got separated
last week and need a primer again. And I didn't feel optimistic at
the end of it; I felt kind of depressed. The book contains so
many--this works, that doesn't, here's a problem, make sure you
don't x, y, z...not terribly uplifting. Example: [Don't go to bars,
because of the 80/20 rule. 80% of men all want to go after the top
20% best looking women, because even ugly fat guys think they all
deserve hot chicks.] But then, the book contains a quote from
someone who says something like, "Looks are important, but everyone
is looking for something different." So, it ultimately is
contradictory, and unless you are great looking, I doubt these kind
of anecdotes are going to leave anyone feeling psyched to get
dating...
Light humorous readReviewed by mameyole, 2007-01-09
This is a nice read; funny, sarcastic and almost unbelievable at times.
When is the next book coming out?Reviewed by Sierra Lascaux, 2006-10-30
I read "How to Date" cover to cover, often wishing that it would
just go on forever. Diane Mapes is a great humorist and wordsmith.
Wisdom and incite flow from every page. I have always thought she
was funny and fun, as I have worked with her and met her on
occasion at professional meetings. But knowing her just a bit did
not prepare me for reading "How to Date."
I read it mostly on my daily bus commute which made for some pretty
funny looks from
various onlookers. At times, people would start reading over my
shoulder and
I was forced to give it to them until I left the bus--that was the
only
reason it took longer than usual to read as it was a real page
turner.
I have proudly convinced a number of folks to pick it up because
it's not
just about losers trying to find themselves or the new, new thing
on how to
get someone. It's about how we are today and how we actually might
be better
with each other if we could step back and take a look. We could all
use a
little more Diane Mapes in our lives.
Looking forward to the next one.
A romantic etiquette guide for modern timesReviewed by Midwest Book Review, 2006-09-23
How can singles date? Diane Mapes maintains most people don't know
how to date anymore - and while there are plenty of books telling
how to snare a wonderful man or woman, few teach now to be fair and
attractive to others. Single readers will here find a romantic
etiquette guide for modern times, designed as a portable tote and
field guide and providing advice gleaned from the author's
interviews with singles across the country: singles who hate
dating!
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
