From b5f0a615b21eb4b0eabf217f5ac81a66f2419d21 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Julio Biason Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 12:36:22 -0300 Subject: [PATCH] Book review: Geeks Guide to Dating --- .../books/the-geeks-guide-to-dating.md | 52 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 52 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/reviews/books/the-geeks-guide-to-dating.md diff --git a/content/reviews/books/the-geeks-guide-to-dating.md b/content/reviews/books/the-geeks-guide-to-dating.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0a34eb3 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/reviews/books/the-geeks-guide-to-dating.md @@ -0,0 +1,52 @@ ++++ +title = "The Geek's Guide to Dating - Eric Smith" +date = 2021-03-23 + +[taxonomies] +tags = ["books", "reviews", "books:2021", "stars:4", "edition:2013", "self-help"] ++++ + +[GoodReads Summary](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17568806-the-geek-s-guide-to-dating): +You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are +officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You're hooked on Elder Scrolls and +Metal Gear but now you've discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who +just moved in down the hall. What's a geek to do? Take some tips from Eric Smith +in The Geek's Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages +through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting +serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: +it's time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, +The Geek's Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and +prosper. + + + +{{ stars(stars=3) }} + +I have to be honest: The first 1/3 of the book was quite boring. If you ever +read any other dating-advice book, there is a lot of same tips: Listen to her, +find some common ground, etc, etc, etc. All that with heavy drops of geek/nerd +culture: game references, movie references, book references and the continuous +use of referring to the reader as "Player One" (ok, I get it: People are trying +to get their "Player Two", but heck, calm the freaking down). + +The later parts are a bit better, going off the common ground: casual dating, +second date, how to dress, how to make things work when things get serious, what +you should be looking for a long term relationship and how to act when things +fall down -- either by your own decision or theirs. + +But there is something off here: Sure, it is somewhat fun getting ideas using +analogies based on nerd stuff (again, games, movies and books), but the whole +thing seems focused on geek guys, and I feel it would be really interesting, as +a guy, to understand the female perspective of this all. The book tries +(*tries*) to make things a bit less biased by adding a disclaimer that geek +girls can also read the book, and should just replace the "she/her" to +"he/him" -- which absolutely does not work on some chapters, like the "How to +Dress" part. + +And yes, the heavy use of drop/nerd references in the first half does not help +the lighter use in the second half: You're already tired of reading about Mario +or Sonic or whatever. + +I'm going to give a 3 star just because it does the extra mile of going to +different ideas of dating (serious vs casual), dealing with things going serious +and breakups.