Customer Reviews

1001 Ways to Be Romantic: Author's Annotated Edition

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

My soon-to-be husband is Romantically Illiterate. He will do romantic things, as long as I spell out each step of the way. I found this book on Amazon.com and figured why not. I ordered it and when it came in I read it from cover to cover highlighting everything I found romantic. (this book is now covered with yellow highlighting.) I put a ribbon around the book and gave it to my honey as a "just because I love you gift". This has changed our relationship. It's Great!!! Now all he has to do is open the book, look for the yellow, and do it. He doesn't have to think about it and I can be pleasantly surprised with whatever he chooses. I even look at it for ideas for him. It's a one in a million book.

I was expecting this fantastic book of great ideas on presents and dates and fun things to do with my sweetheart. Instead, it almost read like a book full of advertisements of all the things you could buy or vacations you could take. I returned it.

Some of the material was wonderful but why in the world does this book include long lists of movies, books and tv shows? Too many ideas cost too much money. Not all of us have thousands of dollars to spend on dates and vacations.

My then boyfriend and I went to Barnes and Noble and found this book which we enjoyed reading together over some tea. After we finished we had to place the book back on the shelf. However, not too much later my boyfriend presented this book to me as a gift. The best part was that he went through and circled everything he liked and marked out those that he disliked. I did the same and returned it to him. He gave me his resume and cover letter trying to sell himself to me as he would an employer-an idea from the book. It was darling! Now we are engaged to be married and I know that this is something we will continue to enjoy over the years. It has definitely been a trigger for our own creative means of romance.

1,001 Ways To Be Romantic is a wonderful and imaginative 352 page compendium of ideas and things-to-do to enhance the romance in a relationship from new couples courting to seasoned marriage partners of many years. Ranging from singing silly songs on the answering machine, leaving erotic post-it-notes all over the house, and scented body lotion, to flirting shamelessly with your partner in public, dancing by yourselves in a candlelit living room, and reading aloud to each other before bed, the recommendations found throughout this ideal reference are fun, quirky, sexy, effective, and easy-to-do. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to instill romance in a new relationship or renewing the passions of a long-standing one.

Okay, you can buy it - if you want to rid your life of pesky spouses or significant others.

The fact that this guy gives 'romance seminars' makes me weep for the future.

One gem for the ladies is to give him a fancy new VCR for his birthday - disassembled & in 16 boxes, because it'll be FUN for him to put it back together. Yeah, right, brilliant idea. Warranty schmarranty. Besides, a "VCR", in the "completely revised edition"? If a VCR seems like a great gift to you, then yes, buy this book.

The national hotline for domestic abuse is not in the back of the book. It should be, because a broken VCR is just the beginning.

There's hundreds of real winners in here.

Seriously, fill her glove compartment with Hershey's Kisses? In case any of you need to be told - NEVER, EVER, EVER DO THIS! "why hello officer, sure, let me get my regist... what the hell!!"

Call me old fashioned, but opening my glove compartment to find a mass of molten chocolate would NOT make me go "aww, sweetie". It would make me want to call my lawyer.

Filled with dumb, expensive ideas, bad judgment and creepy desperation, any partner worth sticking around for is going to flee if you try even a few of these.

Mr. Godek's is "America's Romance Authority" - at least according to Mr. Godek. If that's so, I think I've found the reason behind "America's Staggering Divorce Rate".

The "about the author" page is one, long, self-serving screed on what a great guy he is. That's super. Godek says "this is not another cute "love" book". This is true. Love filed a restraining order against this book and it's not allowed within 50 feet.

No joke, if I came home and there was a note on the unplugged TV saying "turn me on instead", I would find a way to be somewhere else very quickly. If things are so gone that you're reduced to communicating via post-it notes on the TV, you are way beyond "self-help" books.

best of luck.

Want to rent a romantic movie? Put a romantic CD on for atmosphere? Go away on a romantic vacation? This book has a lot of great suggestions for you and your sweetheart.

First off, it's important to realize this is a reference tome. You really don't sit down and read through the 1,001 suggestions one after another, like reading a novel! This book is nicely broken up into sections. If you need an idea for a romantic movie, you flip to that section. If it's ideas for a special night out, you go to that section. This is the perfect book to leave in the bathroom or by the bed, to skim through when you have a few minutes.

In any list this large, there are going to be a number of ideas that some poeple say "That's obvious! Why put it into a book!" However, I have many lists like this on my website and I can prove from experience that every item one person says "everybody knows that!" to - another person writes to say "that idea was brilliant!" It is the way of the world. Everybody has somthing to learn.

So, what do YOU stand to learn from this book? Every section will undoubtedly hold something new. There are tons of movie ideas. tons of song ideas for playlists. Tons of quotes for cards, sayings for toasts. Tons of websites to visit to buy flowers, chocolates, paintings, clothing, you name it. There are ideas to discuss with your romantic partner. Places for you to go. There are tons of ideas that cost money - but also tons of ideas that are completely free.

Do I find some of the ideas silly? Sure. One of the tips talks about a guy bringing his wife a cup of tea every night in bed - *whether she wants one or not* (italics theirs). That doesn't sound romantic to me, it sounds controlling!

Still, that was just one part of one tip. Unlike some books that count every single line as a separate tip, this one has a list of 128 items to know as "just one item". It even has a bonus section in the center with more items for you to read.

So again, you come back to the "silly" idea. Who needs a giant book of romantic ideas? Well, if you are creative and spontaneous, and every day is full of romance, then you probably don't need this book. That's fine! But for many people, they do NOT have romantic ideas sprouting out of their ears. They honestly get stuck and need help. Those people are who this book was written for, and it is VERY helpful.

Even for those people, will every single tip be meaningful? Probably not. Some tips appeal to planners, some appeal to those who want an idea "for right now". But again, with so many tips in here, that is both expected and quite fine.

The best way to use this book is as a team. Get one color highlighter for one person, and a different color highlighter for the other. Go through the book at your leisure and highlight your favorite items. That way when you skim the book looking for inspiration, not only do you get ideas, but you get ideas you KNOW your partner really is interested in.

This is one of those books that you use for years and years to add a spark into your life. Every relationship can grow and improve. Every relationship SHOULD be worked on daily to be its best. I really do feel this book can help you do it, if you're seeking ideas.

Good luck!

Amazon.com is such a pleasure to deal with. The representatives are courteous, helpful, and accomodating. I had the pleasure to experience this myself when I was returning this piece of trash. Mr. Godek came up with a dozen or two "o.k." (but nothing extraorinary) ideas and filled up the rest of the space with quintessential garbage. My fellow Amazon customer, I wish you all the best because, like me, you are on the path to becoming a true romantic for the woman you love. That's very noble, and I couldn't respect that more. That's why I say to thee: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND NERVE CELLS! This book is not the one you need. Allow me to recommend another one: "How to Romance the Woman You Love - The Way She Wants You To." By Lucy Sanna and Kathy Miller. The ISBN is 0761508708. Good luck.

Very few critics are brave enough to scrutinize romance self-help books. One big reason for this is eunuchism. I'll demonstrate: Concentrate on your lap when you read this tip from 10,000 Ways to Say I Love You: "2206. Give her socks that picture her favorite flowers." Did you notice that as you read it, the area around your genitals began secreting genital solvent? That's because your brain was sending signals that you wouldn't need them anymore.

While the rest of us were courting one another, Gregory J.P. Godek wrote several books on the subject. Gregory J.P. Godek knows less about romance than date rape. He specializes in list-style books because it's faster to let his brain vomit directly onto his keyboard than it is to put together paragraphs. If you've groped someone on a train you know more about women than Gregory J.P. Godek.



And that pretty much sums up how helpful Godek's books are. It's pretty apparent that he loves pizza, lottery tickets and chinese take out but not women or for that matter sex.