Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating, 3rd Edition

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dr. Kuriansky, host of the LovePhones radio program, definitely seems to know what she's talking about! Lots of great tips about modern dating practices, things to steer clear of, advice on common problems people have with their significant others, how to recognize when someone's interested in you, how to guage how the relationship is going, understanding love, etc. My favorite section is entitled, "Nice Guys Don't Have to Finish Last." There's even a whole chapter on "The Art of Flirting."

She has good advice for both girls and guys. Buy it!

I didn't like the "Dummy" version of this book but I did like this one. It actually gave some ideas for what to do on dates and how to make dates fun, entertaining and a vehicle to get to know each other.

An excellent book on different date ideas is THE ROMANTIC'S GUIDE. I've used a number of the dates described there and my girlfriend thinks I am the most romantic guy on earth.

I got this as a gift from someone who'd never read it (if he had read it and had given it to me anyway, I would have killed him)...the first clue to how bad it is is in the little tear-out cards in the front that say "Name, weight, height, how we met,etc." to give out to prospective dates. Are they serious? The rest of the book is similarly ridiculous. It's good for a laugh if nothing else.

Have yet to finish this book, "Complete Idiot's Guide to Dating", but I'm already compelled to warn you about some of the blatant misguidance it offers. First of all, aside from the book not being written for anyone living outside a fairy-tale world, a common theme in a lot of dating advice stuff, including this book, is to be honest about yourself, but also to "not reveal too much information too early". Isn't that a contradiction? Obviously, such things as contact information should never be given out too soon, but aspects of your appearance and personality are going to come out sooner than later anyway, so shouldn't you just be upfront right away to save time and disappointment on both sides? There is, I think, a fine line between "positive" self-image and "realistic" self-image, that is not really taken into account by the authors of this book. Withholding basic information about oneself is the same as being dishonest.

Realizing of course that this is a general dating advice book, not limited to online dating, and that the most recent edition was published five years ago, well before online dating got as huge as it now is, that section is still quite sparse. Plus, as if in the tradition of SNL's Stuart Smalley ("I'm good enough, smart enough and doggone it, people like me), a skit we all know is a spoof, the book tells you that in order to boost your self-esteem you should recite out loud verbal, positive, "self-affirmations". This, again, is part of a fairy tale world and something you probably started hearing in around fourth grade and should have given up on by eighth. It tells you a lot of things you "should" do, in fact, but does not always tell you "how". When you're frustrated enough to need a book like this in the first place, it has to be understood that changing certain behaviors are simply not as easy as this book would like to let you think. But, hey, I felt compelled to pick up the book myself, didn't I?, so what the heck do I know?

This is a good resource for beginners dating tips. It covers almost the same material as the dating guide in the `Dummies' series. Both cover fundamental work (such as self-esteem) and then go into the mechanics of flirting, asking out etc. In other words, for a dating novice or someone who has trouble with successful dating and relationships, this book can be an excellent source of information. Since the material covered by this book and the dummies brand version is essentially the same, just buy the one you feel most comfortable with. The best reason for buying one of these books (Idiots or Dummies guides) is that you don't have to read it from beginning to end to use it effectively. Just pick a chapter or section and read through the tips and try them out.

There isn't much depth to this gloss. Perhaps the picture of the author on the book's cover, taken as she hosts her radio talk show, gives the best indication of the book's quality: not much is inside that cover that could be considered insightful, thoughtful, or helpful. Just a lot of trite superficialities that do little to explain the intricacies of male/female interaction. For example, the role of eye contact is acknowledged to be "powerful," but only three paragraphs are spent on the subject. Don't expect much above the level of the average call-in radio show, or to discover anything you don't already know.

i have no idea what world dr. kuriansky lives in. if you do the things the book tells you to do, girls will think you're a major dork, and you will be doomed to failure! the truth of the matter is, dating is a game. and kuriansky does not address any of this game. she even says not to play any of the dating game. well, i learned the hard way...a really really hard way. trust me, dating is a game, which even nice sincere girls will respond to, so buy a book that actually addresses this. i won't suggest any book, because then people might think this review is a fake. but check out the other dating games on amazon.com and read the reviews. and look for books that addresses the dating game. by the way, i'd like to thank you dr. kuriansky, for ruining my recent dating experience.

I thought I had bought a book about dating, not new-age psycho-babble. Although this Idiot's Guide is not entirely without merrit, it offers nothing out of the ordinary in comparison to other dating books and has many silly components thrown in. The pick-up lines were woeful to say the least and many of the author's ideas were a little too out of left field to handle. A fantastic dating book worth purchasing is Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's "Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments". It is a book which makes real sense and gives the reader not only encouragement, but really makes one truly believe that there is a "special" person just waiting for them.

Written for early 20s to early 30s without a great deal of dating experience, Judy Kuriansky covers everything from opening lines to closing ones, and everything in between. I enjoyed the book's positive tone. Although the book touches on feelings and emotions that fuel courting relationships, it doesn't delve deeply into them. For example; in Appendix "C" Kuriansky asks dating questions. One focuses on how many dates you need to have before knowing someone is "it!" Kuriansky recommends at least 6 dates. Long term relationships are more complex. Granted, some people seem to know almost immediately, however long-term relationships are usually much more complex.

Kuriansky argues that the key to successful dating is to be happy with yourself. I agree. Her book reflects this positive philosophy. She doesn't judge lifestyles and clearly recognizes differences within individuals (a strong point of the book!) carefully reviewing both the male and female perspective. Overall, a good book on dating for the intended age group and experience level!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

I had the good fortune to thumb through this in a bookstore. (Saved me from buying it.) There may be some good stuff in here but you'll waste a lot of time sifting through lame advise. I must admit that the book taught me a *very* important point: I looked up the section on 'pick-up lines' The lines in here are *so bad* it turned me off to the whole concept. I quickly saw how innane one can be when avoiding authenticity. This book seems to emphasize retaining one's low self-esteem and trying to trick someone into liking you. (What a load!) Better to take the risk and be real. On the other hand I went cover-to-cover on Nina Atwood's book and found it accessible and comprehensive -- emphasizing personal-growth and finding someone with whom you'd actually want to be in a long-term relationship. Nina's book is at: href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0805040978/7694-5374857-919139