How Not to Date [Paperback]

Judy Mcguire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2007

On the heels of the success of How to Date in a Post-Dating World comes this polar opposite: a collection of dating nightmares that'll certainly let readers know what absolutely not to do on a date. Since the year 2000, dating columnist Judy McGuire has advised and entertained singles with her irreverent Ask DateGirl column. For every possible type of dating nightmare scenario out there, Judy's most probably heard about it, and has offered advice on what to do to resolve it if the problem date is still lingering. In this book, she collects some of the worst dates she has heard about, ranging from the bland to the incredibly frightening.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A few relevant writing samples: How Not to Be http://www.seattleweekly.com/diversions/0309/dategirl-mcguire.php More Tips on How Not to Be http://www.nypress.com/16/12/news&columns/date.cfm Koo Koo 4 U http://nypress.com/18/8/news&columns/dateg

About the Author

Judy McGuire’s "Ask DateGirl" appears in Seattle Weekly, The New York Press, and other papers, and has been featured on the BBC, NPR, MTV, and elsewhere. Her writings have appeared in such publications as Time Out New York, Paper, Vibe, and Mademoiselle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570615322
• ISBN-13: 978-1570615320
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judy McGuire has a degree in criminology, but writes about dating. She currently writes "Dategirl," a funny sex & love advice column, for the Seattle Weekly and a weekly "Dating Don'ts" column for TheFrisky.com, which also runs on CNN.com.

Her keen eye for bad behavior was put to the test as she wrote her first book, How Not to Date (Sasquatch Books) and will be utilized once again as she writes her next book, The Complete Book of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Lists. Judy has been a columnist at Time.com, New York Press, Men's Fitness, and has contributed features to ForbesTraveler.com, Vibe, Bust, Paper, Time Out, Complex, among many, many others. In addition to all that, she has an essay in the anthology, Single State of the Union: Single Women Speak Out on Life, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness (Seal Press).

McGuire appears weekly on Seattle's Movin' 92.5's "The Ladies Room" and, though her politics are at odds with his, is a frequent guest on Curtis Sliwa's radio show. She's worked as a producer and researcher on several different true-crime documentaries and even wrote, produced and starred in a play called Bad Sex, which enjoyed a brief run at the Wow Café in downtown Manhattan.

Like everyone and their mother, she has a blog: www.dategirl.net.

You can also find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/judy.mcguire

Or Twitter: http://twitter.com/HitOrMissJudy

But not Friendster or MySpace.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Break from the Usual Desperate Dating Tomes, February 22, 2008

By 

L. Merlyn "Rustuccio" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Not to Date (Paperback)

This book slayed me. It is so damn funny, and it's also worth checking out as a refreshing voice on dating - the author is clearly a woman who wants the right guy, not just any guy for the sake of having one. There are plenty of us out there, but we tend not to be the ones to write about dating - the market is saturated with silly Cinderellas looking for their prince charming and offering advice on how to compromise yourself to get a guy at any costs. These women tell us that a woman is defined by her marital status, no matter what kind of a jerk, idiot or moron their guy may be. Judy McGuire reminds us all that no one should put up with an idiot, meanie, psycho, moper, whatever, and it's better to commiserate with friends than to settle. But this is not a feminist book - no way. Judy gives just as much space to the crazy and stupid chicks out there. By sharing these entertaining and sometimes frightening tales, she reminds us all that we deserve the best, we should behave ourselves, and that men and women may well be from different planets, but we're united by our unpleasant dating experiences. It also reminds us why "sense of humor" is one of the most important thinsg to look for in any date.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You need this book, January 8, 2008

By 

Richard G. Giorgi "Comaboy" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Not to Date (Paperback)

Anyone who's ever dated needs to feel that the monumental mistakes they've made along the way are worth laughing over, and anyone who doesn't feel that dating is a laughing matter should pick up this book right away. If painfully funny truths were nickles, this book would be worth a million. If you can't laugh about a hard-drinking wiccan who channels baby voices through her cats on the first date, well, you may not be able to laugh at all.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Bad Dates Than You'll (Hopefully) Ever Suffer Through, January 13, 2008

By 

Rachel Kramer Bussel "Cupcakes Take the Cake ... (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: How Not to Date (Paperback)

Who better than Seattle Weekly's Dategirl columnist Judy McGuire to walk you through the horrors of bad dating and give you some advice on how to avoid the crazies, from just slightly to dangerous? Here, she's compiled what could be considered a "best of" awful dates, from those who lie about their marital status to those who spend the whole night with hamburger in their teeth.

She also includes interviews with porn stars Tera Patrick and Joanna Angel, a shrink, a stripper, and a few other dating veterans to give some highly specific dating "do"s and "don't"s. As someone who's been on my share of bad dates but who's also committed a sin or two in the dating realm, I laughed out loud while reading this book - when I wasn't cringing in horror at some of the things people will put up with in the name of love (and nookie).

What's also great about this book is that McGuire owns up to her own dating faux pas and even gives a ray of hope that even those who mess up, like her current boyfriend, who brought along friends for moral support on their first date, can be redeemed. I can only hope that my future dates will be nowhere as tragic as some of these, and at least know what to look for. Best of all, McGuire doesn't take herself or the dating dilemmas she presents here too seriously. This is not a "you must do this (or not do this)" if you ever want to find a partner type of book. It's one that, dare I say, you could even share with someone you're dating - just not on a first date.