Early Reader Review: The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books 
Publication Date: December 3, 2013*
 *Pre-order available on Amazon

 

 
My rating:





Format: Paperback ARC
Source: Quirk Books and Librarything Early Reviewers for Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

Review:
Are you a geek looking for love? Do you want to date but are horribly unaware of how to go about it? I have a book for you, but sadly it doesn’t release until December (wah wah wahhh). I am going to tell you all about it anyway though, so add it to you holiday wish list!

I recently received The Geek’s Guide to Dating as an advanced uncorrected copy and even though I am happily married decided to read it to see what wonders it held between its covers. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed and I will be passing the book along to others very soon.

The Geek’s Guide to Dating by Eric Smith, is just that, a dating tutorial, a walkthrough perhaps. It breaks down the essential parts of preparing to launch ones self into the dating world: where to look, how to engage on dates and with people and all of it is interspersed with witty comments about gaming, pop culture, and great information. Smith did a great job with this book; it is a Player One’s guide to finding Player Two and is interesting enough for even a “taken” geek to enjoy.

Smith breaks things down easily enough for some self-reflection before the focus moves into the dating scenes. You are asked to categorize yourself in all of your geeky-ness: are you a pop culture geek, a technogeek, or an academic geek? From there it is broken down even further into your “special abilities,” strengths and weaknesses.

Once you learn more about yourself, Smith moves on to planning, the actual process of asking someone out, how to dress for the occasion and beyond the date. All of which is informative and fun, relating dating to Pokémon, The Big Bang Theory, World of Warcraft, and Super Mario just makes it all the better. I found myself laughing out loud to some of the facts and comparisons Smith uses and I feel like the self-reflection piece is what really makes this book great. How can you date if you don’t even get to know your own geeky self? Embrace it and let the good times roll. (All of you here reading already have embraced it! You are awesome don’t let others say differently)

The only issue I had with the book was that it is designed for males seeking females and is written that way, yes there is a tidbit about the “gal geek” using the book but it isn’t designed for them… As a gal geek, I would have liked to see the female angle on it too.

So if you are looking for love and need some assistance, this is the book for you. Publication date is set for December 3, 2013; hopefully it will be out sooner. Keep your eyes peeled or go pre-order it.

Eric Smith is a geek from Philly. He is co-founder of http://www.geekadelphia.com/ and you can find him on his site at http://ericsmithrocks.com/

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