Book Review

When dinner and a movie sounds dull, those seeking more adventurous dates may look for a comprehensive guide to various out-of-the-norm activities, as well as tips for improved traditional dates.

The authors of "Guide to Great Dates," Paul Joannides and Toni Johnson, have created a fairly comprehensive answer to the eternal question asked by friends, lovers and colleagues across the globe: "What do you want to do?"

Although this book clearly has a fairly low production value and has more than a few glaring grammatical errors, it is a fun and interesting reference for those looking for a fun night out.

Many of the suggestions for dates listed are obvious, but the guide luckily proves its relevance by including information on how much a date will cost and what is needed before the date, as well as a compilation of Internet resources that will assist daters in helping the date run smoothly.

The book highlights less traditional prospective dates, such as sitting in on a murder trial, brewing your own beer, going to a corn maze, and building a sandcastle.

These dates suggested in the "Guide to Great Dates" are innovative and fun, but many others are traditional, obvious dates with additional background information.

"Guide to Great Dates" also includes pros and cons to traditional options for dates, such as "Doing a Dinner Date at Home":

"It is seriously a bad idea to invite someone to your home for dinner if it's your first date. Chances are, a new date won't feel comfortable being so deep on your own turf and if he or she does a no-show or cancels at the last minute you'll be feeling down in the dumps with two days' worth of leftovers as a painful reminder. This can be a great date idea if you know and feel good about each other and your place isn't a total dump," wrote Joannides and Johnson.

The book also suggests some activities appropriate for modern family life and dating parents who want to include their children in their date date. Such family friendly dates include going to the zoo, hot air balloon festivals, and making jigsaw parties.

Several suggestions listed in the book are easily applicable to those residing in Buffalo. Lasertag, having an ice cream sundae, going to a corn maze, skiing, snowboarding and going to amusement parks are several options that are easily accessible for bored Buffalo couples.

This book is most clever when it includes amusing "pointers" for the clueless dater. One such point is to "take extra Ritalin" before going on a bird-watching date.

The book, however, is inconsistent in the information offered for each prospective date. Some dates offer "facts for impressing your date," while others do not. Some dates are more interesting, while others border on boring with too much information. The authors seem indecisive about what kind of information they want to provide, as well as a common theme to the dates that are featured in the "Guide".

Even though the book is written as a guide, the individual dates should be categorized into different sections instead of a quick reference because it requires more reading than necessary.

The cartoons on the inside of the book are decidedly less entertaining. The cover art, however, is mildly suggestive and brightly colored.

"The Guide to Great Dates" contains many great suggestions for dating in Buffalo and elsewhere. For those looking to add some spicy activity to their love lives, this guide can prove to be an incredibly valuable resource.