The MANdates by Dave Singleton

The MANdates by Dave Singleton is one of those books that reminds me of the good old days when Dan Savage and others were writing dating articles for gay.com. Yes this book is about gay dating. More precisely, it is about men dating men, and it's a dog-eat-dog world out there. The book is trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I could not deny the truth behind every little joke about the stereotypes governing the gay community. Without further ado, I bring to you: The Mandates. 

Basically this is a step by step guide to gay male dating. It takes you from the online profile to the first date, to meeting the friends, family and eventually to marriage with the right man. Don't expect it to be a concise guide to getting the man you want, it is more like a book with pointers on how not to completely fuck things up. Some things might apply to you and some things might not. If you're in your early twenties, you might have no idea who Cher or Liza Minelli are, and you wouldn't care much either way. Apart from the archaic music references which  fit the bill since the book was released in 2004, the book is still quite actual and the dating rules haven't changed much.

I think the author was trying to fill more pages by adding a couple of quizzes, but then again  I think I can blame it on the times because back then dating quizzes were pretty popular. I had tried their validity with my best friend and apparently, we are a match made in heaven. Then again, we have known each other for more than 7 years, we know almost everything about the other and, even though we sometimes say mean stuff and fuck with the other's mind , we stick together. So I guess this is a true friendship after all and, in a different set of circumstances, maybe even (dare I say it?) marriage.

So the book is old, but actual. It tries to be funny, but I didn't see the funny side. It is informative, but if you're versed in the art of dating and relationships, this book doesn't bring anything new to the table. Basically it says: be a decent human being, know what you want, try to find the kind of guy that fits you best and, once you find him, try not to fuck things up. Is that a good plan? I'd say it is. 

You might be a zombie and other bad news by cracked.com

I promise this will be the last book about zombies and horrors for a while, or not. It all depends on whatever catches my eye. Come to think of it, this isn't really a book about zombies per se. You might be a zombie and other bad news is a book with some crazy facts about things that were both surprising and funny. 

What is this book about? Well... the editors from cracked.com had some fun finding unusual facts and then presenting them in a humorous fashion. Most stories and statistics are related to the Americans, but there is a lot of other fucked up shit in there to keep you entertained for a day or two. One of my favorite facts is about the concept of "saccadic masking", meaning that during an entire day you are blind for about 40 minutes due to the fact that when you look from one place to the other, you are blind in that fraction of a second. Nifty, huh?

Another weird fact is that Hugo Boss, the fashion designer actually designed the uniforms of the Nazi troops and even IBM provided them with database technology, the Nazis, but maybe Hugo Boss too. Apparently even the internet is bad for your health. Yes, porn is good and fun, but prolonged stay in front of the computer while rubbing your stick or re-posting photos of kittens on your Facebook wall, your natural defense system begins to atrophy. (Kittens are porn for crazy cat ladies, hush).

This book as some very interesting facts about US presidents, disease, Nazis, natural disasters and, yes, zombies too. Fun, and after doing a bit of research on my own, I begin to think that this book is telling the truth. Read it at your own risk, hypochondriacs be warned.

Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand

I wasn't expecting to actually finish another book by the end of the year, but I guess I did. Jeff Strand's Wolf Hunt is, you've guessed it, a horror book. Or at least it tries to be. In a time where you have Team Jacob (you teenage girls and middle aged gay men know what I am talking about *wink*) and Underworld, werewolf stories don't manage to scary anyone anymore.

Leaving the fact that the title gives you a big clue what the book is about, the rest of the book was fun. You have two paid thugs - George and Lou- who are acting like an old married couple, their contact man - Ricky - who is just a contact man, an innocent woman caught in the mix - Michele - who apparently nobody mentions her boobs but I guess the author is "an ass-man", and a precious cargo in a cage - the psychopathic killer werewolf - Ivan. The entire action of this book is fast, dialogues are also witty and fast, the werewolf is fast but the cars are kind of slow in this one. Ironic, huh?!

OK, so we have a book about werewolves, that wants to be part of the horror genre. Theoretically, it is; but the scare factor is no more. The blood and the gore is there, but is anybody fazed by that anymore? Have you seen any of the SAW movies? Nothing is more scary after that experience. Though the book is highly entertaining, I believe that the scare factor is missing completely. 

Read this book for entertainment, the dialogues are insanely funny and sometimes completely out of the context, but what would you expect from a psychopathic werewolf? This one kept me up 2 nights in a row, not because it was scary, but because I wanted to find out how it ends. Usually a book that does that to someone, cannot be anything but good, right? 

Thank you for reading my posts and my New Year's Resolution is to come back in 2013 with more books and rants for my readers. Happy holidays!

Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by Denis Leary

My oh my! Where do I find these books...? Looking back at what I had posted on this blog, I realize that I am going from underground, to mainstream and then back to the underground. The internet is a place of wonder where you can find all sorts of crazy shit. Since I am not an American I can definitely say that I do not consider myself connected to this book in most ways, but the American culture is starting to rub off on Europeans.

This book is hilarious. It was meant to be funny, but also thought-provoking and the author nailed it. Why we suck is in a way a comparison between generations. The author tries to compare his childhood to the kids today. He's trying to explain that the old ways, when kids were spanked for doing mischief or getting some early lessons on winning and losing (even on the playground), are a better upbringing than an overprotective society where "all kids are winners". This book is all about family and how the author had to deal with his brothers, bullies, girls, his own kids, a wife, work, God, you name it.

I do have to say that his arguments are valid and spot on, but his views can be quite misogynistic or homophobic at times. Let's just say that he doesn't give a rat's ass about political correctness and the book would have lost its humor without some stereotypes thrown in or without some over the top radical views. If you like stand-up comedy, this book is for you: it's funny, heartwarming at times and rude most of the time. 

I hate it when it takes so long to post something here, but work and everything else (read LIFE) have kept me from reading as much as I did before. I shall not forget this blog and I shall keep posting whenever I get to finish a book, or not (happened before, unfortunately). Keeping this blog going is a promise to myself and I intend to stick to it.