The Bachelor Chronicles

Okay, if you are like me, you will go immediately to the author's website to make your own assessment. Afterwards, you realize "alright, this is not soooo pathetic because this guy totally looks like an everyday man". The first chapter reads like your average water-cooler conversations. It's not that I don't believe what Ron is saying. It's just too good to be true... Sexcapades with random encounters and near-death experiences with angry ex-boyfriends... People tend to stretch the truth a bit more to grab the audience. By Chapter 3, I can honestly say that I can relate to Ron in his ups-and-downs in a dying town near Allentown, PA. Having lived in a nice apartment (2 to 3 years) off the PA Turnpike NE Extension, you can trust me that Ron isn't lying. Ron lived 3 exits up the PA Turnpike (I-476) from me. Life gets kinda boring next to cow pastures/meat factories and corn fields. Also, driving into the city can be a bit tiring. City being Philly which others often mistake for NYC. Thank God, Ron moved to NYC for a life of more life and so much more to offer. That's what you would like to believe but Ron even lets us know that sometimes it's not always what you hope for. Ron worked for Men's Health and wrote all of these snipets in magazine columns of his dating experience. Chapter 11 is probably the quick and dirty section for girls to review carefully. Alot of things which I agree with from my dating experience. Towards the end, Ron tries to paint the picture that nobody can really steer you the right course. Dating coaches, relationship experts, etc. I guess his point is that people go to great lengths to find the right person at the right time. Baby steps with[..] then to more extremes with professional match-makers. Well, it takes guts before glory. There is no shame in failing except not trying at all. He gives the same advice to women who feel that a man should make the first move. Having spent alot of time, $$$, and effort, I can say it's very much like a job interview. You put your best attributes forward and you'll get the "we'll get back to you" response. Move on to the next one... Life is short. If there is a shred of possibility, then keep the door open and see what happens. No need to get all upset and close the door. It's like burning bridges with your previous employer. It could bite your butt later. By the way, the ending is very open-ended with no real resolution. So don't expect a nice fairy tale ending. This is life and things are complicated...

If you are a man or a woman, this book will entertain you from start to finish. Geraci's writing is honest, clear and witty. He lays out the fantastic story of his accidental transition from an ordinary guy who is awkwardly searching for his true love to a still ordinary guy who gets paid for "expert" advice on dating. One would think that a guy who writes about dating for magazines would be a real Rico Suave. Just the opposite. Geraci exposes his vulnerable, shy personality in the raw. Read this book!! You will not only love his hilarious stories, you'll find comfort in the fact that dating is no easier for an "expert" than it is (or was) for you and I. Despite all of his foibles, Geraci actually has learned much about dating. And like many subjects, years of experience in the dating world are worth far more than a fancy degree in sociology (or whatever degree a dating guru gets nowadays). Men will find a kindred spirit in the pages of this book. Women will learn much about men. Both men and women will laugh out loud!

Funny stuff. VERY funny stuff. You can find your own life playing out in Ron's writings -- you no doubt find an experience that you can relate to, wish you could relate to, or are quite happy to never have had related to you. A very lighthearted look from one man's perspective into the dating world -- searching for "the one" -- a book any guy can relate to. Found this book on a library shelf when I needed a pick-me-up, and it delivered exceptionally well.

Although some of the articles are a bit randy for my taste (or ability), I enjoy reading "Men's Health" magazine. For those who don't know, "Men's Health" contains advice on relationships, work, exercise, and various other topics important to males. It's targeted towards the testosterone-soaked 20s and 30s crowd (The spin-off "Best Life" is for distinguished (i.e. older) gentlemen who long to retain youthful virility). However, reading it tends to give me an inferiority complex. That's because the airbrushed women within its pages demand perfection from men, and the guys are all buff and suave. The sexually dynamic world portrayed in "Men's Health" seems far away from the more mundane one I inhabit. Anyway, while browsing in a bookshop I was surprised to see that Ron Geraci, a former "Men's Health" dating columnist, had expanded his writings into this book. I tend to skip much of the magazine's relational advice, since putting it into practice would get me thrown out of most churches. But after leafing through "The Bachelor Chronicles," I was hooked by the author's romantic and professional travails. A number of Mr. Geraci's observations hit home. For example, he writes about men who are successful in their jobs, but are unable to talk with a beautiful woman. They have neglected that skill, so they're trapped in singleness and labeled as losers. As a 39-year-old singleton, that made sense. There seems to be a level of relational competence that is only gained via experience. Many Christians (myself included) want to skip that difficult part of growth in favor of divine intervention. But perhaps there are no shortcuts, and God may expect us to learn how to deal with the opposite sex the hard way. Mr. Geraci makes other interesting observations about thirtysomething dating that echo Norah Vincent's in her excellent book "Self-Made Man." A bonus aspect of "The Bachelor Chronicles" is the insider-eye view into the world of magazine article publishing. The author discusses how he got into the writing gig, and delivers some tongue-in-cheek advice for budding authors. His anecdotes about the job's instability, along with the constant pressure of coming up with valid topics, were good real-world insights into the writing profession. Frankly, I'd prefer to keep my 9-to-5 IT job and leisurely write on the side. Of course, that's probably a good recipe for obscurity. "Bachelor Chronicles" is an interesting counterpoint to the Christian-based relational books I usually read. Although I struggled with the premarital sex angle, the author makes a number of astute observations about dating and writing. Recommended.

When I first got the book, I had planned to save it for a long flight. But when I started reading the first few pages, I couldn't stop - and finished the damn thing by the next morning. The author's hilarious account of his horrible dating experiences are a wonderful anecdote to all the stultifyingly dumb dating crap you read in self-help books and magazines by socalled experts who you know, secretly, haven't had dates in years. Geraci, one of those socalled experts, decides to tell the truth: that in fact, as an expert he is an expert idiot, a man as clumsy, insecure and shallow as every other dope. What separates this book from being just another "funny account" of some guy's dating life, however, is the author's affable, witty and poignant writing style. There are countless laugh out loud lines in the book - and there are other passages within the book that make you think, "This guy pretty much knows what we're all thinking." Buy the book.