A guide to the art of love

By KATIE MAVRICH

Guide to Great Dates

Paul Joannides and Toni Johnson

Goofy Foot Press…

Guide to Great Dates

Paul Joannides and Toni Johnson

Goofy Foot Press

2002

Guide to Getting It on!

Paul Joannides

Goofy Foot Press

2001

First date jitters – everyone has had them. What do to, what to wear, to kiss or not to kiss. And then there is that horrible dating rut when you’ve exhausted all of the things-to-do-on-a-date possibilities. Fear not, because the folks at Goofy Foot Press bring you the “Guide to Great Dates.”

Ninety different dates, each detailing the cost, prep time and date time are in this guide. It features everything from the common dinner-and-a-movie, the casual coffee date, romantic stargazing and the nostalgic amusement parks. Most have done at least a few of these activities on a date – be it their first or the 50th. But have you ever gone tombstone tracing on a date? What about taking a cooking class? I don’t think so.

Also included in the guide are dates that the kiddies can accompany you on, and activities that are only for those who aren’t shy about being sans clothes in front of their date – think skinny-dipping.

With the guide, you will be sure to wow your date with your creativity – OK, the authors’ creativity, but your date doesn’t have to know that. Throughout the book you will find phone numbers and useful Web information for planning and executing your dates.

Now that you have been on some impressive dates and shared some thoughts, laughs and kisses, you may be ready to share a bed. Enter the “Guide to Getting It On!” One of Goofy Foot Press’ most well-known publications, this guide covers so much that even after reading Cosmo for 10 years, I still learned quite a few new tricks.

The tip of the iceberg is the tour of both the male and female genitalia. There’s also kissing lessons, a brief course in massage and an STD reminder. Explicit graphics – and I do mean graphic – are throughout the book so that you can get a better idea about some of the “procedures” outlined.

Not sure what “fluffer,” “masher” or “tribadism” means? Look it up in the glossary in the back of the book. Want to know what country’s nickname for the penis is “doodle?” Check out the section titled “Sexual Slang From Other Countries.” And because this is the third edition, there are comments and questions from previous readers, so you get a wide scope of sex ed.

This guide doesn’t just talk about the physical aspects of sex, but the emotional aspects as well. It does so in a way that isn’t preachy, but informative and fun. Sometimes you may have to force yourself to put the “Guide to Getting it On!” down, or limit yourself to just one more chapter. And like the “Guide to Great Dates,” Web sites and phone numbers are scattered throughout the book, with updated listings for both books on Goofy Foot’s Web site, www.goofyfootpress.com.

No one has an excuse for being stuck in a rut after reading “Guide to Great Dates” and “Guide to Getting it On!” – in or out of the bedroom.