A veteran of the comedy business—and the dating scene—offers a laugh-out-loud guide to navigating twenty-first-century relationships.
In Mark Miller’s career as a stand-up comic and sitcom writer, he’s worked with pros from Garry Shandling to Joan Rivers and many more. But after his divorce, his focus turned to re-entering the dating scene—and trying not to bomb. First sharing his experiences and hard-won expertise in his blog and nationally syndicated column, he has now created a collection of essays that cover five hundred-plus of his first dates, including such adventures and discoveries as:
How the experiment of spending less than twenty dollars on a date didn’t work out that wellWhat happened when he took a date to his ex-wife’s holiday partyWhy so many women make the important life decision to stop indulging in wild, impulsive sex, usually right before they start going out with him
While Miller admits that “most guys consider revealing more about themselves emotionally and communicating on a deeper level nearly as enjoyable as falling face-first onto an ice pick—or spending the rest of eternity listening to Celine Dion music,” he also reveals a nuanced understanding of the female perspective. From romance to breakups and expectations to disappointments, Miller’s wisdom on the nature of love is sure to inspire even the most jaded online daters.
“Having known how funny and insightful Mark is since our early days in the San Francisco comedy scene, it brings tremendous joy to my grateful heart that he’s finally decided it’s safe to share this hilarious and helpful book with the world at large.” —Kevin Pollak
“500 Dates is a godsend, because now when you get back from your own 500th date, you’ll have something exciting to look forward to. Yes, it’s a book and not a human, but it’s likely a lot more entertaining and fun to be with than your date was.” —Lori Gottlieb
