Shane Bolks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I've Dated

Avon (Trade Paperback), ISBN 0-06-077310-3

Rory Egglehoff's love of all things Star Wars goes beyond mere adoration. "Obsession" seems more to the point. Everything in her life relates to the movies in one way or another -- her curse words, her method of describing people or situations and more. When she needs a jolt of confidence, she pictures herself as Princess Leia. But a surprise at work leaves her reconsidering her years of geekdom. Hunter Chase, Rory's crush from first grade onward, pops up to do a marketing campaign for her accounting firm. Allison, Rory's best friend, promptly devises a plan to help Rory get Hunter's attention, affection and get Hunter to be her escort to their 15-year high school reunion.

A little fashion and makeup advice sets Rory turning heads, including Hunter's. But with her Jedi Knight nearly in her grasp, Rory realizes her changes may not be for the better. She hides her vegetarianism, denies her Star Wars obsession and manages to alienate both Allison and her ultra-liberal, eco-feminist sister Stormy. She even ditches her mother's surprise birthday party for an evening with Hunter. And she still can't seem to break up with her Wookie of a boyfriend, Tom, another nerd more into computer games and Star Trek than Rory.

Rory finally gets a grip on things… just as Hunter spots her at a sci-fi convention… dressed as Princess Leia. After she explicitly denied every participating in such events. She spends most of their high school reunion trying to apologize to Hunter for her deception and finally humiliates herself in front of the entire class just to get the apology out.

Although she appears a bit too freaked out on occasion, Rory's geekiness comes across as charming, especially to someone with a few geeky pursuits of her own. (I completely admit being an X-Files junkie.) Anyone can relate to the painfully awkward feelings Rory frequently feels as well as the overwhelming desire to be part of the Popular Crowd in high school. Shane Bolks also adds plenty of humor, particularly with Rory's hippie vegan family. A wonderful, funny read, even if it hit a little close to home. (I swear Bolks modeled Tom on an ex of mine…)

Jen Foote

Jen Foote recently moved to central Florida, where she is a copy editor and page designer at a small daily newspaper. She is ecstatic to live an hour away from the ocean.

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