For Valentine’s Day, Warner Library hosted several on campus Valentine’s events: a movie display, a staff and faculty Valentine’s card board, and a blind date with a book.
The event I was most excited for was by far the blind date with a book; after seeing the rise of book blind dates in libraries and bookstores all over social media, I could not wait to see what I would get.
If you are unfamiliar with a blind date with a book event, it works by having a selection of books that have been wrapped so there is no way to tell what the book looks like or what the title is. There is a brief description of the book on the wrapping, and readers can decide whether they want to read it or not based on the description. Once a book is selected, the reader can either check out the book (if in a library) or buy the book (if in a bookstore).
The stand was set up near the outdoor entrance to the library, and over half of the books had been claimed by the time I got there on the second day of the event.
Despite the half empty display, there were still plenty of books left on the display, which meant plenty of options to choose from. The book I ended up choosing had the description of “This book is not so much a romance novel as it is a classic tragedy. Know that before you read a book that is 900+ pages.”
The book ended up being Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. At the time of writing this article I have not yet finished it, but so far I am pleased with my choice.
The other books on the shelf all looked rather interesting as well, and honestly I would have happily grabbed any of them. One that particularly caught my eye was one that was just described as “A” in a large red font which one can only assume was The Scarlet Letter or something based on it.
Overall, the blind date with a book experience was very fun and very easy to navigate. The books seemed to be of a wide variety, and there were plenty of options even when half empty. The librarians did a fantasic job of putting the display together and organizing the entire event.
If you were unable to participate in the library’s Valentine’s events, do not be deterred; the library is always doing something interactive and fun. Just keep on the lookout for announcements!