Blind Date with a Book...swap!

I highly recommend :)

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to attend a Blind Date with a Book swap. I was no stranger to the blind date with a book—I first purchased one in NYC in 2016 and most recently received one for my birthday from Seen Library. I always think this is such a fun idea—not judging a book by its cover and knowing a few key details, but still being surprised. Think of it like watching a movie teaser instead of the trailer.

How it works: Wrap your book and on the front, write a few key themes, the genre, just a couple of pieces of information so that people know if it would be up their alley or not. Here is a photo of the book I brought (Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff):

We celebrated with wine and lots of delicious snacks. A highlight for me was the hostess’ tomato and gnocchi soup with pesto. I made my favorite Sugar cookies with Christmas M&Ms. Everyone laid their books out on the table:

From there, the 11 of us sat down and pulled from a deck of cards to determine the order we would pick in. Similar to a White Elephant, when it was your turn, you could either unwrap a book or steal a book. We actually had no steals, everyone found a book that was great for them!

Here are the 11 books that were brought, as well as the descriptions written for them (minus Big Fan, which I shared above):

Survive the Night by Riley Sager: For fans of thrillers, college campus mystery, fast paced page turner, on a roadtrip with a killer?!, plot twist ending

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: Open me if you love 90s nostalgia (especially video games), you like reading from a book with a pretty cover, you’re into reading about friendzones and love triangles and rivalries, if you love realistic characters

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Two sisters navigate love, loss, and survival. Courage, resilience, emotional depth

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb: For the girls: secrets, guns, murder, sex, obsession, affairs

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Open if you are looking for a story about love, father daughter relationships, sports, and resilience

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong: Lighthearted and serene. This book is a curl up with a cup of tea and warm blanket kind of book.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: Psychological Thriller. If you like to read about serial killers, emotionally troubled reporters covering the crimes, and dysfunctional families that make you feel better about your own, then this is the book for you!

The Magus by John Fowles: A young Englishman, a remote Greek island, a local millionaire, literary fiction, eroticism and suspense

The Wedding People by Alison Espach: Picturesque location, heartfelt relationships, self-absorbed bride, interloper turned friend

The book I picked was:

One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy: For millennial gals, vivid details to all things girlhood. 90s nostalgia—reminisce on Payless BOGOs, caboodles, mall culture, and Saved by the Bell. A touch of comedy, all things that shaped us into the women we are today!

I loved getting to hear everyone talk about their books and left with a list of books that I want to read. The thing I love most about these nights is getting to meet new people and learn about new books. I can’t wait for our next meeting! I highly recommend getting your friends together, having them each invite a friend, and getting together to receive a new book and hear about lots of cool ones!

Since I last wrote, I’ve read The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, and I am currently reading Shopping Mall by Matthew Newton.