I love clever ideas, and if they’re bookish to boot, they make me really happy. So I was delighted to discover Blind Date with a Book, which gives you the blind date experience… with a book!
From what I can see, the concept was originated by a book shop in Australia, which puts brown paper wrappers on its books and offers just a teaser of what kind of book it is on the wrapping. People buy them sight unseen! You can see what I mean by clicking here.
The only downside is that they’re in Australia, so the shipping is high for a book “surprise.” The good news is that it’s such a fun idea that other places are picking up on it. If you’re in the New York area, like me, you can pick up a brown-wrapped book at Housing Works (which has the added bonus of being non-profit, so all your money goes to charity).
The other thing that occurred to me is that this might be a fun slant on a “Secret Santa” at an office, book club or some other group. Everyone gets a book, wraps it in brown paper and writes an enticing one-line description on it. Then people get to pick, with each successive person either picking or stealing from previous players until all the books are taken. Best for a book-nerd crew, of course. But then if you’re here, you’re probably a book-nerd, right? 😉
