How to Host a “Blind Date with a Book” Event for Your Book Club
Spice up your bookish gatherings with Blind Date With a Book: Book Club Edition! Book blind dates are always a good idea, so grab your cuppa, get ready to mingle, and let the bookish matchmaking begin!
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Could your book club meetings use a little dash of excitement? Welcome to Blind Date With a Book: Book Club Edition! And no, I’m not suggesting matching up members — that could get dicey, am I right?
Picture yourself in a room buzzing with friends who can’t wait to set you up with the perfect date…BUT with no stress, no uncomfortable silences, just the thrill of unwrapping a surprise read! If the match is perfect, you’ve just made a friend for life. If not, no hard feelings – it’s a clean literary break.
So, are you up for a little bookish matchmaking? Read on for great ideas to sprinkle a little more surprise and delight into your bookish gatherings!
Blind Dates + Books = Bookish Fun for Your Book Club!
A Bookish Icebreaker
One or two meetings before your book club’s Blind Date with a Book event, incorporate a round of icebreaker questions related to books or reading. For example, ask participants to share their favorite literary quote, the last book that made them laugh out loud, or a fictional character they’d want as a dinner companion. Besides providing a fun start to your evening, everyone will gain insights into each member’s reading preferences to help them select the most appealing literary “dates.”
Mystery Date With a Book
This blind book date is truly a mystery! Ask members to bring a creatively wrapped book from their personal collection that they enjoyed but are willing to part with. The wrapping can symbolize the book or giver, but it’s not necessary; just make it pretty without giving away anything about the title or author. Arrange the books in a central location, and let the mingling begin! Members make their selections based solely on the wrapping, but no opening it yet — there’s a mystery to solve first!
After everyone has made their choice, the person who brought each book gives a few tantalizing clues about it (genre, themes, cover design, etc). See if the recipient can guess the title, adding a fun element of bookish surprise and discussion to the exchange.
Book Club Book Swap
Before your meeting, draw names for each member. Everyone then selects a book they think their specific person would enjoy. Before the recipients unwrap their book, each matchmaker explains why they picked that particular title. In a later meeting, after everyone has had time to read their books, members can discuss them and discover just how well they know (or don’t know!) their friends’ reading tastes.
Book Club Speed Dating
Get ready for an evening of literary courting with a fast-paced night of Book Club Speed Dating!
Preparation: Select a diverse array of books. If you own enough books you’re willing to part with, you can do this yourself. Otherwise, have members of the book club bring a wrapped book. Encourage each person to choose a different genre or theme so there is a variety of something for everyone.
Book Introductions: Create separate spaces around the room for each book with enticing snippets to introduce the book to the group. Share the genre, a brief synopsis, and why it’s worth a read without revealing the title or author.
Rotation Rules: As members arrive, provide them with a scorecard or a checklist to keep track of their potential literary matches. Set a timer for a brief amount of time, say, 2-3 minutes at each table. When the timer rings, it’s time to switch tables and meet a new book “date.”
After each rotation, members can jot notes about that “date” — is it a definite no, a possibility that bears a second look, or is it their perfect literary match?
Decision Time: Once the speed dating rounds conclude, allow everyone to reveal the books they’ve chosen and share what intrigued them about the description.
Continue Your Book Club’s “Blind Date with a Book” Fun!
Follow up with a “Second Date” with the Book
In subsequent meetings, encourage members to share their experiences with the books they selected during your book club’s Blind Date with a Book event. Did they enjoy their blind date? Were there any surprises or unexpected twists? Are they willing to see this author again on another date?
Since readers are all about sharing the book love, perhaps pass the book along to another member who would like to read it! Gifting gently loved books not only introduces everyone to new reads but also fosters a sense of community and sharing among book lovers. 💞
Blind Date Book Club Bingo
Continue the fun of mystery book dates and add an element of friendly competition with an ongoing game of Blind Date Book Club Bingo. Create bingo cards with various book-related challenges, such as “Read a book from a genre you’ve never tried before” or “Swap book recommendations with a fellow member.” You can make your own or use this free one I made for you. As members complete challenges on their own time, they mark off the corresponding squares. As a fun extra, have them send a photo to the group with each completion. The first member to complete “Bingo!” gets a special book-themed prize, perhaps a gift certificate for (you guessed it 😆) another book!
A Forever Commitment or a Just a Fling?
Whether you find your literary soulmate or your bookish date turns out to be a one-night stand, Blind Date with a Book: Book Club Edition is always a good idea! Because who doesn’t love a good bookish surprise?
HAPPY READING!
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