The Main Library invited students to find their next favorite romance novel at its Blind Date with a Book event Thursday. Instead of browsing shelves, students flipped through paper pamphlets with short summaries on the front, revealing the actual book title inside only after opening it. The titles were hand selected by the organizers and were designed to mimic typical dating app profiles.
Dozens of uniquely crafted pamphlets displayed in a basket caught the attention of students passing by. Each summary provided just enough insight to spark curiosity without revealing too much. Students flipped through the many options until they found what the organizers called their “perfect match.”
“You don’t know what the book will be about, so it exposes you to new and different things,” said Mariah Brooks, sophomore in Media. “This is exposing people to new forms of literature and things that they didn’t know they would like.”
As students opened their match, some smiled while others laughed with their friends. A couple of students even recognized the book or author.
Although this marked the first Blind Date with a Book event, organizers said the library frequently hosts similar activities.
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Genevieve Pfister, one of the event’s organizers, said she hopes this will introduce more book titles to students, ones they would not normally reach for.
“It’s really important to encourage college students and people of all ages that reading is fun,” Pfister said. “It doesn’t have to be deep or academic.”
While the event was geared toward romance novels for Valentine’s Day, Pfister said they considered that not everyone gravitates toward romance novels. They selected books ranging from science fiction to mystery novels with hints of romance in between.
Students said the event made browsing books less intimidating because of the mystery element.
Brooks came to the event with her friends, and they all left with a new title to read. One of Brooks’ friends, Brooklyn Burks, sophomore in LAS, said she typically gravitates toward queer romance in Black literature. She matched with “Imogen, Obviously” by Becky Albertalli, a queer novel about self-discovery as a young adult.
Another organizer, Kendalle Smith, said the event also builds connections through shared experiences.
“No matter what age or where you’re from, I think it is a connecting point within the community of literature because that is something that we all use,” Smith said.
Smith added that she never liked reading growing up until she found books that sparked her interest and made her want to read. She hopes to spread that spark of literature to other students as well.
As students left with new book recommendations in hand, organizers hope the event inspires new reading habits rooted in enjoyment rather than obligation.
