Blind Date with a Book | 2019 Edition

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤ This holiday is about celebrating love, and I love books with all my heart, haha. My new favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is that the Barnes & Noble stores that I go to have been organizing “Blind Date with a Book” tables for the past two years. If you haven’t heard of this idea before, it’s when book store employees put books in wrapping paper so that you can’t tell which book is which. Instead of choosing a book the conventional way, you do it simply based on a short provided description that hint at what the book is about without revealing the its identity. Books from a variety of genres are included, so that hopefully there’s something that will interest everyone. I absolutely adore this idea because it forces you to choose a book not based on it’s cover or reputation, but truly because of its content. This can allow you to read a book that wouldn’t normally draw your eye, or even one you haven’t heard of before. I highly recommend that you check out your local book store and see if they organize blind dates with books, or even request that they do it next year! Fun fact: I went to one of my favorite Barnes & Nobles in January and noticed that they hadn’t set a table like this up, so I spoke with the manager and told her how much I loved when they offered a “Blind Date with a Book” section, and when I went back a week later they had one! If you are able to go on a blind date with a book, I hope you find something new that you really love!

Anyways, this year I chose two books again. I’m a very indecisive and sometimes impulsive person and as a result I often leave B&N with several books, haha. For “Blind Date with a Book”, since I go to two Barnes & Nobles often (one by my house and one by my school), I decided to get one book from each.

 

Book #1:

Side note: please don’t mind that these are simple photos, haha. I’m not a bookstagrammer, and I’m away at school where I have no backgrounds or props.

This is the hint for the first book I chose. The morning I bought this, I had been watching a BookTube video about 2019 book-to-movie adaptations, so perhaps this is why I was drawn to the books that were soon to be major motion pictures (there were a few). On top of that though, this description caught my interest the most out of all the books on the table. I thought “Fast paced and cunning!” sounded really promising, so I went for it. And the book was…

Here’s the Goodreads description:

In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune and another woman’s mysterious fate through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Ron Howard.

“Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.”

The request seems odd, even intrusive – and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

Emma

Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant – and it does.

Jane

After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street, she is instantly drawn to the space – and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror as the girl before.

I am SO excited that I chose this book. I’ve never heard of it before, but I absolutely love psychological thrillers. It has also been compared to The Girl on the Train, which I really enjoyed.

Mystery/thriller is one of my favorite genres and I was honestly hoping for a new one when I was selecting a book for my “blind date.” None of the books were labeled “thriller,” so I figured a “fiction” book described “fast-paced and cunning” was my best bet, but I still wasn’t sure that’s what I would end up with. When I took off the wrapping paper and discovered that it actually was a thriller, I was so happy!

In general, I think this synopsis sounds really interesting. This is the type of book I like to read, but I may not have picked it up on my own because I hadn’t heard of it before, and I tend to choose books that I’ve heard good things about through blog posts or BookTube videos. That’s why I love the “Blind Date with a Book” idea so much!

 

Book #2:

This is the hint for the second book I chose. Admittedly, I haven’t read any of V.E. Schwab’s books but I’ve been meaning to forever – hopefully this will be the year I finally get to them! However, I do know how much everyone who has read them loves them, and I think they sound fascinating. So, I thought the fact that this book was recommended for fans of her books was a pretty good sign. Also, “peculiar medical practices, murderous monks, and undead Londoners” sounded really intriguing! And the book was…

Here’s the Goodreads description:

Greta Helsing inherited the family’s highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. In her consulting rooms, Dr. Helsing treats the undead for a host of ills – vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. Although barely making ends meet, this is just the quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta’s been groomed for since childhood.

Until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.

This book sounds awesome! One Goodreads reviewer described this book as a “mix of humor, mystery, urban fantasy, and gothic horror” which sounds like a really exciting combination! In general, Strange Practice sounds unlike any other book I’ve ever read and I can’t wait to give it a chance!

 

 

Like last year, I’m really happy with the books I chose! Honestly, I’m not sure if I would’ve even discovered either of these if it hadn’t been for “Blind Date with a Book,” just because I tend to go into a book store looking for books I’ve heard about recently. That’s what I love so much about this event though, because these both sound like books I would really like! I love discovering new novels, and this event is a great chance to do so!

So, those are my blind date books! I hope you all get a chance to try this one day because it’s so much fun! I also hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day, whether you’re a fan of the holiday or not ❤