Books won’t ignore your texts, argue with you, or play hard to get—that’s why book dates are the best dates.
Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, hosted their second annual “Blind Date with a Book” event on Wednesday, March 4 at the Guggenheim Memorial Library. The event offered students the opportunity to grab books that were hand-wrapped in brown paper and marked with a cryptic synopsis to hint at what was hidden underneath.
The library display was overflowing with literary goodies. With slightly-used book donations, members of Sigma Tau Delta assembled a dating pool that suited everyone’s taste. The plots ranged from murder mysteries and ghost stories to tales of romance, friendship, growing up, and shifting cultures.
“We do this so people are encouraged to read,” said Alyssa Kelly, a senior English student and Director of Public Relations for Sigma Tau Delta. “When people look for specific books and read the summary on the back, it gets overwhelming and they give up. This is a good alternative for people who don’t know what they want to read. It’s a good way to get different books that not a lot of people know about in a cool and fun way.”
The organization believes in not judging a book by its cover. The bookish rendezvous encouraged students to fall in love with reading and plunge into a secret book, giving a new definition to the mystery genre.
Kurt Wagner, University Librarian, said, “One of the greatest things that books and libraries do is that unexpected discovery of something. That unexpected discovery summarizes the allure of the library and the importance of the library. It’s all about serendipity.”
Judith Shingledecker, a senior English student and member of Sigma Tau Delta, commented, “You never know what you’re going to get when you read a book. This is an adventure for people to just read a book and go with it.”
Sigma Tau Delta keeps turning new pages of their club. On Feb. 18, members hosted Toni Morrison Day at the library to promote the life and legacy of the influential late author. The organization has been adamant about promoting an awareness of the value of reading.
Sarah Mulvihill, a junior health promotion student, said that a friend encouraged her to stop by the table and browse the dating pool. A lover of romance novels, she went home with a book tagged with the plotline, “A story of friendship and love and unexpected circumstances.”
“I’m excited to see what kind of book it is and what it says,” she said. “It definitely is suspenseful.”
If you missed the event or are just craving some suspense, stop by the library next year to bring home your book soulmate. Light some candles, play some music, and curl up with your new page-turner. It might just be a match made in heaven. But if for some reason the two of you don’t get along, there are plenty of other books in the sea.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University
