The more you read, the better you write. I have never been on a blind date myself but I have some experience setting them up, not always with the best results. A blind date with a book may be the better way to go.

When a Blind Date Doesn’t Work Out

The first time, I set up my high school best friend with my boyfriend’s best friend. If only I knew how needy he was. He burned her a cassette tape with 20 versions of “Everything I Do” from the Robin Hood movie, the one with Kevin Costner. To this day, she cringes when she hears Bryan Adams tell her to “look into my eyes”.

The second time, I hooked my red-headed college roomie up with a friend of an old boyfriend. This guy was handsome, charming, and sweet, so much so that if I wasn’t dating someone else I would have had my eye on him for myself. Unfortunately, the chemistry wasn’t there.

The third time, a quirky friend of mine needed a date for a big gala. My handsome neighbor who was a South Park fan and an award-winning baker seemed like a fun fit. It was a one time deal, and they said they had a good time. They never saw each other again.

Three times is a charm, right? In my case, it was three strikes and you’re out.

Find the Right Match

The trick, of course, is to find the right match. That’s hard enough to do for yourself, never mind for someone else. As much as you think you know someone, you don’t know everything.

When looking for a partner, people often say it’s what’s on the inside that counts. That they want someone with a good sense of humor. Someone kind, smart, and honest. Someone adventurous, fun-loving, and romantic. But how can they know any of that until they actually talk to them? If looks didn’t matter at all, there would be a lot more people asking each other out and a lot more first dates.

Sometimes the dressing matters, and books are the perfect example. A book cover attracts you with color, artwork, and fonts. It teases a certain genre. The book may be a paperback or a hardcover. It may be thick or thin, small enough to fit in a purse or large enough to take up half of your coffee table. Even the name of the author may draw you to a title. A more familiar name may pull you to at least pick the book up off the shelf. That doesn’t always give a newbie author a chance to shine.

Sometimes their best chance is a blind date.

Take a Chance on a Blind Date

One literary trend making the rounds is Blind Date with a Book. You may have seen this at your local library, at a neighborhood bookstore, or even a mega-bookstore like Barnes and Noble. Books wrapped in gift wrap or brown paper tied up in string. These are a few of my favorite things. The books look the same with one exception — words. There may be an oversimplified summary of the story written on the cover or a few adjectives that hint at the genre of book. The words are your window to “the inside that counts”.

Here are some one-line zingers of famous books inspired by Bookstr, Odyssey, and Huffington Post.

a) It turns out that the government actually is watching you through your laptop’s built-in webcam.
b) A man travels to hell to save his wife: She wasn’t there.
c) A guy is so unhappy with modern life that he invents an alter ego to destroy that life.
d) A young man becomes rich and powerful to woo a woman he can never have.
e) A college-educated man mopes about his family life and then kills everyone.
f) A guy saves the world by stealing rings from strangers.
g) A woman falls in love with her employer but it turns out he’s got a crazy wife in the attic.

When you go on a Blind Date with a Book, you choose a book based on an idea. The hook alone should be enough to reel you in, not the marketing. You may discover amazing authors this way, fresh stories, and new talent.

Finally, looks really don’t matter! Are you willing to take a risk? Not every blind date is going to work out but at least it’s worth a shot. You may find a stud instead of a dud.

Answer Key: a) 1984 / George Orwell, b) DANTE’S INFERNO / Dante Alighieri, c) FIGHT CLUB / Chuck Palahniuk, d) THE GREAT GATSBY / F. Scott Fitzgerald, e) HAMLET / Shakespeare, f) THE HOBBIT / J.R.R. Tolkien, g) JANE EYRE / Charlotte Bronte.