I keep seeing Blind Date with a Book parcels everywhere.
Bookshops have them. Etsy is full of them. They appear on Instagram looking ridiculously pretty, usually wrapped in brown paper with string, little clues written on the front and perhaps a bookmark or a teabag tucked inside.
And I have to admit...
I love the idea.
But I also have questions.
Because apparently I'm supposed to hand over money for a book while agreeing not to know which book I'm buying.
This goes against every instinct I possess.
I read the blurb.
I look at the cover.
I check the genre.
Sometimes I read reviews.
Sometimes I put it down, pick it back up, wander around the shop for twenty minutes and then buy something completely different.
A Blind Date with a Book takes all of that away.
And that's rather the point.
What Exactly Is a Blind Date with a Book?
The basic idea is wonderfully simple.
A bookseller takes a book and wraps it so you can't see the title, author or cover. Instead, you're given a few clues.
Something like:
Enemies to lovers • grumpy hero • Scottish castle • family secrets • slow burn
You decide whether those clues tempt you enough to take the risk.
Then you buy it.
And you don't discover what you've actually bought until you unwrap it.
The idea appears to have originated with Elizabeth's Bookshops in Australia, where booksellers began wrapping recommendations in brown paper and writing clues on the outside to encourage customers to try books they might otherwise overlook.
It's essentially a bookseller saying:
Trust me.
Which is either charming or terrifying depending upon how particular you are about books.
Why Do I Like the Idea So Much?
Because covers influence me.
There.
I'm shallow.
We all say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover while standing in bookshops doing precisely that.
I've undoubtedly missed some wonderful books because the cover didn't appeal to me.
I've also bought some absolute rubbish because the cover was gorgeous.
Blind Date with a Book removes that problem.
You aren't choosing the pretty one.
You're choosing the story.
I really like that.
It also brings back something we've lost slightly through online shopping: surprise.
Amazon knows what I've bought.
My Kindle knows what I've read.
Algorithms know what people who bought this also bought.
Everything is constantly trying to predict what I'll like next.
Sometimes I don't want to be predicted.
Give me the mysterious brown parcel.
But There Is a Problem
What happens if I already own it?
This would be my biggest concern.
Imagine spending £15 or £20, getting ridiculously excited, unwrapping your mystery parcel and discovering...
Oh.
I've got that.
Some of the better Blind Date companies have obviously realised this.
For example, Bookish Blindside allows customers to share their Goodreads information and says it tracks books previously sent to avoid duplicates. It also chooses according to favourite genres, previous reads and preferred tropes rather than simply pulling a random novel off a shelf.
That's much more appealing to me.
If you're going to choose a book for me, I want you to know something about what I actually read.
Otherwise it's less Blind Date with a Book and more Lucky Dip from the Stockroom.
So Who Does Good Ones in the UK?
I had a nose around because there are loads of companies doing them now, and they're definitely not all offering the same thing.
One of the more interesting options I found was Book-ish. Their Blind Date with a Book currently costs £12 and is properly old-school: brown paper, no title or cover, and handwritten clues. You choose a category and take your chances.
That appeals to me if you want the actual blind date experience rather than something heavily personalised.
Then there's The Book Box, which currently offers Blind Dates from £10.99. This one gives you a surprisingly broad choice of genres, including cosy mystery, true crime, fantasy, romance, contemporary fiction, classics, sci-fi and even philosophy. The books are brand new and you choose from teaser descriptions before ordering.
I quite like that compromise.
You still don't know what you're getting.
But you're not going in completely blind.
Dryad Books is another interesting one, particularly for fantasy readers. You choose paperback or hardback and a genre, and they'll also accept your Goodreads or StoryGraph information to help avoid sending something you've already read. Their mystery books currently start at £9.99.
And if you want the whole treat myself because apparently surviving Tuesday deserves a present experience, there are companies that add extras.
GIGI & Co., for example, includes a new mystery book alongside a bookmark, reading tracker, drink, stickers and other bookish bits. You can also send them your Goodreads or details of books you've already read.
Tea.
Book.
Surprises.
I can see how this becomes a problem.
What About Subscriptions?
This is where things become even more dangerous.
Because apparently buying one mystery book isn't enough.
You can arrange for somebody to send you one every month.
The Blind Date Bookshop has monthly subscriptions starting at £10 including postage, with larger boxes containing multiple books and bookish extras. You give them your reading preferences beforehand, although their subscriptions have a minimum three-month term.
Tea Leaves & Reads also offers both a book-only Blind Date subscription and a larger book-box version. They use a questionnaire to find out about your reading preferences, which I think is a particularly good idea.
And The Mysterious Bookcase lets you provide your Goodreads account or a list of books you've already read. Their mystery books are gently used rather than new, which could be a nice option if you like the idea of giving preloved books another home.
New or Preloved?
This is something I'd definitely check before ordering.
Not every Blind Date with a Book contains a brand-new book.
And personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
In fact, I rather like the idea of a preloved version if the price reflects it.
Goomoo, for example, currently offers a preloved mystery book from £4, with a teabag and bookmark included.
Four pounds?
Now we're talking.
At that price, I'd happily take a chance on something I'd never normally choose.
But if I'm paying £15–£20, I'd want to know whether I'm getting a new book, a used book or a whole box of extras before ordering.
Mystery book?
Yes.
Mystery regarding what I've actually paid for?
No.
Would I Buy One?
Yes.
But I'd choose carefully.
I think I'd want enough control to specify genres I absolutely don't want, and I'd favour a company that lets me provide my Goodreads or reading history.
Because there is surprise...
And then there is somebody sending me Book Four of a seventeen-book fantasy series involving shape-shifting dragons when I've never read Books One to Three.
I have limits.
As a gift, though, I think they're brilliant.
There's something much more exciting about receiving a beautifully wrapped mystery book than simply being handed a paperback you've already seen.
And for somebody who reads a lot, it might push them towards a book they'd never have chosen for themselves.
Which is really the whole point.
We spend so much time deciding what we like that perhaps occasionally it wouldn't hurt to let somebody else choose.
Worst-case scenario?
You hate it.
Best-case scenario?
You unwrap a book you've never heard of, start reading...
...and accidentally find a new favourite.
I think that's worth risking one bad date.
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