79 Comments
Jun 17, 2023·edited Jun 17, 2023Liked by Rebecca Holden

As always Rebecca, your writing is so vivid that I felt like I was right there with you while all this was happening. I felt inspired to convert this experience into a short poem, hope you like it. 😀

-------

I went to the store,

to just take a quick look,

but my eye was drawn to

mysterious books.

.

They lay there all covered,

with secretive keywords,

I knew they were meant only

for the believers.

.

"A blind date with books"

read the poster above.

And somehow I felt ready

to fall in love.

.

I browsed and I fiddled,

I narrowed the pile,

I wondered which one would

fit my reading style.

.

But then I decided,

"Hey, that's not the point -

blind dates are fun even

if they disappoint!"

.

So then I picked one

in a leap of my faith

I whispered, excited,

"Oh boy, I can't wait!"

.

Off went I, back home,

feeling all sorts of wonder,

I felt that my heart had

become a big thumper.

.

On reaching I poured out

a glass of red wine,

I was ready to meet it,

to make it just mine!

.

I took it in hands,

and I wondered with glee:

Did I pick the book?

Or did it pick me?

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Jun 17, 2023·edited Jun 17, 2023Liked by Rebecca Holden

Cor, none of my posts inspire people to write poetry. Really enjoyed this, well done! Loved the ending.

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Oh, Punit - this is such an incredible delight - thank you so very much for these beautiful words in response to my post! Humbled - and deeply impressed! Thank you! 😊😊😊

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Hi Rebecca, what a lovely newsletter to read this Saturday morning. And now I'm feeling inspired to pop onto Etsy and try out a blind date with a book for myself 🥰 thank you!

And I hope you enjoy your book 😄

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Jun 17, 2023·edited Jun 17, 2023Author

Thanks, Lyndsay - I'm so glad you enjoyed the read! And yay to seeking out a book blind date of your own! 😊

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Whimsy, intrigue, kismet.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Thank you so much, Amran! So glad you're here! And wow, five stars! 😊😊😊😊😊

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Jun 17, 2023·edited Jun 17, 2023Liked by Rebecca Holden

It's so funny you write about this today. I was just at the bookstore last week and saw these books covered in brown paper...I just walked right past. LOL. (to be fair I was with my kiddos and we had urgent matters to attend to, ha!) How fun! I'm going to check this out again next time I go. I love this idea. We had a great time working through the puzzle. Thanks again.

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Wow, that's such a great coincidence, Julie! I love that you're going to check out those brown-paper-wrapped goodies at the bookstore!

And thank YOU - I was so thrilled that the three of you played along! Really pleased that you got the answer! 🥳

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Such a fun read. Our former local library used to do blind dates with books. Free checkout made the dating easier, somehow!

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Ooooooh Julie - the library does it too?! That's a brilliant idea! I'm so glad you enjoyed this post - thank you so much! 😊

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I was just given a book by a friend (actually, wife of a friend). It feels like a blind date that’s been chosen by someone else! The book is Ivan Doug’s The Last Bus to Wisdom. I’ve not started it yet.

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That's so cool, Tom! I think there's a lot of value in book recommendations from friends. I haven't heard of the title - I'm going to look it up, though! Hope your blind date suits you! 😊

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👍👍👍😃😃😃🎉🎉🎉

So much to love! (I’ll email you. Thanks so much!)

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YAAAAAY!!!! Thank you for your e-mail - the book is looking forward to its journey to NSW! I'll get it on its way to you next week, Beth! 🥳🙌😁

Thank you so much for playing along with my puzzle - you nailed it, AND at such a crazy time of the night - which made it all the more impressive!!!! 🤣 #awesome

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Oh how I love this post!

I've seen the 'blind date with a book' phenomenon and wondered what I might end up with and after your experience, have decided to give it a go.

But more importantly, to my way of thinking, 'blind date' is the perfect blurb for any book - very short, descriptive, emotive without telling the whole story. And less is always more - Coco Chanel said so. Blurb writing is a nightmare and dare I try this on my new novel?

Also, how cryptically clever are you? That puzzle was positively PH.D standard! You are such a wonderfully entertaining writer, Rebecca, and I'm thrilled I found you on Substack.

Cheers!

PS: I also found a book I want to read - 'Wild'...

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Oh Prue, thank you such a lot for this beautiful comment!

Less is indeed more, and I absolutely subscribe to this train of thought. Having said that, curiously, I take the diametrically opposite approach to my dabbling in mixed media art, where I literally throw EVERYTHING at it! 🤣

Thank you so much for your very kind words about the puzzle! I really enjoyed it as a project.

'Wild' is such a wonderful read. Have you seen the film? I haven't, but I might seek it out one of these days. I'm glad I read the book first, in case the film leaves me wanting. Cheryl Strayed's story is beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, life-affirming, inspirational - I've got goosepimples again just thinking about it! Such a great read - I'm sure you'll love it! The Pacific Crest Trail is cloud cuckoo land for me, but there's a particularly trail right here on these shores which I'd love to tackle - WHILE practising the whole not-getting-lost thing!

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I've just finished reading The Salt Path by Raynor Winn which you would enjoy and may be in the same vein. It's a UK track that you could follow!

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I was close on the puzzle, but didn’t finish. Good to know I was on the right track!

Blind date with a book is a very big (and easy) library promo, so I’ve known of it for years. I would do it except I don’t manage that kind of library. Imagine getting a medical textbook!

I’ve purchased a few mystery boxes from a bookstore, though. Four books with a common theme and only a few words, then all wrapped up. It was delightful.

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"Gray's Anatomy? How ... unexpected."

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🤣

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Great, Alison - well done for getting close!

LOL re getting a medical textbook for a library blind date - that's hilarious! And oooooooooh, mystery bookstore boxes - that's a really exciting idea, too! Did you have an idea as to what the common theme was before you bought the box? Sounds like a really interesting idea!

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I knew very loosely what the genre was, and I was familiar with the kinds of books the store would have as staff picks so I went for it! They had some mysterious plot summaries too, just a vague sentence.

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Oh, that's brilliant! I love the sound of 'mysterious plot summaries'!

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I have never heard of this. Very cool. I agree with Punit, but I have no poem to share.

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I can't believe I hadn't come across it already, Scott, given that it seems to be something that's been 'out there' for some time! We're in the same boat in that neither of us had heard ot it! I can't wait for the next time I come across a mystery book! Mind you, I've got this one to read first.... 🤣

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I like the concept of the book blind date. Haven't seen anything like it where I live. I would definitely give this a try. How ironic though, that you ended up with one you had already read.

As for the puzzle, I spent an hour on it the other day without even coming close. Do you plan to do more?

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You're right about the irony, Jim - BUT I found it so funny that I was kind of thinking 'hmmmm, political thriller/mystery - I've read a couple of those before....' and then I found that the book WAS one of those! It must be close to thirty years since I first read it, though, so my blind date book is a welcome addition to my reading list!

I'm so glad you gave the puzzle a try! I don't know if I'll do more - it's a definite maybe, though! I've fallen down the OuLiPo rabbit hole thanks to that Terry Freedman.... so I'm sure there'll be a word game or two rearing its head on 'Dear Reader, I'm lost' again in the future!!!

Thank you so much for reading - I really appreciate you!

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I'm tempted to do more myself 😃

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I spend a fair amount of time pitching my latest book to agents, using oceans of words to describe it. Maybe I should just wrap it up mysteriously in brown paper and leave it on doorsteps? Or, I know, a treasure map!

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LOVE THIS!!!! LOVE IT!!!!

Yes, clearly BOTH of these ideas are what you need to do - do keep us posted, Peter!!!!

🙌

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It's to know mystery books are a thing in GB. My local library occasionally does these around Valentine's Day.

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That's soooooo cute of your library, Mark - I adore the sound of this!

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Congrats to BethT! Nevertheless, I demand a recount. Was the opening of the draw recorded? Was there an independent adjudicator? No, I thought not. I rest my case. I met and chatted with a barrister today. Now where did I put his number?

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Yes, indeed congratulations to Beth! And as for the rest - goodness me, Terry! I mentioned you in dispatches and everything...!!!!!!!! 🙄

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Yeah well, even so, but thanks very much, I'll calm down then 😖

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🤣

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What a fun read! I’d never heard of a book blind date, and I love the idea--I am often paralyzed by indecision about what to read next, and I think perhaps having to pick something based off of just three words would help me make a choice! 😊

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Jun 17, 2023·edited Jun 17, 2023Author

Thanks so much, Sam! And yes - I love the idea of such a minimal description - it certainly worked out for me on this first book blind date of mine!

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I think it's a great idea, and I didn't know that Oxfam shops did it (presumably not just the one in Cambridge), or Etsy or eBay. I know there are are bookshops whe you can sign up for a book a month, where you don't know what you're going to get, but that has always struck me as an expensive way of buying something you might not like. Great for the serendipity and surprise value though.

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In a moment of (exactly that kind of expensive) madness I once signed up for a such a book subscription! I cancelled the sub after that first month - the book was okaaaaaaaaay, so it wasn't a wasted read, BUT the monthly sub price had cost waaaaay more than the book plus postage, so I felt stupid and conned all at the same time. 👀

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I joined a book club once and found myself having to buy the least expensive book listed each time. Gave it up after a while, but the welcome books were useful

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