Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Cheaters Never Read... or Win

So, our library is doing a super cool event called 'Blind Date with a Book' for Valentine's Day.

We've taken books that staff recommend from our 'staff picks' and wrap them in plain brown wrapping with an image of the barcode on the back. The idea is that patrons will select a book at random, take it home, unwrap it, and read the surprise book. The point of the exercise is to expose yourself to new literature that at first you might not have read. The bonus is that inside each one of the books there is an entry form patrons can fill out, tell us about their reading experience, and possibly win a dinner for two on Valentine's Day.

I, for one, am so jealous that the staff cannot participate because I think it sounds like so much fun!

.... I was ruffling through the entries just looking at what people wrote; I wanted to see if anybody had read any of the books I had picked out.

I was more than disappointed when I saw a few slips in there that simply said 'Wasn't interested; didn't read'

.... I think they should be disqualified because they missed the point of the exercise entirely and didn't even give the contest a chance. Thankfully, the librarians are on my side. If you didn't really participate in the contest, then honestly we really aren't interested in awarding you the prize.

It's okay if you didn't like the book you read. I found a slip for a graphic novel I had written a staff pick about. An elderly lady checked it out and ended up saying "I wasn't sure how to read this book since there were no words. I liked the pictures, but I don't think I'll try to read another book like this" ... and I gave her total props. It was COMPLETELY out of her league but she gave it her best shot anyway.

The day the drawing comes, I hope she wins it :)

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