WYOMING – On a recent morning, Sharon Askew stopped at the Wyoming Free Library to get several books for her mother, Mary Alice Hoffman.
On this morning though, included with all of her mother’s favorite kinds of book, was a wrapped one which she would take home to her mother for her to read and evaluate.
Hoffman is participating in “Blind Date with a Book,” event at the library, a month-long effort to get readers to read and think outside their comfort zone.
Askew anticipates her mother, who is in her 80s, will have the book read, evaluated and returned within a week.
The library’s executive director, John Roberts, said the library usually offers the “Blind Date” in February before Valentine’s Day and again in the summer as patrons head off to the beach.
An added incentive, he said, is that participants will be entered in a drawing for a Barnes & Noble gift card and other items.
All they need to do is return the book along with a completed form which asked the reader’s favorite part of the book and if they would recommend it to others.
As I reporter and a regular library patron, I was curious as to what the process was like, so I left the library with a wrapped book.
Because the book is officially “checked out” of the library, I could have looked at the confirmation printout, but I chose not to.
I took the book home and unwrapped it. It happened to be “Death Comes to Pemberley,” by P.D. James, historical fiction.
I must say that I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but what I was impressed with was its attention to detail and the way mystery was interwoven throughout its chapters.
There, however, were so many characters with similar names, that I actually had to write down their names.
It was a good read, but not an easy one.
But, some readers who have participated, were impacted by the selection chosen for them by chance.
“We had one reader who read one of the books and then went on to read the entire series,” Roberts said. “She really liked them.”
Roberts, who does not participate in the drawing, did select a wrapped book during last year’s event and will be doing that again this year.
“I read something by Danielle Steele,” Roberts said, indicating that it was not something he would normally read, “I would recommend it.”
All in all, there were about 30 books wrapped in shades of red, pink and white waiting for readers.
“Date with a Book,” will be held for the next several weeks, with Feb. 20 the last day to provide a completed slip/survey which will serve as entry for the drawing.
