1

You have a date, with a book.

Yes. Book. A bunch of papers binding together with a story or more written in it.

The event is called Blind Date With a Book held within a stand-alone bookshop, of course a bibliophile like you wouldn't miss it.

The rule is easy, choose a book with a description that you like without a glimpse of its cover, take it home and read.

You spend some time contemplating which one to pick, and then your interest is flickered by a simple description.

Displeasingly beautiful.

You don't know what genre this book would be: fiction? non-fiction? biography? fairy tale? or something else. But you decide to read it.

You have a month to be with this book. You intend to examine it as thorough as you can.

2

Turn out this book is a fiction. Two weeks have passed since you adopted it from the event, and you don't understand any of the words in every paper.

You feel like your head is gonna explode. You feel failed. You feel disappointed in yourself—all these years of constant reading won't help you at all.

You're just half way through the end. You already set your goal so you will fight to the last page.

3

Now you're nearly done, just a flip to the next page and it'll be over. Still, you can't summarize the story.

When you flip the page over, a small piece of paper is dropped to the ground.

Curious of what it might be, you bend down and pick it up. The note is written by hand, interpreting the book. You read it with amazement. Weeks of confusion is finally come to the light.

You're so touched with the way this person reads between the line. Then start to wonder if you will have a chance to meet and talk about the book with this one.

You will search for the owner of the note tomorrow, on the due date of this blind date activity.

4

You think that this book must be second-handed, so you ask a shop's staff whether she knows who sold this book. Instead you get an answer that this book is brand-new.

The puzzle is stating to scatter around again.

'May I help you?' A voice booms behind you.

'Please, I joined your blind date activity last month and I wonder if this book is already owned by someone before?'

'Oh no. It's just published two months ago so it's in our shop's stock. There's no way we will sell the secondhand if we still have a fresh-out-of-a-publisher ones.'

Your face fall. There's no way you can find that person now.

'But I have a little secret to tell you,' he speaks. 'I'm a literature student. I work part-time here because I love books. So when I have a free time I always sneak out to read one of them. And it's happened that the book you're holding is the last one that I recently read.'

You stand still, trying to keep up with this secret of his.

'I like to make an analysis note on every book I read, but this last book's note has been missing. I...'

'You mean this?'

'You found it? How lucky I am,' he beams. You think he pretends to be surprised.

'Your thoughts are outstanding. I really like the way you see characters. I can understand it so much more because of your briefing.'

'Thank you.'

'Well my mystery is solved. I guess I'll be going then.'

'Wait! We will have this event again next month. And if you don't understand your chosen book again, I'll be glad to help you then.'

5

You have a date today, with a book.

And a man you met a month ago in a bookshop.

note: กิจกรรม Blind Date With a Book เริ่มขึ้นที่ไหนก็ไม่แน่ใจ (แต่เขามีเว็บออฟฟิเชียลของอังกฤษด้วยค่ะ แว่บไปดูที่นี่ได้เลยนะ) เขาใช้สำนวน Don't judge a book by its cover มาเป็นแรงบันดาลใจในการจัด โดยจะเอากระดาษห่อหนังสือไว้ไม่ให้เราเห็นปก เขียนคำใบ้ไว้คร่าวๆ ว่าหนังสือเกี่ยวกับอะไร แล้วให้คนเลือกซื้อไปอ่านกันค่ะ อย่างที่ไทยมี The Reading Room ที่จัดกิจกรรมนี้อยู่ในช่วงวาเลนไทน์ รู้สึกว่าจะเริ่มมาตั้งแต่ปี 2556 แล้วค่ะ (อย่างเราก็ได้ไปเลือกคู่เดทมาเมื่อวาเลนไทน์ที่ผ่านมาด้วย :D)