Whenever I’m lucky enough to be in NYC, one of my must-visits is the Strand.

It’s the créme de la créme of independent bookstores, an inviting and lively place I get lost in.

As an author it’s also a welcome reminder of how much books mean to people. I’ve rarely been in the store when it wasn’t packed. It’s almost overwhelming to be surrounded with so many incredible options for the TBR pile. And fun to see what everyone is paging through.

This time around, my husband and I made a pact before we walked in. We vowed to leave with only one book each. While he kept his end of the bargain, I didn’t. I left with three novels, my annual stash of Christmas cards, a super cute Christmas ornament, and a coffee mug.

And two of the books I chose were from the “blind date with a book” section, something I’ve never tried before. For those of you who may be scratching your head at the prospect, I was drawn in by the witty teaser wrappers around the mystery novels.

For the one pictured on the left, I couldn’t help wondering what the You’ve Got Mail-esque romance could possibly be.  Ditto for a “freshly baked slow burn rom-com” with a cute cherry pie illustration. The former, titled Spoiler Alert, was written by an author I wasn’t familiar with, Olivia Dade.

The latter, When in Rome by Sarah Adams, was a fun surprise too. While I’ve read a couple of Sarah’s previous novels, I hadn’t read this one. So all in all, my blind date with a book (x2) was a success.

Have you ever participated in a blind date with a book? If so, did you enjoy what you wound up reading?