By: Iliyah Williams

On March 23, UAS Midnight Library Book Club collaborated with the Juneau chapter of The Silent Book Club to host their first official event—Blind Date with a Book. Blind Date with a Book is a decades old trend where libraries wrap books before presenting them to readers, who then choose a novel to read based on description alone.

The event was hosted on the lower floor of  the Egan Library, with the books neatly laid out next to a bookmark making station, and alongside light food and refreshments being served at Spike’s Cafe. This event was open to both students and community members, with more than 15 people in attendance.

Individuals who participated in the reading portion were encouraged to check out their particular novel at the upstairs desk of the Egan Library to continue reading at home. When asked about how well she thought this first club event went, Melody Maendel, junior at UAS Juneau campus and president of the Midnight Library Book Club stated, “I think it went really well! It seemed like people enjoyed their time… I’m happy with how the event did turn out”.

The Midnight Library Book Club is in its second year of being active on the Juneau campus and welcomes new members. It meets on the first and last Sunday of each month. Where the first, members select the book they will read, and on the last, they reconvene to discuss their thoughts, possible themes, and overall impressions of the novel. Maendel commented on the intention behind the club saying that, “It’s a space for introverts and readers to express their joy of reading and build community…We have snacks… book club is for the cool kids”!

The Midnight Library Club’s April novel, and final of the academic year, is Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Members look forward to discussing themes of the story.