Meet-up Idea – Book Exchange

If you’re looking for a new meet-up idea, try a book exchange!

A book exchange is a fantastic way to get to know your fellow community members, inspire conversation, and create a memorable meet-up. There are two simple ways to organize it. You can do a “secret Santa” style exchange, where everyone is given information about their giftee ahead of time.  Or you can do a “blind date with a book”/white elephant exchange, where everyone brings a wrapped gift meant for anyone at the gathering.

 Location, location, location

Book exchanges can be held basically anywhere since they just require enough space for a pile of books and seats for everyone. Get creative with your locations! Though its hard to go wrong with an elegant tea room, a meeting room at a library would fit the theme, and an park can turn the outing into a picnic.

Think inside the box

If you’d like, you can impose some parameters in order to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy your event. You can stick to a price limit, suggest that everyone buy used books, or suggest a bookswap, where everyone brings book they no longer want. You could also suggest a theme for the books so that everyone has some idea of what genre they’ll be getting. For a Valentine’s Day Meet, you can opt for romance novels, or books about vacation in summer.

When choosing a book for the exchange, you don’t have to find something that everyone will love, just something you think a few people will love. Obviously, people interested in j-fashion would be interested in books about the fashion (So Pretty, Very Rotten, Kamikaze Girls, or GLBs). However, attendees also might appreciate something unrelated entirely. Is your community full of hardcore gothic lolitas? See if you can find a hard cover copy of Dracula or Frankenstein. Do you have some crafty lolitas in your midst? Find a vintage book of embroidery techniques. Think outside the box.

Wrapping it up

Lastly of course, there is the question of wrapping. Brown paper is a classic way to wrap your book, but feel free to dress it up with washi tape, calligraphy, ribbons, and stickers. If the thought of wrapping paper makes you panic, find a cute giftbag and add a gift tag. You could even use a Japanese brand bag for wrapping paper. Making reusuable fabric bags is easy and cuts down on trash (they’re also a perfect way to give a replica dress or skirt new life).

If your community has opted for a “Blind Date with a Book”, you’ll need to include a short description of the book. Pick out some especially interesting or weird details from the story to get people intrigued by your book.

Hopefully this will inspire a literary movement in your local community. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy it so much you’ll want to start a book club.

Jenna

By day, Jenna is a legal professional living in Los Angeles, California. By night (and weekends), she is a frill wearing monster who loves Innocent World and lolita indie brands. When she isn’t taking mirror selfies of her coordinates, she enjoys reading comic books, playing board games, and snuggling with her pup, Lily. You can see her mirror selfies on her instagram @lovelylaceandlies and contact her at lovelylaceandlies@gmail.com.