There's no reason to be alone on Valentine's Day. Go on a blind date.

Throughout the month of February, the Palmerton Area Library is running Blind Date with a Book. Books from multiple genres have been plucked from the shelves, wrapped and decorated with only three clues attached to let a potential reader discover its hidden qualities.The clues might say something like "glamorous, fluffy and good-hearted," said Christine DeSousa, a cataloger and teen group adviser at the library, similar to words used on a dating website."Exactly," she said.DeSousa said one fellow chose a book with the clues "getting older with some laughter." He came back to the library and told them he loved the book, which was definitely out of his usual reading selection. It was written by a woman with a humorous look at aging from her point of view."He was so excited about it," DeSousa said. "He said he was going to finish it."It's a fun way to get people to read books they may not usually read. Sure, the "blind date" might be a stud or a dud, hot or not, she said, but that's part of the fun of delving into a new story."You can't judge a book by its cover," DeSousa said.The book genres include the classics, mystery and suspense, fantasy, memoirs, and young adult.One category she stays away from is romance novels."That's a Russian Roulette game you don't want to play without warning somebody," she said.To get the books dressed up and ready for their dates, DeSousa had some help from the teen group. The kids decorated the wrapping paper with glitter glue and puffy paint."I like the puffy paint," said 11-year-old Alexia Roseberry. "We like wrote love and put some flames on it.""We made a big mess," said 9-year-old Kaitlyn Heimbach."It was fun," Roseberry added.Stepping outside one's comfort zone isn't much fun, so would these kids read a book from a genre they typically don't choose?"I literally just did that," said 12-year-old Emily Hoffman. She read the novel "Divergent" from the science fiction adventure trilogy. Her 17-year-old sister Kaitlyn Hoffman recommended it.Emily said she usually reads romance and adventure, but science fiction is Kaitlyn's favorite. Although Kaitlyn hasn't read outside her comfort zone, she said, "I might give it a try."In all, there are about 35 books wrapped and prepped for a Blind Date. DeSousa said 20 of them have already been "dated." But if she needs more, then she'll add some to the list. The books can be taken out for two weeks. Unlike a real blind date, people can take out more than one at a time. Even if the date is a bust, patrons will get one raffle ticket for every book they reserve. The prize is a $50 gift certificate provided by the Palmerton Chamber of Commerce.DeSousa hopes the dating adventure will be successful, on many fronts. She said there's a saying in the library business, "If the display is empty, it was a success."