Have you ever felt the need to break up with a book? The folks at Village Books in Bellingham, WA, have come up with a solution should the situation ever warrant a book/reader separation: a fill-in-the-blank book break-up letter. They just posted the letter on their blog, with this introduction:

We’ve all gotten caught up in the honeymoon period with at least one book in our lifetime. It can be hard to face that what was once so wonderful is now so awful. Hopefully you’ll never have to break up with another book, but if you do, we’ve done the dirty work and created a simple fill-in-the-blank letter. Use this the next time you decide that things are just not working out:

Dear (book title),

I remember the first time I laid eyes on you. It felt like the (an image from the book cover) was calling my name. I walked up to you and managed to find the nerve to say “Hello.” You turned to me and said in the most deliriously intoxicating way, “(first line of book).” My knees went weak and before I lost my nerve, I asked you out. We left together and, though out of character for me, I brought you home that first night. You just felt so right in my hands.

We spent many days and nights together and I told all of my friends about you. They were excited to meet you. But then, something began to change. The moment you started to (thing that irritated you about the book), it was all I could focus on. Here we were only (page you stopped reading the book) days into our relationship, but I could tell it was over. I no longer held you close to me each night. I started thinking about (title of book you love) and how I missed feeling those sorts of feelings. Or the time I was set up with (title of book that a friend recommended), and even though I didn’t love it, I at least have fond memories.

So, I’m sorry (title of the book), but things are over between us. I know there’s just no other ending for us. I’ll always smile when I think about (one thing you liked about the book).

And yes, the rumors you’ve heard are true. I’ve set my eyes on (next book you want to read), and I have high hopes for us. I hope you have luck finding someone at (place where you’re getting rid of the book).

I’m sorry we didn’t live happily ever after,

(your name)

Lindsey McGuirk, Digital Marketing Manager at Village Books, told me that they try to post to their blog once a week to maintain consistency. “Currently about 5 members of the staff post to the blog, and they mainly write reviews,” she said. “If the content is something like this fill-in-the-blank letter, it seems that I’m more comfortable with the quirky.” Village Books invites all of the staff to submit content to the blog. In fact, if they write content on their own time, and it’s approved, they are paid for that time.

To promote the new blog posts, McGuirk uses Facebook, Twitter a couple of times during the day to catch more people, and sometimes a link in the newsletter. They always have links to the blog on the website and in the newsletter.