On Sunday evening, outside a home in the Cumbre Vista neighborhood in northeast Colorado Springs, a small outdoor party appeared to be in full swing despite intermittent rain showers.

Adults shared humorous stories while small children ran back and forth among the parents on the sidewalk. One resident showed up out of breath, afraid that she was too late.

With a sense of anticipation reminiscent of children on Christmas morning, the neighbors were gathered for the latest installment of Blind Date with a Book, a weekly meeting of book lovers orchestrated by resident Nikki Elliott. Seemingly oblivious to the rain, they huddled around the Harry Potter-themed Little Free Library outside Elliott’s home.

“Sundays are a highlight of my week,” said Jennette Drewes, a Blind Date regular. “I don’t miss it.”

When Elliott decided to place a Little Free Library outside her house, she began the process by driving around Colorado Springs, looking at a variety of book structures.

“What I noticed was that many of them were poorly maintained,” she said.

Elliott also noticed that some of the miniature libraries appeared to be little more than a receptacle for surplus books.

“As someone who loves reading, that made me a little sad,” she said.

Elliott firmly believes that a good book is a thing to be shared, and that a love of reading can foster connections between people.

“I believe that when you read a really good book, something miraculous happens,” she said. “I wanted to share that feeling with others, give my books another life and connect with my community.”

Each book is like a miniature care package, wrapped in decorative gift paper so readers can’t see the cover, title or author. Inside, Elliott includes small gifts like 3D-printed bookmarks and tea bags. Little notes on the outside give the reader a clue of what awaits inside.

The books represent a variety of genres, including mysteries, fantasy, literary fiction, and “spicy” novels.

“She really does her homework,” Drewes said.

“She wraps them so beautifully that I almost don’t want to unwrap them,” said Rachel Silva, another Blind Date regular.

The gatherings have gone even better than Elliott hoped. Each week, new friendships bloom outside her home. Some have formed an informal book club. Others are planning to start hosting their own literary blind dates.

“I love that,” Elliott said. “If you love a book and plan to read it over and over, by all means, keep it. If not, pass it on. Share it with someone else. Give it a new life.”