Beers, books and a dramatic reading of Fifty Shades of Grey

Much to my delight, Saturday’s inaugural Book Swap was a resounding (or at least moderate, considering the weather) success, managing to raise a whopping (and very numerically appealing) $123 for Literacy for Incarcerated Teens.

There was no official count—I was far too busy trying out cocktails—but I’d guesstimate that participants had a solid 200+ books to choose from (of which 75+ might have been the byproduct of my coffee-fueled housecleaning, but that is neither here nor there). Most importantly, one daring soul brought an actual paperback version of Fifty Shades of Grey—compete with 20% off Target sticker, if memory serves—and so after a few alcoholic beverages, Book Swap may have devolved into a low-key dramatic reading of some of the book’s [many, many] ridiculous moments.

If you missed out on this Swap, worry not—there will be a Part Deux sometime this spring. In the meantime, here are some photos, to prove I didn’t “host” a “book swap” with “my friends” who are actually figments of a reality-television-addled imagination.