During the height of quarantine, we all took our hobbies to the next level. We always knew books are the perfect escape, but beyond starting an online book club, they’re not always the most social of activities. So when we wanted a little more human interaction, we turned to literary board games! And even though the world has since opened up, we still love a good game night.
Sure, there are plenty of fun board games based on books, from Marrying Mr. Darcy to 221B Baker Street to Dune. But what about the games which broaden your literary horizons and get to the heart of your love for reading? With that in mind, here are six of the very best board games for book lovers.
Booktastic! Modern Literature Edition
This simple game is for two or more players of ages 12 and up. Based on a card received at the beginning of the game, players race to buy, sell, and collect books from various shops on the board. Money is earned by answering from a selection of more than 800 questions, all centered around modern fiction authors and their work. From casual reader questions with no wrong answer to moderate multiple choice trivia to difficult open-ended queries, this game tests your knowledge of today’s finest literary works.
Paperback
Word-building is combined with deck-building in this book-inspired tabletop game. Players must help Paige Turner become a famous author by completing words for a variety of novels. The better your word scores, the more points you earn, enabling you to buy more useful letters. Soon enough, you'll be turning Paige Turner into a best selling author!
Ex Libris
This delightful fantasy game is for one to four players, and takes around 45 minutes to an hour of play time. After picking which out of a dozen unique librarians you want to play as, compete against others—your “colleagues”—to be appointed by the Mayor as the Grand Librarian.
To prove your worth you must collect rare and popular books and organize your library to high specifications, moving through the world with location tiles and game cards. This multi-step strategy game requires book lovers to delegate workers in order to pass inspection.
Liebrary
This social interaction game is very similar to the popular Balderdash game, and requires three or more players. One at a time, players will choose a card which contains the title, author, and synopsis of a real book.
After one player reads this information out loud, the other players write down a plausible opening line for the book described. All of the potential fake openings are read alongside the actual first line of the book, and it’s up to the players to sort out which of the options are legitimate.
It Was A Dark & Stormy Night
This tricky two to four player game requires a vast knowledge of books. On the board, there are 12 different categories of literature, which players navigate based on the roll of a die. When a player lands on a particular category, a card is drawn and someone reads off the opening line from a book within that genre. The first player to correctly identify eight books based on their openings is declared the winner.
Trivial Pursuit Book Lover's Edition
For anyone who thrived in the Art & Literature category while playing Trivial Pursuit, this game is for you. Two to four book lovers (or teams of book lovers) race to correctly answer a question in each book-related category, with your progress determined by the roll of a die.
The six categories include Beloved Children’s Books, Popular Classics, Riveting Non-Fiction, Book Club Favorites, Favorite Authors, and Book Bag Surprises. Are you up for the challenge in this modified classic?
Featured photo of Ex Libris via Renegade Game Studios
