12 Games to Play With Your Bookish Friends

If you’re truly serious about reading, you’ll do just about anything to get back to your book. Social activities can feel like a burden when you’re dying to finish up the page-turner you’re enjoying or you’ve got one too many books on your to-be-read list and not enough time.

What if you could enjoy the company of your friends while engaging in some friendly competition AND it was all about books? Sounds like a dream for a book lover. These literary-themed games will spice up your next game night and give you the book fix you’re always craving.

1. 221B Baker Street

Step back in time to the age of Victorian London, where you’ll try to solve the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes before your competitors.

2. Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger

Make your way through the House of Danger in this adventure board game. You’ll tell your own story as you collect items, compete in challenges, and uncover alternate endings.

3. Marrying Mr. Darcy

Jane Austen fans will love this Pride and Prejudice-inspired card game. You’ll play as one of many iconic females from the story and compete against other players to secure the most advantageous marriage. Will you marry for love or end up an old maid?

4. Ex Libris

You are the town’s rare book collector, tasked with winning a new council seat, The Grand Librarian. You’ll need to expand your book collection and wow the town in order to beat your fellow collectors for the coveted position.

5. Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle

Journey into the Wizarding World and play as Harry, Ron, and Hermione in this challenging deck-building card game. You’ll unlock secrets, hone your magical abilities, and compete in challenges to defeat dark wizards and witches.

6. Check Your Shelf

Check Your Shelf will challenge even the most well-read players. With over 100 cards that feature questions across book genres, there will be something for every reader.

7. Game of Thrones Risk

It’s RISK with a bookish twist. Inspired by the fantasy in Game of Thrones, you’ll compete against your fellow players in a battle for the Iron Throne.

8. Dick: A Card Game Based on Moby Dick

You’ll use the classic words from the great Herman Melville to generate salacious answers to NSFW questions. As the name suggests, this is an adults-only game that will have the whole group laughing out loud.

9. Booktastic! Modern Literature Edition

In a combination board and trivia game, players will try to build up their book collections and earn money by buying and selling books. Each turn will feature literary trivia questions — the harder the question, the greater the reward.

10. Bring Your Own Book

Bring Your Own Book challenges you to use your books on the shelf as your source material for the game. You’ll choose a card and a book to answer creative prompts in a race against other players.

11. Bards Dispense Profanity

Like Cards Against Humanity, this time with a Shakespearean twist. Each player will play a card featuring word-for-word copies of some of Shakespeare’s most prolific writing to answer prompts meant to stir up controversy. Another game best suited for adult players.

12. Liebrary

Put your creativity to the test with this writing challenge card game. Players will be given a book title and plot summary before being tasked with coming up with the book’s opening line. The challenge? You’ll have to convince your fellow players that your first line is the real one.