The English Graduate Student Organization’s Mystery Book Sale returned to MTSU from Oct. 8 to 10 in the Peck Hall courtyard, where it drew a crowd of students seeking affordable books — mirroring the success of last year’s sale..

Each $5 book was wrapped in paper to conceal its cover, while hints about the genre and basic content were provided for students, such as “fiction” or “fantasy.” Buyers entered the sale unaware of titles or authors.

All the books sold were donated by members of the graduate student organization, who sought to share their favorite books with new readers.

Two mystery books displayed at the Mystery Book event on campus on Oct. 9, 2025, at Peck Hall. (Ephraim Rodenbach)

“There were a lot of steps that went into it. We accepted donations for about two weeks. I do PR and promotions for the Organization, so I had to make all of the announcements, ” Brittany Norton, a PhD student in the English department and EGSO member, said. “And then, the biggest thing was getting everything all wrapped and researching what the genres were [for the books], and getting hints written on all of the books. That takes a lot of people and quite a few hours to get it done. It took two days and 12 different people on it.” 

From graphic novels to non-fiction, the Mystery Book Sale featured a wide range of genres; however, some were more popular than others.

“We had a lot of romantasy (romance and fantasy) this year, a lot of fantasy, and a lot of memoirs,” Norton said. “Romantasy [sold the most]…They literally disappeared in stacks at the beginning.” 

The organization uses the money from the sale to fund future activities and events. The organization is dedicated to supporting PhD and MA English Graduate students throughout their academic careers. 

A mystery book for sale with the sticker “read more books” at the Mystery Book event on campus on Oct. 9, 2025, at Peck Hall. (Ephraim Rodenbach)

“[Our goal] for EGSO is community. Because grad school on its own is just a wild and lonely ride, so we really wanted to have a place where you’re not alone,” Carmen Miller, an MA English graduate and EGSO member, said. “All of these overwhelming feelings that you have, we’re probably having them too. So let’s help each other get through them.” 

Norton stressed the importance of the graduate student organization in her life at MTSU. 

“I wasn’t making a ton of friends — I was just going to class, coming home and doing homework, and coming back to class,” Norton said. “And once I got involved in EGSO, I made some really good friends that I now communicate with nearly daily and hang out with,” Norton said. 

An eager crowd sifted through the quickly disappearing selection of books on the first day of the event. By the second day, the number of books available had dwindled, but the excitement had not. 

“When I was younger, I hated reading, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to pick up the habit of reading,” sophomore Re-Kevin McKinney said. “It’s always good to read because it can expand your vocabulary, even with a middle-grade book. There are a lot of words in there that a lot of people our age struggle with.”

McKinney is an avid fan of fantasy-horror and purchased two fantasy books on the second day of the event. He expressed excitement that he was familiar with one of the books, which he had never had the chance to read until now. 

As fall break fast approaches, students can unwind with their mystery picks — each book is a small surprise that supports the community behind it.

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