I grew up in a middle class home in a city of about 25,000 people. My Dad was a machine operator on a railroad; my Mom stayed at home to raise my older brother and me until I started school. After that, she worked part time in the local school district so that she’d be home when my brother and I were. There wasn’t much discretionary income left after their paychecks were divvied up to pay the bills, but our lives were rich in all of the ways that mattered.
My parents weren’t college educated; in fact, I don’t think my Dad even finished high school. But I can’t remember a time when reading wasn’t a revered activity in our home. I can still picture my Mom at our kitchen table with a cup of coffee enjoying the latest edition of Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day or Family Circle – magazine subscriptions were one of her few indulgences. I remember, too, weekly trips to the city’s library where I was allowed to pick out as many books as I wanted on any subjects I wished, and poring over the contents of boxes of books at yard sales throughout the summers. Back then, paperbacks were only 10¢ and those yard sales allowed major strides toward the completion of my Louis L’Amour collection at a young age. The arrival of the new Scholastic Books flyer each month at school was always a happy day for me. Despite guiding our family finances with a firm hand (or, maybe, because of it), Mom always let me pick out as many books as I wanted each and every month. It’s no wonder that my brother and I have been avid readers since our youth. In fact, I can remember hours spent in hospital waiting rooms with my brother – an unfortunate side effect of our mother’s health conditions in her later years – each of us passing the time with a book in our hands, interrupted only by quiet conversations between us. Books educate, entertain, surprise and comfort. I can’t imagine the world without them.
Alan and I moved to a small rural town in the mountains after we were married and that’s where our kids were raised. The local library is a small but vibrant force in our little community. When Ryan and Kyra were toddlers, we rarely missed the Tuesday morning Story Hour for preschoolers. The grandmotherly director of the library read children’s books aloud to the tiny tykes and a local music teacher taught the little ones music and yoga basics. The kids wrapped up the morning by choosing a musical instrument and participating in a loud and enthusiastic musical parade around the library. Fast forward to today and I still make good use of the library’s services. You’ll find me taking full advantage of the ability to request books online from any library in our regional system and downloading books to my Kindle from our library and others. Libraries have been an integral part of my life since I was young and I expect (and hope!) they always will be.
It’s not surprising that, as a huge fan of books and libraries, I love the concept of Little Free Libraries. The Little Free Library is a non-profit organization with over 100,000 libraries worldwide. They bill themselves as “the world’s largest book sharing movement.” I consider them a slice of small town life nurtured by some of the world’s most devoted readers. The design and “personality” of a Little Free Library is a reflection of the reader who built it; to me, they’re all enchanting pieces of art, as well.
Lately I’ve seen Little Free Libraries in the press – AARP even published an article about them recently – and that makes me happy. I think the organization itself is very active and its proponents remain inspired. I just don’t think that they receive as much publicity as they deserve.
I’ve often seen lending libraries at campgrounds we’ve visited, but that’s kind of hit and miss. It seems that many of them don’t advertise their libraries in their marketing materials. But the Little Free Library organization maintains a robust database of the libraries that are out there, making it easy for readers like me to find new material and share good reads with other readers as we travel throughout the country. Currently, you can only search for a Little Free Library via the map on the organization’s website (link HERE), but an app for both Android and iOS is in the works. I’ve added the link to the Little Free Library website to my list of favorite places in the column at the right, too.
As it so happens, the end table between our two recliners in our travel trailer has a shelf that provides the perfect space for my basket of books and magazines. It’s never empty and, thanks to the Little Free Library, it never will be.
The photos in this post were all shamelessly borrowed from an article on the Little Free Library website entitled, “57 Jaw-Dropping Little Free Libraries” (link HERE). If I get in trouble for this, you’ll be the first to know.
WOW - I don't think I have ever actually seen a little free library stand, but I gotta say, I LOVE the talent and ingenuity of these! They are so sweet and inviting! For some reason, I did not get the reading bug as a child, even though there were AVID readers in my mom's family. I think they would have read can labels if that was all that was left around the house! My mom was born in 1916, and read constantly until she passed at 99. She told me once that after dinner each evening the entire family of seven would sit and play games, or mostly read! Probably to my detriment, TV came along and our evenings were spent by the "boob-tube." (Believe me, it was a huge box, with a tiny screen, that got 3 channels covered in "snow" but it was still on!) Too bad really...I think I really missed out on so much. Even now, I have several books I started, and can't finish. UGH! Enjoy those tiny libraries everywhere your travels take you! 💜
ReplyDeleteJoan, I didn't know your mom was an avid reader! I'm surprised she found the time - she was always on the go with more activities in her senior years than I could handle in my younger years. As for "the reading gene" or whatever you want to call it, I think either you have it or you don't. Alan definitely doesn't. He says he'll fall asleep if he reads for pleasure. Just for the record . . . Not only did I read can labels when I was a kid, but cereal boxes, too! Love to you and Tom!
DeleteI love the little free libraries, too! We've seen many in our travels, and they always delight me. I've found them at campgrounds, or while biking through a neighborhood, and I can never resist stopping to check out the offerings. I also enjoy contributing books.
ReplyDeleteIt's such fun reading about your love of reading. I've been an avid reader all of my life, too—including reading the back of cereal boxes when I was desperate, LOL. Eric is an avid reader and we trade books back and forth. I think you're right that people either have the reading gene or they don't—my mom was an avid reader, my dad wasn't, I am, my sister isn't. I'm glad I got the gene. :-)
Me, too! I can't begin to imagine how many hours of pleasure reading has brought me over the years. I guess we didn't know it at the time, but all of our label reading prepped us well for reading nutrition labels as older (and, theoretically, more responsible) adults! Sometimes I think of reading as an affliction - like when I can't stop reading highway billboards aloud to Alan. Poor guy!
DeleteI love all the photos of the free libraries. People are getting creative and making them into little art projects. I have seen numerous ones around our city. It is a pretty cool idea!
ReplyDeleteIt was difficult to choose just a few photos from the 57 in the article, so I ended up picking the ones that appealed the most to me. Still, it wasn't easy. I love the way the builders' personalities and interests shine through to make their creations so welcoming. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
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