Due Date

  I dropped by the box this morning and discovered seventeen new books.  Count 'em seventeen kids books.  The benefit of having a Teacher/Mom in the neighborhood is now readily apparent.  Check out this panorama of titles, my personal favorite is My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  This book inspired my wilderness adventures and although I didn't live in a tree this book was a spark in my boyhood reading.

Books from the Mayberry Family

  These books are now safely ensconced in the box and when I was stamping them I noticed an artifact of pre-digital libraries.  Anyone remember these little sleeves and hand inked due by dates?  Ah it takes one back to mimeographs, tasty glue pots, Ticonderoga pencils, Flannel Graphs, Sullivan Readers and a host of forgotten high technology teaching tools.  Fortunately the paper and ink books have survived the digital transformation.  So one can blog in the binary world and read for pleasure in the analog world.  Thanks once again to great neighbors.

8/30, ~6:30pm-Come Decorate the Box!

We're Official

  Yesterday we received our official registration from the Little Free Library organization.  We are LFL # 8481.  We also just passed 100 books (100 Adult, 17 kids) either in the box or passed on to borrowers.  The packet from LFL had some informational brochures and some book plates.  Drop by the box and fill out a recommendation for a book you've enjoyed.  This is your chance to become a free lance book reviewer!

Little Free Library # 8481

  We're still on for this Friday @ 6:30ish to decorate the box & get a group picture.  Does anyone have a hot glue gun?  How about some creative decorating ideas?  Once we have a couple photos I'll add us to the library map which shows locations of LFLs locations all over the place.

Decorating Idea?

Cool Comments

It's a very good thing that we got around to roofing the box.  We've just had an unseasonable summer rain storm and after today's moisture the box is cozy, dry and functioning in our neighborhood.  Here are a couple shots showing some of the comments that came in this week.  We even had a local author Donna McFarland donate two of her kids books.

Great comments

Gotta love Andrew's kid perspective

I've logged six new books (actually eight after I looked a bit closer) that showed up in the box over the last week.  Four new Kids books and four new books for Big Kids.  I decided that labeling the novels & non-fiction books as "Adult B----" might actually mislead the search engines.  So from now of it's books for little people and books for those of us who are roughly taller than the bottom shelf.  Cheers...  Stephen

Party Time

Hi all... Just a quick note. It looks like this Friday will work for folks to get together & decorate the box.   So let's shoot for 6:30-7:00 8/30 @ the box.   Bring decorating supplies & a snack to share.   See you on Friday!

Jared's Visit

  Tuesday night I headed out to the box to install some cabinet magnets which help to keep the door closed.  I noticed a young couple looking through the books and said hello.  It took me a bit, but then I realized that the young urban hipster with the sideways ball cap was none other than Jared a friend of my younger kids. Turns out Jared was visiting from LA where he's now living.  I hadn't seen Jared for several years and it was a small world experience to see Jared picking out a book.

  Jared and I talked about his life in Los Angeles and how active the gangs are where he lives.  He described how you don't stare anyone in the eye and all the young men look down when they walk.  My description of "urban hipster" might be a bit off with Jared, his tattoos and lanky young body fit more the urban skater, street kid moniker.  Regardless of the description we enjoyed a cordial chat and Jared's companion asked how she could donate some of her grandmother's books.  Very cool... this is exactly why the effort of building the box is worth it.

Jared's note in our log book

I've added a couple pages to the blog.  Here's a list of the books which have shown up:  Big Folks Books  & Kid Books.   I'm hoping to keep up with what comes through the box but frankly it took more time than I thought.  But it is interesting to peruse the list & see what a variety of material is moving through the library.  Along with the book list there's another key list of the neighbors who were instrumental in putting this project together. 

Thanks Everybody!

The Roof's on

New Books

  Last night I walked down to the box and Voila!  There were new books.  Someone had filled out the remaining shelves with some great books.  I added a notebook for folks to say hello and leave any comments as they peruse the books.  Another neighbor is a primary school teacher who gets back from vacation next week.  She's promised to fill out our bottom shelf with a bunch of kid friendly titles.

  Several of the new books that showed up were Man Booker award winners.  One aspect of the Man Booker titles and authors that I like is the authors write in English but from a much broader cultural reference than typical American writers.  Phillip Roth has won a Man Booker, but this list of authors has introduced me to some of my favorites like Michael Ondaatje, Keri Hulme,Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Nadine Gordimer  & Ian McEwan.  Here's a goodreads list of Man Booker winners. 

My first pick from the box: Kiran Desai a Man Booker prize winner

First Book

  Today was a bit hectic with the final coat of door paint, installing the box and setting up the first set of books. Various neighbors dropped by to help spread gravel, donate books and one neighbor I hadn't met yet held the door while I secured the box to the base.  This isn't the official rollout, but we are open for business.  Today setting up and installing the box led to discussions with nine of our neighbors.  That's a clear harbinger of a successful neighborhood project.

Still a few things to finish, but open.

 Anyone care to take a guess at the first book to head out of the library?  There was so much deep esoteric literature, a few page turners, and at this point just a handful of kids books, but what earthly tome would walk away from the newly opened box?  OK enough of a tease, it was Calvin & Hobbes, previously featured in an earlier installment of our little story.

Excellent day, friendly interactions with neighbors, close to wrapping a project, Linda made her amazing cherry pie for desert, and now it's off to the land of a good book, before waltzing off to the land of blink 'em and nod.

Take a Book, Return a Book