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Join Us for "Give a Good Read Week" This Week!
Are you ready? It's here! Give a Good Read Week kicks off today and runs through Sunday, September 22. Which book are you going to share?
All week, we're asking the wonderful Goodreads community of 95 million readers to add their favorite book or latest good read to a Little Free Library near them and share a photo on social media tagging @goodreads and using the hashtags #GiveAGoodRead and #LFL10. Goodreads will be sharing some of these photos during the week, so don’t forget the hashtags and @goodreads so we can see yours!
You can also include a note to the future reader of your book to help people know what's going on. To make life easy, we've created one for you that you can download here. You’re welcome to personalize it with your own message.
Look who else is sharing amazing books with their communities!
All week, we're asking the wonderful Goodreads community of 95 million readers to add their favorite book or latest good read to a Little Free Library near them and share a photo on social media tagging @goodreads and using the hashtags #GiveAGoodRead and #LFL10. Goodreads will be sharing some of these photos during the week, so don’t forget the hashtags and @goodreads so we can see yours!
You can also include a note to the future reader of your book to help people know what's going on. To make life easy, we've created one for you that you can download here. You’re welcome to personalize it with your own message.
Look who else is sharing amazing books with their communities!
What is Little Free Library?
In 2009, Todd Bol (1956–2018) created the first Little Free Library book exchange and placed it in the front yard of his Hudson, Wisconsin, home as a tribute to his mother—a teacher. Ten years later, his simple idea has snowballed into the world's largest book-sharing movement! The Little Free Library nonprofit organization inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.
Where can I find the nearest Little Free Library?
There are more than 90,000 Little Free Library book exchanges in 91 countries, and in all 50 U.S. states. You can see if there is one near you on this interactive map.
What kind of book should I put in the Little Free Library?
It's totally up to you, but in keeping with our theme, we encourage you to give a book you think is a good read. Maybe it's a book you've enjoyed recently or maybe it's your all-time favorite that you want more people to discover and read. It can be a brand-new book or a book you've read and is sitting on your shelf waiting for a new reader. The choice is yours!
What if there isn't a Little Free Library near me?
One idea is to start your own Little Free Library. You could use Give a Good Read Week as a trial run and create a temporary library. One Little Free Library steward started with just a sturdy plastic bag before converting later to a registered wooden library.
If you're already inspired to become a Little Free Library steward, you can browse ready-to-use libraries here, blueprints for building your own library here, and inspiration for some of the incredibly creative libraries others have built here.
Another option is the Impact Library Program, which provides no-cost Little Free Libraries to high-need communities in the U.S. It’s another way you can help more readers discover a good book.
Can I take a book from a Little Free Library, too?
Absolutely! Sharing books in communities is at the heart of this event.
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below. We’re looking forward to inspiring many more readers with good books to read from September 16 to 22!
Comments Showing 101-150 of 161 (161 new)
message 101:
by
Courtenay
(new)
Sep 19, 2019 10:48AM
Not only did I find one, but I left FOUND - a favorite book, signed by the author, who I had the pleasure of meeting ten years ago. I read all of the books in the MISSING series. This was the first. ❤️ I didn’t take a book from the free library in Anderson Park, Tarpon Springs, FL, but now that I know where it is, I’ll drop off other favorited books, and maybe take one.
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Put a stack in my neighborhood’s on Monday! LOVE this article!
thank you for sharing! i have two near me and some books just collecting dust around my house.
I'm dropping off "The False Prince" by Jennifer A. Nielsen tonight at my local Little Free Library. I also like to find Little Free Libraries when I travel. I'm heading to Hawaii in two weeks and there is one near the home we're renting. I sent an email to the contact email listed for it and found out they are in dire need of children's books. I'm taking several with me to drop off there. I love making a contribution to the literacy of the community where I am vacationing.
Paula wrote: "Honestly, this idea isn't that revolutionary or even the idea of the person who founded "little free library". In Germany, every small town or even my small village has open bookshelves like that, ..."Maybe the founder of Little Free Libraries got the idea after visiting Germany. It's a great way to help promote literacy in communities. There are people in the US who don't have access to reading materials, so Little Free Libraries are a great way to help them get access to books. Here is a link to a news article about a boy who asked his mailman for junk mail so that he could have something to read. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/boy-as...
I just posted a photo of my sister-author's novel, To the Stars Through Difficulties, and my debut novel, Things Unsaid, at our Little Free Library in Carmel, CA. I stop by there at least two times a week. A great way to discover some wonderful "under the radar" books as well!
Candi wrote: "I love Little Free Libraries! My son built 2 of them last autumn for his Eagle Scout project. One is in our neighborhood and one near our parks and recreation department. We maintain both but have ..."What a neat idea for an Eagle project!!!
So many popping up this summer near me!!!
Can I start my own Little Free Library in India ?
What a heartwarming idea. Wish I could donate but alas, I don't live in the right country...btw is there no escape from Celeste Ng?
John wrote: "Such free book exchanges exist all over Germany, albeit not under the name of Little Free Library. I have used them often and will continue to do so!"Hi John,
wouldn't you mind sharing the name or the website of the German version of Little Free Library? I live in Germany but I rarely see anything similar.
Still Lost Between The Pages wrote: "So many popping up this summer near me!!!"Cool . The word is getting around about them .
Charles wrote: "This is great but unfortunately all of my books are packed away in boxes in a storage unit for the next few weeks until I get moved. I want to put a LFL at my house eventually."It is a very civic minded idea . Readers in your neighborhood will probably thank you for it .
Does anyone know if there are libraries like this in Sweden?
Can't donate 99% of my current reads because they belong to my PUBLIC LIBRARY. Of the 1% that DO belong to me, I can't (at the moment) decide WHICH ONE to give. Once I do, however, there won't be a selfie of me doing so: my 3G phone has no camera and the Web browser function doesn't work.
Carolina wrote: "Jesus wrote: "This is a great movement, I love it. I wonder how do you deal with robbers, in my community there was a book kiosk and some people vandalized it, breaking the glasses and just throwin..."Given that the one closest to me is on the grounds of the local YMCA, there's no problem keeping it free of trash and graffiti.
Paula wrote: "Honestly, this idea isn't that revolutionary or even the idea of the person who founded "little free library". In Germany, every small town or even my small village has open bookshelves like that, ..."That's America for you, honey. It's new to us.
Love these little libraries. We have several scattered about our town. I frequently put my recently read books in them. Or I sometimes find books I love at garage sales or thrift stores and will buy them and stock our local little libraries.
Christine wrote: "Jaap- I also LOVE that you have free books on buses! Very cool! : )"It certainly is . We have them on our city buses too . I found a slightly used copy of THE LOOKING GLASS WAR by Frank Beddor on one of the buses . Glad I did .
Aimee wrote: "There one down the street from my house."Cool .
Alicia wrote: "I have a local one. Putting in Harry potter of course :)Hopefully there is someone in the world who hasnt read it"
Chuckles . . . I suppose there are still a few literate people who haven't read it . I'm putting in FOREST MAGE by Robin Hobb for a fantasy lover to enjoy .
I am fairly new to Goodreads and seeing this initiative and hearing about it for the first time, it felt very positive and encouraging.So purely out of boredom and curiosity, I went to the map and simply searched my country with the belief that I will not find any.
To my shock and surprise, a red pin popped up fifteen minutes from where I live! and its the only one in the whole country! Yay!
I will check it soon some time soon.
M.J.Ebrahim wrote: "I am fairly new to Goodreads and seeing this initiative and hearing about it for the first time, it felt very positive and encouraging.So purely out of boredom and curiosity, I went to the map and..."
Great story . Life is good . Hope you find something to keep .
Hope wrote: "I dropped off Eldest and Hawkeye, Volume 5: All-New Hawkeye at one near me and picked up Crime and Punishment."THE SUCCESSOR by Stephen W. Frey . I'll do that one .
Do you guys know if there’s any free library in New York?
We have a "free book" box set beside the Chamber of Commerce in Mt. Vernon, MO & I often leave a book but haven't taken any so far.
Since I discovered Little Free Libraries a couple years ago they have become my main way of sharing and discovering great reads (before knowing about them I used BookCrossing zones to share books).Last time I visited a Little Free Library: 2 days ago - but since I didn't notice this thread until now I have no photo. I will try to stop by another one today. Little Free Libraries are awesome!
Swaqny wrote: "يمكنكم الان الحصول علي اجود انواع ادوات التجميل من خصم قولدن سنت و ذلك بـ اقل الاسعار و الخصومات من كود قولدن سنت تواصل الان مع كود خصم قولدن لـ طلب الخدمة بـ افضل الاسعار"Can you give us an English translation, please?
Amber wrote: "Swaqny wrote: "يمكنكم الان الحصول علي اجود انواع ادوات التجميل من خصم قولدن سنت و ذلك بـ اقل الاسعار و الخصومات من كود قولدن سنت تواصل الان مع كود خصم قولدن لـ طلب الخدمة بـ افضل الاسعار"Can you ..."
The is a spam, selling promo codes for beauty products.
Vanessa wrote: "M.J.Ebrahim wrote: "I am fairly new to Goodreads and seeing this initiative and hearing about it for the first time, it felt very positive and encouraging.So purely out of boredom and curiosity, I..."
Thank you very much.
Unfortunately I drove to the supposed location and I have not found the LFL box, despite driving up and down the road and round the block multiple times.
Love, love, love! Wish there was one in my neighborhood!
I love these little librarys and we have several in Placerville, CA. I have taken books and I have left books. They are awesome.
This is new to me! I will take a ride to a local little free library here in Tucson!
We have them all over in the Netherlands, I should try trading books there once.
I would love to have my husband build a Little Free Library....but until that happens I have made copies of your book slip and attached them to books and leave the book in the women's locker room at my gym, in a coffee shop, in the dentist's waiting room...etc.I love knowing someone is enjoying the book! ....and I do feel like "A Book Fairy" !
Well, I did my part. I left 2 nice recent hardback books that I’d enjoyed. But as with other LFLs I’ve seen, the existing book quality in stock was really poor. I love to support reading, but it might be wiser if we give more support to our public library systems rather than Little Free Libraries. Sorry folks!
M.J.Ebrahim wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "M.J.Ebrahim wrote: "I am fairly new to Goodreads and seeing this initiative and hearing about it for the first time, it felt very positive and encouraging.So purely out of boredom ..."
Bummer . If it's doable , get together with a few friends and start your own neighborhood LFL box .
Please visit my Little Free Library @ 5805 Merriewood Drive in Oakland, CA!
I run an LFL in Napier, New Zealand that is also an Official BookCrossing Zone (OBCZ) as well. It isn't on any interactive map unfortunately but feel free to email me for the address to swap books at!
Susan wrote: "Here in Australia, we have Street Libraries, some of which are affiliated with the Little Free Library organisation. There is also a growing number of "underground" street libraries not affiliated ..."Wow I LOVE this one! [the picture of the fridge in the colours of a bee that is...]
On Friday, I donated 7 books at the Little Free Library in Charles Village, in Baltimore, MD. The reading level ranged from infants to toddlers, preschool & school-age, middle school, and teens. My favorite book that I donated that day was the classic, The Trumpet of the Swan, by E. B. White. I included the Goodreads form, a personal note, and a children’s bookmark in each book.My son took a great picture, but I can’t figure out how to load it (I’m on my phone, but on the website, not the app). Oh well!
On Saturday, I donated 10 more books to the LFL in White Marsh, MD (my home neighborhood ), consisting of teen, YA, and adult fiction. My son also donated 5 graphic novels from a series. My favorite donated read that day was Outlander, book one in Diana Gabaldon’s long-running series. (And yes, the tv series is well done & entertaining, but the books are better!!!). More book notes & bookmarks included.
This has been a fun week: choosing books & bookmarks, writing friendly notes on the downloaded forms, and donating at my two favorite Little Free Libraries. I really hope that anyone who chooses a book I donated will enjoy it tremendously! And if they don’t choose to keep it, maybe they’ll pass it along in another Little Free Library!
I just wanted to add one final thought: my dad is in a group of people who cannot physically get to a LFL...He has Alzheimer’s and was first in a nursing home, and is now in hospice. I took him library books & books on cd, while he was in the nursing home; I also donated books to their book room/book cart. In the Hospice Care facility, I read aloud to Dad and his roomate.
Please consider donating books AND audiobooks to nursing homes and hospice care facilities: bed-bound patients really appreciate them. So do their family members/visitors, who sometimes read while their loved-one dozes. Looking for large-print books is helpful, too. The nurses also suggest donating word-search books (and easy puzzles) as these are used for brain stimulation with patients. Calendars are good donations too, and are used to help patients with memory issues to keep track of time.
Thank you for reading - and for considering the needs of elders in our society, who are sometimes overlooked!!
Apparently there are only two official Little Free Libraries in the UK, but the take-a-book/leave-a-book thing has been booming here lately not just in coffee shop bookshelves but in train stations and hospital waiting rooms :)
