Rides We Like: Little Free Library Tours

(2021) They come in all shapes and sizes, but really a Little Free Library is a box on a post with a roof and a clear front. Little Free Libraries are based on the concept of book-sharing. Or, to borrow a phrase from the penny jar, “Have a penny? Leave a penny. Need a penny? Take a penny.” With an intricate web or four aspects: donate, shop, map, and get books, Little Free Libraries are more about the mystique in what’s in the box than anything else.

Though most Little Free Libraries stand sentinel on posts in front of a house, there are recycled ways collections are presented. Remember the old newspaper boxes at street corners? Those can be Little Free Libraries now, too. Phone booths? Where people used to share a phone and feed its maw with quarters every ten minutes? Those can be a Little Free Library. Mostly, though, book collections exist in the style of a glass/ plastic front, miniature roof, and two shelves. Their personalities are a reflection of the owner. Some libraries are orderly while some, like one seen recently, have sun-faded books and a missing glass case. 

On an old standby route, at a random countryside corner in Bucks County, there is a Little Free Library. It is indistinct and easy to miss. Tucked between two trees and lined with stepping stones, it is passed routinely even though we know it is there. This time, we stopped to look through the books. As if to prove this is a personality trait of Little Free Libraries around Blooming Glen, we either missed the other library or it was taken down. Either way, preparation is not one of the libraries’ best characteristics.

We tilted our head to read the titles and authors: James Patterson, JK Rowling, some other random writers. This library was a mile from the Pearl S. Buck house and not one of her books occupied the shelves. In between Little Free Libraries we contemplated what books we could leave or take. Would it be possible to load up the back pocket with a classic and continue down the road? Hardcovers are a hard no. Catcher in the Rye would certainly fit. Would it be comical to slowly drip some of our own library into these containers for others to enjoy? 

After passing the location where the next Little Free Library was supposed to be (and missing it), there became a concerted effort to put together a list of these little features. As much as we love old school houses, of which there are plenty, there are never enough days to read great books. Is it possible to come across one of the greatest Little Free Libraries where our next book awaits? 

Stuffed into the back pockets of cycling jerseys are the essentials. There is the cycling wallet, nutrition, the cell phone, and the Stan’s DART tool. Now with the presence of Little Free Libraries around us, maybe we can stuff one more item for the long ride home. Kick off the bike shoes, sink into a chair, and open to page one. That is a great post-ride recovery.