Little libraries go upscale

Little Free Libraries, those "take-one, leave-one" street-side boxes of free books, seem to be more ubiquitous, and more sophisticated, than they were a few years ago.

 People seem to be making big efforts to beautify the boxes. A closer view of this one shows how it mimics the roof lines, window treatments and siding of the house it fronts. Details like this tend to make passersby stop and look.

In this case, it's my friend Linda, who can't resist a peek inside the little doors.

Aha! A potential score.

In the end, she didn't take it, but it was a good book that a friend had read. The quality of the contents of the boxes may be rising along with their good looks.

When I first began blogging about the sights that drew my attention on my daily walks, I wrote about Little Free Libraries. They’re little boxes full of books, usually just outside a private residence or an institution, that invite passersby to take one and/or leave one behind.

A couple of years later and back to a more regular walking routine, I’m noticing there are more of these little libraries than ever before. And they seem to have upped their game. The boxes are often more elaborate, sometimes mimicking the style of the house or houses around them. One I saw recently was even decorated with tiny Christmas lights. I don’t know whether the quality of the books has increased as well, except that I recently picked up two myself, something I had never done before.

I suspect there are many longtime households, just like ours, that are beginning to realize that they can’t take their books with them. Putting up a cute little box that mimics the place where all those books are over-stuffing the shelves may be a good way to entice passersby to stop, look, and even take some of the load away.

Here's a plainer box that fits in with the more modern houses behind it.

It's well-filled, but despite our inspection, we didn't take any.

A little library, also with windows, a roof line and roof tiles reflecting the row of houses behind it. 

Notice the Christmas lights, top and bottom ...

...and, a door handle that belongs in a jewelry box!

This library is more like the ones that were being built a few years ago. Adequate, but not fancy.

A closer look at that well-weathered box. It may be rustic, but the books inside appear to have some heft.