After purchasing two hardcover novels in the spring of last year, I devoured them and quickly moved on to reading a few of my favorite Nora Roberts romance novels (which never seem to get old for me). While I do re-read my favorite stories, the reality is that unless the books are Roberts’ (of which I have an infinite love), I rarely crack open the same tale twice. So those two novels sat on my bureau for months and in fact, are still sitting there as I write this.

So why does that bother me? I have a strong urge not to let things go to waste and feel that if I’m not using something, someone else should be. So for books, while I love looking at the spines on my dresser, favoriting titles on Amazon, and reading reviews, I much prefer giving them back when I’m done. I got what I needed from the pages, and now it’s someone else’s turn to enjoy.

When a friend gave me a collection of Daphne du Maurier stories which she herself had received from a friend, she said I could keep the book, but I thought I’d rather pass it on. After my mother took a turn, I noticed a neighbor with a Little Free Library on their front lawn. If you haven’t seen one of these mini libraries, they are about the cutest things ever, and the idea is that you leave a book you’ve finished reading and borrow another one (click here to see what I mean). It’s a sweet, community-driven idea, and a no-brainer when it came to passing along the spooky stories of the great Du Maurier. I enjoyed the moment when I drove by to see it missing from behind the little glass door, and it inspired me to finally get that library card I had been thinking about.

I used to take books out of the library in the early days of living in San Francisco, but for some reason when I moved back to the East Coast, I completely forgot about borrowing books. Nothing in the world compares to the distinct library-book-smell that wafts out of the spines of old books, the crinkle of the wrapped plastic that protects a hardcover, or the feeling of being gifted a new story that is yours to enjoy (until it’s due back, of course!). Cue the wonderful, stupendous, endlessly full and free library of which I am now taking full advantage. It’s bringing me so much joy, and now I’m reading more than ever!

I’m currently reading this book, but this, this, and this one are also on my reading list! Do you check out books from the library? What’s on your reading list? Share with me in the comments below! FYI, the picture above was taken by Stanley Kubrick!

Image via Museum of the City of New York.