Books were some of my best friends when I was a child. They were are a whole new world to discover and lose myself in, interesting characters to know and fascinating new concepts and words to learn. Since I always had a book tucked in my bag, books were the reason that I was never bored. There is something to gain from all books – no reading is completely futile IMHO. So any attempt to make books accessible and reading more popular gets a thumbs up from me: such as this bus shelter that was made into a library /reading room.
…Read! What a great use of time – just pick up a book at random and read it or just browse. This is in the village Neston in the Wiltshire county of England.
It was not clear whether this was just for reading while at the bus stop or whether people could borrow and then return books and either way it’s a great idea. Another commentator clarified that this is a book swap – take one, keep one – super idea!
Books should be shared
This tweet said that they would be happy to donate (though a publisher really shouldn’t misspell words as simple as ‘donate’) some books to an initiative like this one.
Theft or vandalising would be valid apprehensions in many parts of the world – this is true as well.
Books stolen, place full of litter – this could be a likely result, suggested some.
Making a bus shelter a comfy place where people can maybe just spend some time together – is also a great idea. Furniture or décor items that people no longer use can find their way here.
The iconic phone booths in London and elsewhere can also be put to use – like this.
Making books accessible to more people is always a good idea – in any way possible.
It occurred to a lot of people that the books would be damaged by the elements – maybe plastic sheets could help if not doors?
Someone else had the same idea.
When people bother to create welcoming public spaces like this, it encourages a sense of community and belonging.
As this tweet says, book swaps such as these could be really valuable during the lockdown when books stores, libraries etc. were shut or inaccessible: a thoughtful and generous idea useful for so many.
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