I have another personal project planned for 2025: I’m installing a Little Free Library at my house. My goal is to share books, clear space in my garage, and create a small haven for readers in my community. To stock it, I’ll draw heavily from my personal library, which currently overflows with paperback science fiction, fantasy, horror, adventure, and detective/police procedurals.
My wife and I are avid readers, and we’ve never been good at parting with books. Once we finish a book, it tends to get boxed up and stored—”just in case.” It’s a scarcity mindset we carried over from the early, lean years of our marriage. But now, it’s time to break that habit and share the stories we’ve hoarded for far too long.
Starting the Journey
Until my Little Free Library is built, I’ve decided to start donating books to other Little Free Libraries in my area and to friends. My ultimate goal is to give away as many books as possible while freeing up some much-needed space in the garage.
I made my first delivery this week to a library in Cerritos. I donated three books: one for kids, one for adults (Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson), and a children’s reference booklet about the history of state names. I also dropped off three books with a friend. That’s six books down—only about a thousand more to go!
Why This Project Matters
This project isn’t just about cleaning out my garage or getting good books into circulation. It’s also part of my larger effort to reduce my dependency on tech oligarchs. As part of my “Stop Feeding the Beast” strategy, I’m phasing out services like Kindle and Audible in favor of borrowing books from the public library or finding free and affordable physical copies. Similarly, I’m moving away from platforms like Facebook and Instagram, though I’m still figuring out how to stay connected to communities I care about.
This Little Free Library is one small way to contribute to something meaningful. Hopefully, efforts like this—however small—will make a difference in the long run.
Meeting a Fellow Curator
When I visited the library in Cerritos, I met its owner. She called herself a “curator,” which I found endearing. We chatted for a few minutes about her experience running the library. She told me that she had started with a theme—kids and young adult fiction—but eventually lost control as donations poured in. Now, she simply tries to keep the shelves neat and tidy, removing overtly political or religious material as necessary.
She mentioned she has about 50 overflow books in her garage that she occasionally draws from when the library stock runs low, but for the most part, the library sustains itself. Young adults and adult book swappers are her biggest users. They tend to follow the “take a book, leave a book” ethos, which helps keep things balanced.
She also shared a surprising challenge: theft. At one point, someone cleared out her entire library, likely to resell the books. After that, she installed a visible security camera, which seems to have solved the problem. In fact, that’s how she knew I had arrived—my Subaru set off her alarm. Thankfully, she didn’t see me as too intimidating (even though I’m a big guy). Instead, she offered me coffee and a book. I already like these people.
The Bigger Vision
For now, I don’t plan to take books from other libraries unless I come across something that could build up my poetry, photography, art, or reference collections. The books in this first library were all fiction, so I left empty-handed. However, I realized I should be documenting my visits with photos. These little libraries are slices of life and beauty, and photographing them could become a meaningful side project in itself.
My ultimate vision for this project goes beyond just sharing books. I want to make an impact. Books have the power to change hearts and minds, and I intend to stock my library with works that explore important themes and topics, including banned books. I’ll also include books in Spanish, Tagalog, and other languages to reflect the diversity of my community.
Since the arts are deeply important to me, I’ll add another personal touch: small prints of my photography. Nothing fancy, just a few images from my various projects. I’ll also include artwork from like-minded friends and small toys for kids to make the experience more delightful.
Wish Me Luck
This project feels personal, but it also feels like a chance to contribute something meaningful to my community. I hope to create a space that’s welcoming, inspiring, and full of possibility. Wish me luck!
Peanuts In My Pocket 
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