You’ve seen them in many different places, I’m sure. Maybe they are painted like a castle. Maybe they are shaped like a birdhouse. These tiny neighborhood libraries are taking over curbs, lawns, and street corners all over Comox.

The free book-sharing boxes are part community love letter, part mystery box. Let’s get to the heart of this wholesome trend to find out a bit more about them.

That tiny house on a stick is a little free library! Anyone can take a book, leave a book, or just peek inside and marvel at the randomness of human reading habits. People are actually using these constantly. Someone in your neighborhood is 100% reading a detective novel or a thriller or a romance from 1992 right now thanks to one of these boxes.

The kinds of books that show up are everything from cookbooks and comic books to dog training manuals and self-help reads. It’s like a yard sale for your brain.

I would be surprised, but if there isn’t one near you, you absolutely should start one. All you need is a waterproof box, and some books you’re ready to part with. Paint it rainbow, add fairy lights. Leave handwritten reviews inside books. Include a “mystery pick” wrapped in brown paper. Get creative and include a weird creature holding a book recommendation.

Tiny Library Starter Kit Checklist

• A weatherproof box (reuse an old cabinet, mailbox, or birdhouse!)
• Books you’re ready to set free (mix fun + useful + surprising)
• A little sign: “Take a Book, Leave a Book”
• Decorations: paint, stickers, fairy lights, tiny garden creatures
• Neighborhood curiosity
• A willingness to let strangers borrow books
• Hidden treasure (note, drawing, sticker) inside one random book for mystery joy

Get in touch with me to learn more about buying homes in the Comox Valley!