Loser of the Little Library

I am a huge fan of little libraries—those cute little boxes where you can leave books for others or take them for yourself—because they combine two of my favorite things in the world: books and free things. 

Oh, but I love free things! I miss many things about my old life—seeing all the new movies before anyone else did, interviewing my creative heroes, going to Sundance every year as well as the occasional film festival in Brazil or the Midwest—but what I mostly miss is all the free stuff. 

So when I discovered the minor miracle of Little Libraries I was thrilled. Little libraries are lovely little oases of socialism in capitalist communities. It boggles my mind that Conservatives have taken on “No Free Stuff” as a mantra that people have embraced when, to me at least, that’s about as appealing a pitch as “kittens are fucking disgusting" and “let’s draw and quarter Paul Rudd and Tom Hanks for no reason whatsoever.” 

When visiting playgrounds with my children, I always made a point of taking any book that looked halfway promising, generally as bedtime reading. When you are a parent you can never have enough books to read. 

But I never contributed to those little libraries because there were none close enough to my house. That changed when I moved from working-class Chamblee Tucker to sprawling suburban Alpharetta and discovered that there was a brand spanking new little library in the park about three blocks away from my new home. 

This also, not coincidentally, is a home away from home where my children and myself have whiled away many a happy hour. Since this little library was new, I figured that I’d have a chance to break it in, really make it my own. 

So about a month ago I blessed the local little library with a plethora of books from my home, primarily children’s books we no longer read, or have otherwise outlived their usefulness. 

But I also included an autographed, albeit beat-up copy of the extended, 500 page version of The Weird Accordion to Al. I wanted to pay it forward and be charitable. God knows I have taken so, so very much from these little libraries. It was only right to give something back as well. 

So every day I visit the playground with my boys at least once and often twice or three times. And every day I check in at the little library to see if there’s anything new or if anyone has taken my books. 

And every damn day I grimly note that my books have gone untouched and un-taken, including The Weird Accordion to Al. I have sold thousands of copies of The Weird Accordion to Al in all of its forms, yet I literally cannot give away a copy at the little library. 

That does not make me feel good! It makes me feel like the loser of the little library. Thankfully, I’m not alone. The little library also contains a number of children’s books co-written by Henry Winkler, an actor, filmmaker and national treasure best known for playing the Fonz on Happy Days. 

Everybody loves that guy! He is universally beloved yet despite his extraordinary popularity he similarly can’t give away copies of his books. 

So I may be the loser of the little library but at least I have some very distinguished company. 

Missed out on the Kickstarter campaign for The Weird A-Coloring to Al/The Weird A-Coloring to Al-Colored In Edition? You’re in luck, because you can still pre-order the books, and get all manner of nifty exclusives, by pledging over at https://the-weird-a-coloring-to-al-coloring-colored-in-books.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Pre-order The Joy of Trash, the Happy Place’s upcoming book about the very best of the very worst and get instant access to all of the original pieces I’m writing for them AS I write them (there are NINE so far, including Shasta McNasty and the first and second seasons of Baywatch Nights) AND, as a bonus, monthly write-ups of the first season Baywatch Nights you can’t get anywhere else (other than my Patreon feed) at https://the-joy-of-trash.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

and of course you can buy The Weird Accordion to Al here: https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop

AND of course you can also pledge to this site and help keep the lights on at https://www.patreon.com/nathanrabinshappyplace