It is not uncommon to find a book sitting in a café, at a bus stop, or on a park bench. At first it will appear abandoned or lost and you might be inclined to search for the careless owner. It, however, does not pertain to anyone and you have inadvertently become the temporary guardian. You could read it or not. The important thing, though, is to pass it on. There are sometimes instructions inside about going to a website to register where you came across the book, perhaps you’d like to write a review once you have read the pages. These are books shared freely and in some cases they travel worldwide. This idea is attractive and the increasingly cheap nature of paperback production has made this activist-like promotion of reading easy to find. In many cities you can see free libraries constructed out of wooden boxes or in cafés. Nice people make sure they are in good condition, but otherwise nobody keeps vigil. Near my house several old phone booths have been converted into popular lending spots. The idea is to put books in people's hands so people’s heads will have new ideas. I like this. In Buenos Aires an artist named Raúl Lemsoff has taken book sharing to a new level. Just meeting him is enough, but seeing the results are worth four minutes of your time.
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