My Neighborhood Book Nook in Portland, Maine
by Sue Sturtevant, Past President of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club
by Sue Sturtevant, Past President of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club
Now that the final snowbanks have disappeared, I’ve opened my Book Nook with the help of an 8-year-old neighbor. She’s the one who is eager to open the lending library each spring, and comes knocking on my door to set up a time to meet. We unwrap the bungee cords around the sturdy tarp that protects the tiny building from the winter weather. (Snowplows go by and create an embankment that is just too high to climb, so the Book Nook closes from December until April.)
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Then comes the exciting part of the ritual: On the first row at child height come the kids books that are classics, new or fresh. These are placed after reading each title out loud. Then reaching up to the second shelf, we place the adult books that are an assortment of history, biography, cook books, mystery, contemporary fiction, travel books, historical fiction and even how-to-do books that are timely. Then the Comment Book, a purple pen and book marks are put on the first shelf so that borrowers can request types of books, leave a thought, a drawing or a love note! And don’t forget the organic dog treats for our four-footed friends…
When this Book Nook opened in 2015, it was a gift from a friend who had some left-over lumber. His wife used paint colors to match my house and his daughter hand-lettered the title and drew a blue bird of happiness on the front door, then perched a carved bird on the roof top. The handle is made from a hand-carved tree branch and adds a personal touch to the entry moment. I had no idea how to put the library on a post and into the ground, so I asked a fellow Rotarian who was a landscape architect. She knew how and before I knew it, the Book Nook was securely in the ground. Finally came some potted flowers on the side and we were all set to welcome spring.
The first comment left was “A bright, beautiful gem—thank you.” Another said, “Cute. I come here every day after school.” Later someone wrote, “Hope to see more of these gifts of community in the world.” In the fall someone from a nearby street left this, “I love this Nook! It’s a beautiful work of love and art. Thanks to whoever made it. Signed: a jealous neighbor from another street.” Of course, I responded that any and all are welcomed to take and/or leave books. Later that year: “Finally stopped by on foot after driving by many times…thanks.”
Other comments: “Thank you for Old Yeller, Emily and Opal visited on our walk home from brunch, I bike around town a lot and enjoy these little libraries, Love your Nook—quality books! Checking it out from another street—left two and borrowed two. Peace; this is a refreshing idea in this world of chaos, Good way to get summer reading done, Today is my 10th birthday, Summertime and the reading is easy. Absolutely beautiful! Full of soul…Bravo. Thank you for the dog treats. Borrowing books makes me happy. We all benefit from sharing.”
By the third year, the notes were getting longer: “This is our first visit to the Book Nook. What a lovely stop on our walk. We can’t wait for our next visit. The bees are buzzing, the sun is shining and these dog days of a Maine August summer beg for a good read! Will take a book for a lazy hammock read. Thank You!
Then last summer I came home after a weekend away and found the following: “Providing and maintaining the Book Nook/Little Free Library truly means the world to me. Being homeless and having a dual diagnosis makes going to the public library very difficult and unenjoyable. Having a clear space in my head while deciding which books to take along with me makes reading and writing possible for me again…which makes dreaming and goal setting possible again…which means I can make my dreams come true and my goals achievable…which means my world becomes large and livable, and that means the world to me!!”
Initially, I started this little neighborhood stopping place so that I’d have a place to put some of the books that were still in boxes after moving back to Maine. Now members of my book club donate some of their books and I purchase a few at the local supermarket or book sales. But, for the most part, those who take books, either return them or replace them with others they want to share. One year it was a completely self-sustaining venture!
If I’m being honest, I was also hoping, as a newly arrived person in Portland, to create a little neighborliness that would give me an excuse to say hello to people passing by. It worked: I’ve had invitations to backyard music fests, to caroling at the holidays, to random conversations, to offers to shovel my walkway. And this is all because people want to read and people want to create community!