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Take a book and leave a book at the free little library

Free books? A local Fallbrook resident marks the first year of the opening of her free little library, in which anyone can come by and get a book or give a book at her outside bookcase.

Kathaleen Quinlan, who has lived at her current residence in Fallbrook for the past 52 years, first saw the idea of a little library from her niece five years prior.

She had loved the idea but didn't know how she'd be able to make it work, due to the lack of sidewalks and street lights.

"Three years ago, I injured myself and I had had an injury many years ago on my left ankle, but I snapped a bone in my foot and I couldn't stand or walk for six months, so I was stuck in a wheelchair," Quinlan said.

"The only place I could come to get out of the house was through the kitchen door," she added. "So I would come out in the morning and I would sit out here in my wheelchair and drink my coffee, and then I realized there's a lot of people that go up and down this street."

She began meeting people and thought there was enough traffic to justify putting in a little library. At this time, however, she was still in a wheelchair, so she decided she'd put the idea to the task once she was better.

After transitioning to a walker, going through physical therapy and getting a knee replacement, last year for her 69th birthday she decided she would finally get herself a little library.

Buying the kits however was a bit expensive. "You can make them out of everything," Quinlan said. "I'm thinking I can make one out of recycled stuff, so I said something to my neighbor across the street."

Her neighbor had an old barrister bookshelf that had glass doors on it and offered to give her the glass doors. Quinlan called her handyman and asked if he'd be able to make her a little library, and he said yes.

Quinlan had kids books and other books but had some help from another individual who had their own little library nearby.

"He gave me books to get started, cause you got to start somewhere, but he also told me to make sure I had a lot of different kinds of books, not just what I want to read but what other people want to read," Quinlan said.

She began to notice more and more people come, and eventually put a light on it for those that would stop by at night.

"The concept is, if you take a book, bring a book, share a book, because I really think books aren't meant to be on a shelf," Quinlan said. "It seems like a sin to sit on a shelf somewhere when somebody could be reading it."

Quinlan makes sure the shelves are full.

"If they have books they want to drop off they just put them in the bin inside the gate," Quinlan said. "This week I got two bags of books."

She also gets a lot of people who bring books that are on the bestseller list.

"It's been a real blessing," Quinlan said. "Being stuck like this, I always had an unlimited supply of books to read."

If you'd like to visit Quinlan's little library, you'll find it at 1127 Hillcrest Lane in Fallbrook.

Lexington Howe can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

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