I'm confused. It never occurred to me that reading for entertainment had any negative connotations, or that I would ever want to read a book or a poem that I didn't find entertaining. Sure, there are other qualities that also count, and not all entertaining things are alike, but if it's not at least entertaining I don't want to read it. When the audience claps at the end of Hamlet, it's not because they weren't entertained but are appreciative of some non-entertaining depth they picked up along the boring way.

Every now and then I'll run into a book that I don't just want to read, but to study. I'll read them slowly and carefully, and at the most extreme take notes. But even in those cases I'm usually still having a good time.

Most of the other stuff it's because of curiosity, and there is very often a purpose. But there's almost always a backbone of enjoyment there.

My assumption is that a lot of the non-readers don't engage with books this way. To them they're tools with a specific purpose. They'll read in college, or to improve a skill they're interested in, then go back to what they were doing. Very clearly defined, practical goals. For my part there is often a goal, but most of the time the goal is so removed from everyday life that to most people it'd be considered irrelevant.

I like the randomness of what the boxes bring to my attention. They've become the most frequent way I discover a book or author I wasn't intentionally seeking out.

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In my town alone there are at least a dozen LFL. The elementary schools in our home town all have LPL. It's a kind of grassroots approach to putting books in the hands of the masses — especially children. One LFL close to me is in a park where there are a variety of sports playing fields, a large outdoor swimming pool, an ice skating pond, a playground, etc. We use it quite a bit with the grandkids. Sometimes we bring books to leave and most times we find a book or two to take home with us.

I sometimes leave a book somewhere random for someone else to find and take home. Like in a hotel room, a restaurant, a park bench, etc. I'll also "steal" a book from the shelf of a place I am visiting. For example, I was in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia not long ago staying in an Airbnb and there was a bookshelf wall a great selection of books. I took a paperback copy of Kafka's Complete Stories. I also left a book.

In my mind, the single most influential factor in promoting a love of reading is the degree to which parents develop in their children a love of reading. It's easier said than done. Many times parents themselves are not avid readers. But there is a difference between being an avid reader and instilling in a child a love of reading. It's crucial. Not just in terms of academic learning, but just as importantly (and maybe more) to the dynamic learning that books provide as a catalyst to awaking and strengthening the imagination.


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