Along my regular three-mile running route is a home with a free book stand outside. A closer look at the wooden structure reveals that it is part of the Little Free Library network. This organization started in Wisconsin in 2009 and has added over 2500 free book kiosks throughout the world. According to the location map, there are three others in the Cincinnati area and one in nearly every major city throughout the US. From my brief research is seems that people are encouraged to borrow a book, return it when they are finished, and even contribute their own books to the collection. It’s a neat concept.

This very same house was also in the news around the same time I first noticed their Little Free Library when their concrete pig was stolen from their yard, and later found behind a nearby coffee shop. The large pig has yet to make its return on public display, but a smaller pig has taken its spot in the landscaping. If you find the pig, you’ll find the Little Free Library nearby.

My progress has been a little slow, but I just finished the sixth book in the Alex Cross series, Roses are Red. I don’t recall exactly when I started reading them, but it was likely around this time last year. A post from last July indicated that I had finished the first two books and was waiting for the third from the library.  Not exactly a blistering pace, but at least I’m reading more than I once was, which added up to zero books per year.  I’m still really enjoying the series, and I have the seventh book, Violets are Blue, on hold from the library.  At this rate it will only take me a couple more years to finish the entire series, as long as James Patterson doesn’t write too many more.

Just the other day I started reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall. I first heard about the book while reading an excerpt in an issue of 5280 Magazine. The author travels to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets after suffering injury after injury.

The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyons are capable of running hundreds of miles at a time without rest. They do not run to stay in shape, but rather as a method of travel between villages or to hunt food, such as deer. However, because of their persistent running they are some of the healthiest people on Earth. Though I don’t plan to run down a deer anytime in the future, I do hope the book becomes an inspiration to go out and run more often. And maybe I’ll find the secret to making it not be as painful of an experience as it sometimes is.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot, or at least much more than I ever did before. So far I’ve read the first two books in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series, Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls, and I am waiting for the third book to be ready for me to pickup from the library. I really enjoy the thrilling detective stories in these books, and with fourteen books total, I’m sure to be enjoying them for months to come. Who would have thought that I would ever enjoy reading this much, but it really helps pass the time on my lightrail rides to/from the office.

I finally got my hands on Artie Lange‘s book Too Fat to Fish. I put myself on the library waiting list months ago, but since there is only one copy in the entire Denver library system it took some time. From the book’s website, “Too Fat to Fish is a collection of outrageous, raw, and painfully funny true stories straight from the life of the actor, comedian, and much-loved cast member of The Howard Stern Show, Artie Lange.” I got it on Tuesday and am nearly halfway through it, currently on page 123 of about 300. I’m sure this is the fastest I’ve ever read through a book, especially since I don’t read too much. But Kim’s been out of town and I’ve been riding the train a bunch, giving me extra time to cruise through it. Though it probably helps if you already know about Artie, but I’d consider this a great book to read.

I think I’ve become addicted to the library. Though I haven’t been to one since college, I decided to get a library card so I could check out the book Into the Wild after watching the movie. I’m nearly finished reading the book, and though I feel it’s a good read, I think I partially ruined it by watching the movie first.

However, I’ve now discovered that I can get travel guides from the library as well. Yesterday I went to two different libraries to put together quite a large stack of books detailing European or Mediterranean cruises, as well as some books about hikes in some southern Utah parks that Kim and I hope to visit this coming weekend. It’s a good thing I’m riding the train back and forth from work for most of the remaining week, so that I can start reading through these new books.

If you have to become addicted to something, it might as well be something good for you.