Logan Square Free Book Kiosk

Whether you’re vacationing or staycationing with relaxing visits to our city’s boulevards, parks and beaches, or simply hanging in your own backyard, you might yearn for something to read now that it’s officially summer. And if you haven’t yet discovered the Logan Square free book kiosk, you’re in luck! Located at the corner of Kedzie and Logan Square across from the now closed Johnny’s Grill, the old, converted newspaper box is centrally located for local CTA commuters, Farmer’s Market goers and daily passersby. The top of the upcycled metal bin reads, “You Take. You Give. Everyone Reads.” Perfect for those of you who aren’t sure what book you want to read, don’t have a library card or are too broke to stop by Logan Square’s City Lit Books (@citylitbooks, 2523 N. Kedzie Blvd.) or Uncharted Books (@UnchartedBooks, 2630 N. Milwaukee Ave.), you never know what you’re going to find, perfect for the adventurous at heart.

Free Book Kiosk in LoganSquare Has a Lot to Offer

On my first trip, I found authors Isaac Asimov and Dean Koontz, an MLA Handbook, Choosing Single Motherhood and, presumably for when that single-mother-raised child can read, Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary. Returning a couple weeks later, I found the converted newspaper box tidied by a fellow patron to look more like a neatly arranged home bookcase. The shelf now housed a title on Rome (one of my favorite places), a book on architectural lighting design, a novel called The Information and a Hong Kong travel book. Because I’m rereading Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things (a must-read for everyone, in my humble opinion) and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (not the biggest fiction reader despite what my “faves” bookshelf looks like, but I’m loving the language and imagery found in this gem), I left without taking anything. Perhaps they are still there for you. Or maybe something new has appeared; you just never know. But you have to get off the Internet, Kindle, iPhone  or other gadget to find out. Go pick up something with pages that smell of tradition, knowledge and nostalgia, throw down a blanket, prop up your feet and, if somehow you’re not already admiring the allegedly out-of-this-world views from The Peak or shopping for exotic accessories in Hong Kong, you can dream that you are. Tell me what books you’ve enjoyed or left behind at the Logan Square free book kiosk in the comments below.