20 Things You Can Do Today to Make The World a Better Place

Sometimes iCarly is so accurate. (Photo : Nickelodeon/Nickelodeon Productions)

Give Someone a Book You Love

Right now, we probably could all use a good story. So if you’ve read a book recently that you’ve just loved, or that you think someone you know might also love – give it away. Pass books along to your family, friends, colleagues, or even that woman you always end up sitting next to on the bus. At the very least, you’ll share a good story. You’ll brighten someone’s day because you thought of them. You might even make a new friend. And most important of all, you’ll help spread awareness of good literature. (Definition of “good literature”, by the way: Any story that made a positive impact on your life. For any reason. Don’t think you have to just palm off your old college lit class copies of War and Peace¸ y’all.)

If you feel weird just randomly passing off books to acquaintances, or if you happen to have a lot of spare books you’d like to give to others, consider a donation to your local library. Or, if you’re feeling particularly creative, try your hand at making a Little Free Library for your neighborhood. These (adorable) boxes serve as small community book lending hubs, encouraging residents to participate in a hyper-local “take a book, leave a book”-style exchange of their favorite stories.

There are currently over 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries exchanges all over the U.S. and the world, so clearly this model is quite popular Anyone may take a book or leave a book to share, completely anonymously. The service functions on the honor system, though, so don’t be that jerk who just keeps taking books without sharing some of your own. Here are some tips for how to get started.