As this household continues to brim with books, we’re also continuing to take a year-long look at how books make their way into (and out of) this place. This report reflects the months of June and July, more than halfway through the year.

At the end of June, the two columns on my home office whiteboard tallied up as follows:

Incoming: 10

• All incoming books were paper.
• 7 of the books were fiction, 2 were poetry collections, 1 was non-fiction and purchased as a gift (so it quickly became an outgoing book).
• 6 of the incoming books were purchased in bookstores (Book City and Ben McNally’s).
• 1 book was purchased online, via Amazon.

Outgoing: 8

• 7 outgoing books were contributed to three local Little Free Library boxes.
• 1 book was given as a gift.

At the end of July, the whiteboard tally was as follows:

Incoming: 9

• 1 of the incoming books was purchased in a bookstore (Book City).
• 5 received books were complimentary copies from publishers or authors.
• 1 book was purchased online from Amazon.
• 1 book received was a gift and 1 was work-related.

Outgoing: 11

• 9 outgoing books were contributed to three local Little Free Library boxes.
• 2 books were given to friends.

2014 to date: 70 books incoming, 90 books outgoing

So far this year, the ratio of read to unread book incoming or outgoing is pretty much 1 to 1. More outgoing books are leaving here read rather than unread, which makes me feel like we’re sending mostly loved or at least acknowledged books back out into the world, versus having more books pass through our home to which we haven’t given any attention. (Well, that makes me feel somewhat less guilty … does that make sense?)

So far this year, 36 fiction, 15 non-fiction and 19 poetry books have arrived, and 45 fiction, 30 non-fiction and 15 poetry books have departed. One observation: many of the departing non-fiction books are admittedly out-of-date technology or topical content that perhaps doesn’t have great historical value (but who are we to judge … perhaps some Little Library acquirers of those books will feel differently …?)

Our outgoing numbers continue to confirm that we have an abiding affection for our local Little Free Library boxes. If those didn’t exist, I wonder if we’d be carting more boxes of books to garage/yard sales and the like. Somehow, Little Free Library boxes seem more thoughtful, don’t they?

The whiteboard is erased and ready for another month of flying books …