On a summer trip to Oakland, California, we dipped into a used bookshop across the street from our hotel downtown. The sun drapped across racks of romance paperbacks, hardcover history and audiobook CDs in jewel cases, all lined up outside the shop. My 8-year-old gravitated toward a series of colorful Goosebump books which he insisted we get and instantly started reading in the car as we sat in traffic on the Bay Bridge.

As we explored the historical Oakland corner storefront, I smelled the musty library books still sitting in their protective plastic wrap, stacked on the shelves among other donated texts from local library patrons. In my opinion, a wonderful way to pass the time is by reading titles along the spines of literature. And as we travel, I especially love to see how books vary based on the region we’re visiting. Along the lines of “eat like a local,” this gives me a little insight into reading like a local.

As I walked the aisles, there was an old wooden stool with a cup full of bookmarks, marked FREE. These little pieces of every color of paper we all use to mark our spot while reading stuck out in every direction, begging me to look through them. A quick peek revealed they were the bookmarks discovered in all the donated and returned library books I saw on the shelves. Because bending page corners is bad book-care etiquette (prove me wrong!), people use bookmarks of all types: simple pieces of paper, notecards, gum stick wrappers, post-it notes, business cards and so many other things. Many get left behind in the books and, I imagine, tossed in the trash or recycling. I appreciate how these bookmarks from dozens of bookstores, mostly in California, have found a repository here, in this little used bookshop.

Last night, I finished reading The Lost Book of Bonn by Brianna Labuskes. She wrote about how one of her librarian characters who often deals with rare first-editions actually values working with common books, “books that are most used and borrowed” (p. 270). The historical fiction story is about returning a meaningful book stolen during WWII. While I love perusing my local bookshop loaded with fresh copies of the latest books, I find joy in looking through every Free Little Library I see. These books are usually common and well-loved. I note the pages where the corners are bent, re-read underlined parts and discover all sorts of secret notes tucked inside as forgotten bookmarks.

This latest read was picked up from a Little Free Library in town last week. It had a card inside of it, a temporary bookmark with the inspirational quote, “I am strong because a strong woman raised me.” It’s a Mother’s Day card from 2021. There’s a beautifully handwritten note in cursive inside about adventuring. Finding this note was a bonus, in addition to the great storytelling in the book that inspired me enough to pause, reflect and write this blog. I hope you’ll stop by the next bookstore, resale shop or Little Free Library you pass and find a treasure inside.

One more tidbit about the resale bookshop in Oakland: they arranged all the little books into a “Little Treasures” bookshelf. You know all those tiny books you’re gifted at graduation or might pick up as a nicknack while you travel? They’re all lined up so cute on this aisle endcap display. Adorable!

The Bookmark Bookstore is a non-profit resale shop managed by Friends of the Oakland Public Library. It’s a delightful place to visit and I hope you’ll go there when you visit next time you visit the Bay Area.