Book joy to the world
Brought to you by my gnometown hero
Dear readers,
In the spirit of the season, today want to share a story that makes me grateful to live in a bookish city where offbeat local culture thrives. Wherever you live, I hope you’ll enjoy my guest today.
Meet the Tucson Tome Gnome.
Her/His/Their purpose? Book joy for adults. The method? Hiding nearly 2,000 free books for others to find and enjoy around town on a monthly basis since September 2021.
Tucson Tome Gnome has completed 39 Sunday giveaways hiding free books near locally-owned businesses and recognizable landmarks, especially the many murals by local artists that brighten up our city. Follow their IG for the images alone.
Co-founders Emily Walsh and Jody Hardy sat down with me recently to share how they got started, some of their upcoming collaborations, and their lessons learned. The way they finished each others’ sentences was an adorable testimony of a special friendship.
The Booktender: How did you get your start?
Emily: This started as a fun little informal pandemic pro…
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