My beautiful mother, Elizabeth (aka “Betsy” in her younger years), was an avid reader and collector of books, fossils, glow-in-the-dark items, and other “curious oddities” throughout her lifetime. She passed away on August 16, 2024, leaving behind her two adult children (Sarah and Zach) and a house full of 2,631 books (yes, I counted!). While I would love to absorb all of her books into my own collection, there are simply too many!

I also discovered that my mom had a collection of blank postcards that her friends and family had collected for her during their travels. I came up with the idea of self-addressing and stamping the postcards, inserting them into the books, and then distributing them through Little Free Libraries in our hometown and beyond.

If you’re lucky enough to find one of “Betsy’s Books” with a blank postcard, I invite you to write back with a little story about your own mom, or tell me why you chose the book you found, or what the book is about since I can’t read them all. I’d love to hear from you!