In a quiet, industrial area located in the Throggs Neck section of The Bronx, something unexpected took place in mid-December. The Bronx Brewery hosted a Bronx Book Swap event on Dec. 17 in conjunction with Norwood Community Library, a bookworm’s event at no cost. Participants came to donate, swap books, listen to live music with DJ Buddy Lee, and enjoy a cold brew beer. The event was the first such event when books in Spanish and in other languages were sought, and laid the ground for the “Books & Brews Book Club” which launched in January 2024.

 

“This event is to get people excited about reading again,” said Brandon Montes, aka the “street librarian” or “book guy.” The Bronxite, originally from the Fordham Road section of the borough, has a personal goal to promote literacy to a new generation of readers with his mobile mailboxes and grab-and-go Norwood Community Library, launched in 2018.

As reported, Montes came up with the idea of the library in 2018 when he realized there was a literary void in The Bronx. Independent bookstores were disappearing, and the Bronx locations of the local Barnes & Noble had shut their doors in 2016. His love for writers like James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Thich Nhat Hanh inspired a new venture to create his ideal library and bookstore, and make it accessible to everyone in Norwood and throughout The Bronx at no cost.

 

As reported, originally the library started with crates of books, donated from people in the local Norwood community, where Montes lives. It grew rapidly to a full-on trade, swapping, and borrowing mobile library system. Of what Montes wants most for the Library and the new Books & Brews book club, Montes said, “My goal is to continue engaging with Bronx readers.”

In five years, Montes’ outreach efforts have resulted in donations of, on average, 100 books per week and numerous events held all over the borough, including partnerships with then-assemblywoman and now State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), both Bronx Democrats, and the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID).

 

In July 2021, during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montes created Norwood Community Library’s first library box at the Keeper’s House, located at 3400 Reservoir Oval East, also in Norwood. The library unveilved its second, free community library box inside the main lobby of NYC Health + Hospitals/North Cenral Bronx, located at 3424 Kossuth Avenue, also in Norwood, in December 2023, as reported.

Montes maintains the library boxes, otherwise known as his “little libraries,” by replenishing them with book donations and following up on exchanges and letters from fellow booklovers. People are free to pick up books or drop them off at the library boxes. He added that they served as a free library system at a time when New York City public libraries were shut down during the pandemic but continued to flourish thereafter.

 

Now, Montes is branching out his one-man operation, together with volunteers, for the creation of The Bronx Brewery Book Club. The goal of the in-person book club is to create an open and inclusive space for discussion on books, while enjoying various types of beer provided by The Bronx Brewery. The book club meets twice a month and started on Sunday, Jan. 14. The club kicked off in January discussing the Amazon bestseller, The Creative Art: A Way of Being, by Grammy-winning producer Rick Rubin.

 

“I chose the Bronx Brewery because I saw an opportunity to engage fellow Bronx readers with free books for all,” said Montes. “The Bronx Brewery was amazing enough to collaborate with me and offer free drink tickets for anyone who donated a book written in Spanish or Arabic. I’m always looking for books in these languages to help our community read more,” he added. Indeed, Montes is on the hunt for books in various different languages to reach people whose first language isn’t English, and he welcomes bilingual readers, especially to help children and teens.

 

Montes shared some other details about Norwood Community Library’s plans for 2024. He said his next book swap and donation event will be in February at his now well-known mobile location in front of Anthony’s Famous Deli at 169 East Gun Hill Road in Norwood. He also hinted at a possible partnership in the Spring with teenagers at the Bronx Library Center, located at 310 East Kingsbridge Road in Fordham Manor, a New York Public Library branch.

Montes’ love for books and spreading the power of literacy is helping to engage Bronx youth with the joy of reading once again. With more partnerships planned and 2024 filled with endless possibilities, Montes plans to continue his efforts to grow Norwood Community Library and reach a whole new group of booklovers with the creation of the Books & Brews book club.

 

For more information on how to join the book club at The Bronx Brewery, to donate, become a volunteer, or find out future dates for more book swap events, email Montes at norwoodcommunitylibrary@gmail.com or follow the library on Instagram @norwoodcommunitylibrary.