Former teacher from Westborough is on a mission to make books accessible to all

WESTBOROUGH — Beth Orsini has a very simple goal: Get books in as many people's hands as possible.

Orsini quit her middle school teaching job in Northborough to dedicate herself to getting more directly involved in helping people of all ages discover a passion for reading.

She started by hosting pop-up book events in private settings. Similar to jewelry parties, Orsini traveled from location to location, offering books for guests to browse and purchase.

"I first got the idea right before COVID-19, and my first event was in my sister's backyard," she said in a recent interview. "Eventually, we started partnering with other places — we do a lot of beer and book, or wine and book pairings with local breweries. I don't really like selling, I like going to events that are active and the people are interested in what I have to offer."

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Then there is her store, Hygge House Books, which opened April 27 at 21 East Main St. (Route 30) in Westborough. The store is within the Boroughs Collective, a nonprofit shared space that is the brainchild of Anna Leduc of Leduc Art & Antiques. Leduc rents out space to small business owners who are seeking a brick-and-mortar presence.

"I had another location for a few months at 57 East Main St.," Orsini said. "My lease was coming up and I found out about The Boroughs Collective, and it is just the perfect space for me."

A comfortable space to read inside The Boroughs Collective

Hygge (pronounced "hugh-ga") is a Danish term that refers to a lifestyle of being in the present and content. Orsini's section of The Boroughs Collective represents that belief system, as her area is full of lamps and squashy armchairs for reading, as well as small comfort places for children.

"I first heard the term 10 years ago, and I always thought it would be a cool theme for a bookstore," she said. "It really means to like, cozy up and not be distracted by outside things."

Orsini hosts weekly reading events for people of all ages. She especially hopes to directly help children get invested in reading at an early age, something she learned from her background as a teacher.

"During the COVID-19 school year, I got to teach a class that allowed me to design my own curriculum," Orsini said. "I discovered a way to get kids to pick the books they wanted to read, and it was a really successful way in encouraging them to read."

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For Orsini's latest goal, creating a nonprofit that she calls "Book Nooks," she hopes to construct small book spaces in underprivileged areas, allowing people to access and own books for free.

"There have been surveys that go around neighborhoods and ask households how many books they own," Orsini said. "If a certain percentage of households respond that they have under 100 books, those areas are called 'book deserts.' We want to be able to bring access to books to those areas, and unlike a library, people can own these books."

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Orsini said these areas often struggle with childhood literacy. By giving people, especially children, access to free books, she hopes to get those groups more interested in reading.

"If you didn't grow up in a household that reads, chances are you're not going to read as much," Orsini said. "There are many reasons for why that could be the case. If English isn't someone's first language, they may not feel comfortable reading a book in English to their children."

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The Book Nooks concept is similar to Little Free Libraries— small book stops that private residents have on their own property. But Orsini said she is specifically targeting book deserts.

"The thing about the Little Free Libraries is that they're often in wealthier areas, where book access is already pretty prevalent," she said. "We're looking for areas that really the lack that book infrastructure. And you don't have to bring the book back, we want to continue to update the Book Nooks so there are always new books for people."

Orsini has worked with Woo Fridge, a nonprofit that fights food insecurity in Worcester by providing community refrigerators for the public to access, by pairing Book Nooks with fridges spread throughout the city. She hopes to expand the effort, fighting book shortages wherever they may be.

"The next big step is getting an official nonprofit designation. Then we can get more partners in the community and really expand," Orsini said.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Westborough woman aims to get people young and old to read more books