Both The Guardian and the BBC spotlight “Bookcrossing,” a scheme created by a pair of British book-lovers to hand out free paperbacks to subway riders at a selection of supervised kiosks every month. Instead of the ubiquitous commuter dailies highlighting the latest “useless celebrity,” according to cofounder Alfie Boyd, riders can immerse themselves in something more worthwhile. From the BBC:

[Boyd] began the scheme with friend Claire Wilson to give commuters an alternative to the “tonnes of free newspapers dished out and thrown away every day.”

[…]

All the books were donated to the scheme by the pair’s friends and members of the public.

Once they have finished each commuter is encouraged to add their name to a list of readers inside its cover before returning it.