Bestselling author and bookstore owner Ryan Holiday has opened a free lending library in downtown Bastrop stocked with books that have been banned, restricted or removed from classrooms and library shelves.
The Banned Books Lending Library, located at 914 Main St., operates on a “take a book, leave a book” model and is open to anyone who wants access to the collection.
“We built something to give back to our community — and to shine a light on how broken this system really is,” Holiday wrote in announcing the opening.
Holiday said the project took six months to complete. Photos show books arranged in wooden crates surrounding a large sign reading, “Banned Books Library — Take a Book, Leave a Book.”
The collection includes works by authors such as Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, J.D. Salinger and Roald Dahl, along with children’s classics and books addressing history, race, politics, gender and sexuality.
Holiday had previously asked supporters to send banned or censored books to The Painted Porch Bookshop, the independent bookstore he owns nearby at 912 Main St.
“Read what they’d rather you not see, not know, not think,” Holiday wrote. “Wrestle with it. Challenge it. Disagree with it. And above all — learn from it.”
The opening comes amid continuing disputes over access to books in Texas schools and public libraries. PEN America reported that Texas, Florida and Tennessee accounted for about 80% of the more than 6,800 school book-ban instances it recorded nationwide during the 2024-25 academic year.
The American Library Association separately documented 5,668 books banned from U.S. libraries in 2025, with hundreds more relocated or placed behind parental-permission requirements.
Holiday is known for writing extensively about marketing, media and Stoic philosophy. His books include “Trust Me, I’m Lying,” “Growth Hacker Marketing,” “The Obstacle Is the Way,” “Ego Is the Enemy” and “The Daily Stoic.” His publisher says his books have sold more than 10 million copies and appeared in more than 40 languages.
Holiday and his wife, Samantha, opened The Painted Porch in Bastrop in 2021. The store carries a deliberately limited collection of books selected by its owners rather than attempting to stock every new release.
The new lending library expands that literary presence onto the sidewalk and offers readers access without requiring a purchase, membership or permission slip.
“Take a book. Leave a book,” Holiday wrote. “Read freely.”
Texas Reporter 