Bound forever Late bibliophile’s brother donates his book collection one free library at a time By: Eva Wasney Posted: 4:38 PM CST Friday, Nov. 7, 2025

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This article was published 07/11/2025 (328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every day since late September, Tim Brandt has been biking to little free libraries across the city to create a literary memorial to his late brother.

Les Brandt died unexpectedly in July at the age of 75. An accomplished visual artist and avid reader, Les left behind a collection of approximately 2,000 books on everything from mountaineering to birding to atheism to fine art.

Instead of donating the cache in one fell swoop, Tim decided to give each of his brother’s books a meaningful sendoff.

“I wanted to make sure he was remembered. It is a bit like scattering his ashes — spreading his reads to the winds, hoping others enjoy them,” says the fellow bibliophile and former owner of Heaven Art and Book Café.

Tim’s daily routine involves plotting a cycling route using the Winnipeg Public Library’s map of local free libraries and picking a dozen or so books from the boxes occupying his dining room.

“I wanted to make sure he was remembered. It is a bit like scattering his ashes – spreading his reads to the winds, hoping others enjoy them.”

He carefully loads the paperbacks and hardcovers into a black milk crate fastened to the rear of his bike and hits the road, keeping an eye out for unlisted drop spots along the way.

“I like to head in a different direction each day. I’m starting to go further and further afield to find new ones,” Tim says.

So far, he’s visited more than 50 of the city’s hundreds of streetside libraries, which encourage residents to take and leave books free of charge.

On a recent Tuesday morning, he ventured north from his home in Fort Rouge and over the Salter Street bridge to a front-yard library on St. John’s Avenue. The handmade structure is simple and tidy, with wood cladding and a black shingled roof.

Tim places a stack from Les’s collection onto the neat shelves already lined with popular fiction and kid’s books. The deposit includes a mix of titles from Indigenous and Manitoba authors, including Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq and The Chrome Suite by Sandra Birdsell.

He tries to make sure each donation has at least one book bearing his brother’s name. Today it’s a signed, yellowed copy of The One That Got Away: Tall Tales from the Great Outdoors by Ted Stone — a long-forgotten Christmas gift given to Les from Tim in 1990, according to the inscription on the inside cover.

“It’s fun; I always flip through them. I’ve found some little personal notes and lots of funky bookmarks from all over. It’s a good way to keep his memory alive,” Tim says.

Born in Winkler, Les was one of seven Brandt siblings and was older than Tim by six years. He was gregarious and outgoing — a foil to his soft-spoken younger brother, who often cajoled him into joining social events, joking that “BYOB” meant “Bring Your Older Brother.”

Les graduated from the University of Manitoba with a fine arts degree and later became a member of the Manitoba Society of Artists and an instructor at the Forum Art Centre.

He exhibited locally and specialized in colourful mixed-media pieces inspired by nature.

He was an occasional movie actor with several extra credits to his name and worked for many years as a bus driver, leading chartered tours across North America.

Les and Tim shared a love of hiking, biking and Patricia Beach. They met at a café every Sunday morning to play Scrabble. Books were a common topic of conversation.

When little free libraries started popping up in Winnipeg, the brothers began swapping stories about the colourful, creative shelving units they encountered during their travels.

Tim cycles as his main mode of transportation and in 2018 endeavoured to visit every grassroots library in the city by bike. He documented the months-long project on YouTube while distributing copies of the now-defunct Mennonite literary publication, Rhubarb Magazine.

His current effort follows a similar pattern of slow exploration.

Tim isn’t in a rush to finish, even as the chance of snow presses closer. And his bike rides often include neighbourhood detours, such as Tuesday’s pitstop at the Donut House on Selkirk Avenue.

For Tim, the project is about continuing to move through life with Les in his heart and sharing his brother’s adventurous, fun-loving spirit with others.

“I think Les would be glad to know his books are travelling,” he says.

Tim hops back on his bike and pedals off into the grey afternoon. A faux pink flower hangs out of his basket and waves in the wind.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com