Boîte à Lire in Feillens, Ain (01)

This is quite a smart one too, although the wire scratched me. As compensation  (really out of interest) I took Patrick Besson and Danièle Thompson's La Boum: they were the scenarists of the film which launched Sophie Marceau.

Boîte à lire, Saint-Hymer, Calvados (14)

And what could enhance the rather idyllic setting at Saint-Hymer than a well-maintained boîte à lire just in front of a stream and behind a bench for reading the books? I came away with Marc Pasteger's Incroyable mais belge, a collection of often bizarre Belgian-related events.

Boîte à lire, Évreux, Eure (27)

A staunchly secular boîte à lire in Évreux, with a strict rule: 'rappel : AUCUN LIVRE sur la religion MERCI'. It seems to be run by 'Carrément Voisins', who also advertise a poetry meeting here.

Boîtes à lire in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire (37)

Well, two boîtes à lire in Amboise anyway: I've no idea if there are any more.

Boîte à lire in Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois, Indre-et-Loire (37)

Another boîte à lire, and quite an impressive one too. Pity I couldn't figure out how to open the latch on the lefthand side, but in spite of the large number of possibilities I didn't find anything to interest me anyway.

Boîte à lire in Saint-Épain, Indre-et-Loire (37)

With its connections with the wonderful Raymond Queneau, it would be a disappointing not to see a boîte à lire, and sure enough there is one. I came away with a book on mushrooms. Now what could that possibly have to do with Queneau?

Boîte à lire, Draché, Indre-et-Loire (37)

A rather different boîte à lire in Draché, and interesting to find a book on Descartes (both the philosopher and the nearby village which is now named after him).

Boîte à lire, Véretz, Indre-et-Loire (37)

An interesting boîte à lire (here called niche à livres), by the church in Véretz, in the shadow of the white mulberry tree, and quite well stocked. I couldn't resist picking up Queneau's Pierrot mon ami.

Boîte à lire, Vue, Loire-Atlantique (44)

With a name like Vue, how could such a village not have a boîte à lire? And this at the time of the visit was quite a well-stocked one. I like the stuck-on stork in the reeds carrying a baby: so appropriate, as books have given birth to countless progeny, countless ideas. I came away with Éric Faye's Le Mystère des trois frontières. I recently noticed that the ten or twelve French novels I left at the boîte à lire in the E. Leclerc car park have all disappeared, plus the highly specialised English books on obscure viruses: is someone taking the piss by making a profit out of this, as it is counter to what I believe to be the spirit of the boîtes à lire?

Boîte à Lire, Lisieux, Calvados (14)

I believe the boîtes à lire in Lisieux conform to the same structural pattern, as in for instance Dijon, so I just include one of them here: this is in the town centre, and although I spotted a much fuller one in a tiny park a few hundred yards from the Basilique Sainte-Thérèse, this is my first sighting of these superb creatures in Lisieux.

Boîte à lire, Fère-en-Tardenois (02), Aisne (02)

This small boîte à lire is in front of the mairie in Fère-en-Tardenois. As for Fère-en-Tardenois being the Capitale mondiale de la poésie à 2 mi-mots, I'll look into that tomorrow.

Boîte à lire in Lacroste (71), Saône-et-Loire (71)

This is probably one of the smallest Boîtes à lire I've seen, but then Lacroste only has a population of over 700. All the same, there was no room for any more books here, and I relieved it of Jean Giono's Les Récits de la demi-brigade. We just love Lacroste.

Boîte à lire in Ars-sur-Formans (01), Ain (01)

I just love Boîtes à lire, and even if I can't find anything that pleases me – for the record in the three weeks I've been here I've given back far more books than I've taken – these mini-libraries are super. I don't think they'd work in England for many reasons, but then France is a different universe. This is in Ars-sur-Formans (Ain). 

Boîte à lire, La Coudre (71), Saône-et-Loire (71)

 La Coudre is a tiny village which nevertheless has a boîte à lire:

Boîte à lire, Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey (01), Ain (01)

It's odd that we've only come across two boîtes à lire after more than two weeks in France, but then that's how it sometimes is I suppose. We first deposited a bag of read and no longer wanted French books in Épernay near the Mairie, didn't find anything of interest there, nor here in Saint-Sorlin, and I wonder if Covid-19 is in some part responsible for the lack of books. It would be a pity if it were: these are vital sites for the transmisson of culture.

Boîte à lire in Montbard, Côte-d'Or (21)

An interesting and quite fully packed one, this.

Boîte à Lire in Bâgé-le-Châtel, Ain (01))

This Boîte à lire in Bâgé-le-Châtel (actually called a Cabane à livres) didn't prove fruitful for me in any way,  but I applaud the existence of these wonderful structures, which have introduced me to so many books (and some authors) I'd not heard of. If only these tiny free bookshops could exist elsewhere and spread knowledge without mindless commerce.

Boîte à Lire in Sornay (Saône-et-Loire (71))

A rather stylish Boîte à lire (here called a Boîte à Livres) in rather unstylish surroundings: at the side of the public toilets. But anywhere is better than nowhere!

Boîte à Lire, Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire (71))

And yet another Boîte à Lire, which I'd not noticed when we were last here two years ago. I collected Régis Jauffret's Bravo and Rebecca Lighieri's Les Garçons de l'été. I'm sure they're worth reading, but maybe not so much that I'd want to keep them, so they'll go back to some other Boîte à Lire in September I'm sure: that's what the cultural community is all about. Read, then pass on unless you really love a book.

Boîte à lire, Tramayes (Saône-et-Loire (71))

Yet another open Boîte à lire (here called Grenier aux livres and in Tramayes).