The district of Seine Maritime on northern France has invented a fabulous way to delight people who like to spend time on region’s many beaches. In July and August, 12 mini libraries are established on the beaches of towns and villages along the coast from Le Havre to Le Treport. The selection consists of 12 000 titles ranging from novels to comics.

The annual Lire a la Plage (Read on the beach) operation has supplied books to beach-goers since 2006. This summer, 13th mini library is open at Transmanche Dieppe-Newheaven, providing book lovers both French and English titles.

Here is a video that shows how the library on the beach works (the clip is in French, but shows the facilities, and how people enjoy it):

The beaches where books can be loaned are located in Fécamp, Le Havre, Sainte-Adresse, Yport, Étretat, Dieppe, Criel-sur-Mer, Tréport, Saint-Jouin Bruneval, Saint-Valery en Caux, Saint-Aubin sur Mer and in Veules-les-Roses.

The summer beach libraries in Seine Maritime are open from July 8 until August 26. Open daily in the afternoon from 2pm until 7pm.

Photos by Actualitte.