A novel set free
This book travels
Found Que la terre nous soit légère in a public book box? Someone left it there for you.
Each copy carries a handwritten message from the author, a date, a place. Yours has a story. And that story continues with you.
Already read it? Get a signed copy0
copies in the wild
0
cities visited
0
regions explored
0
countries
Manifesto
Why book boxes
I love book boxes for what they stand for: exchange, solidarity, a circulation that escapes money.
You leave a book without knowing who will take it. You take one owing nothing to anyone. No transaction, no algorithm, no target reader. Just a form of trust between strangers.
And above all, there is chance. You come across a book you were not looking for. An encounter no one arranged.
That is also why I leave my own books there. In a saturated market, where a small publishing house stands little chance of being seen, I would rather let them circulate another way too.
Every copy left behind is a bet: that a book and a reader who were not looking for each other will end up, by chance, meeting.
The book boxes
103 book boxes across France and Switzerland.
Swipe for more →
The principle
How it works
Joan leaves a book
One copy, a handwritten message, a date. In a book box, on a bench, in a cafe, at the station.
You find it
You come across it, you take it. 584 pages between Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe. It's free and you owe nothing.
You pass it on
Put it back in a book box, lend it, talk about it around you, share it on social media. That is how the book keeps travelling.
Pass the page on:
The map
Where the book is now
Each point marks a book looking for its reader.
Tap the map to mark where you found it.
113 copies in the wild
Their photos
On Babelio
The reviews
4.29/5 on Babelio - 27 reviews
"A truly beautiful novel, I took great pleasure in reading it. So many emotions too - some passages left me deeply moved."
- HundredDreams, Babelio
"A story that moved me, angered me at the world, and gave birth to hope."
- MarcFaux, Babelio
"Hard to summarise this rich novel, this human adventure that I took as a tribute to all those forced, forgotten travellers."
- nanek, Babelio
"Joan Bastide's pen is a brush that paints a graphic novel, beautiful and harsh at the same time."
- Adish, Babelio
"A truly beautiful novel written with tender humanity and considerable harshness."
- diamelee, Babelio
"A fine journey. The author has undeniable knowledge of Africa. A pleasant read, with beautiful quotes and proverbs."
- JeanPierreV, Babelio
Get a signed copy
Did the novel move you? Share your experience and receive a signed copy - to keep, to give away, or to set free in the wild.
Review on Babelio
Post a review - even a short one, just a few lines. Each review makes the novel visible to thousands of readers.
Go to BabelioShare, your choice
A photo of the book on social media (post, story, tweet...) or a trace on this page. The format doesn't matter, it's the gesture that counts.
Send me the links
An email with your Babelio review link + your share link (or let me know you left a trace here). I'll send you your signed copy.
Send my emailWhy these steps? For an independent author with no distribution network, every review and every share opens the door to a new reader. It's like leaving the book in a new box, but on a global scale.
Recommend to your bookseller
Your local bookshop or library can offer it to other readers
Send an emailHitting the road? Find the book boxes scattered along your route.
Plan a route
The author
Joan Bastide
The Baobab Man. Writer, musician, researcher and humanitarian. This novel is his first. It won't be his last.