IN the tiny village of Nieu Bethesda, tucked away in the Sneeuberg Mountains near Graaff-Reinet, is one of the best independent book shops in the country, according to a list published last year by Traveller24.
As well as stocking a fine selection of books in the shop, owner, Victoria Nance, has created what is thought to be the only Little Free Library (LFL) in the Karoo, and one of the few in South Africa.
The LFL concept originated in the United States in 2009, when Todd Bol of Wisconsin built a model of a one room schoolhouse in tribute to his mother, a teacher who loved to read. He filled it with books and put it on a post in his front yard.
His neighbours and friends loved it, so he built several more and gave them away. Since then, the idea has spread around the world, with more than 90 000 LFLs now registered. The idea is simple: take a book to read, for free, and replace it with one of your own.
Nance built her library about two years ago, from a converted bedside cupboard. “I also added a roof, to match the house,” she explained.
It is small, only holding about 15 books, but proves popular with both residents and visitors to the village. She mostly stocks it with crime fiction, with a few classics.
“Often, local folk just take a book, read it and put it back, but we have found a few interesting ‘swaps’ in the library,” she added.
The book shop itself is well worth the trip to Nieu Bethesda, and Victoria would love it if visitors could bring a book to exchange to enrich her library stock.
