It’s the size of a phone booth (if you remember phone booths) and empty of everything except hope.

It showed up in Sulzburg’s market Square Wednesday. I think it is a place where people can bring their books and take something different. I saw one in Staufen, when we were there a few months ago. That one was full, this one is (so far) completely empty.

The one in Staufen was (if I remember correctly) sponsored by a local service club and there was a box for donations. Nothing like that in Sulzburg yet.

Given that we haven’t lived here that long, I don’t know if this is just an annual summertime thing that will be gone in the fall, or if it is something new. Either way, there probably won’t be many English language books (if any) on the shelves. Then again, I did see a few in Staufen, though nothing I wanted to read.

In theory Sulzburg does have a used book store. I’ve seen it, but have never been inside. The posted hours say the store is open daily, but there has been no evidence of that in the past eight months – it is always closed. When I look through the windows I can see shelves filled with used books. I can also see a car and a motorcycle, under a tarpaulin. They were there all winter. Looks to me like the book business may be on hold.

Fortunately I can fill my reading cravings through electronic books. It isn’t the same as holding a print edition, but it is better than nothing.

Given the location of this kiosk, I will probably be checking there for English books pretty much daily. I’ll let you know if I find any.

(I wrote the preceding on Thursday, intending to post it yesterday. Then I noticed that signs had been added explaining the kiosk. So I held off, figuring books couldn’t be far behind. I was right – Friday there were some books available, though none in English. By waiting though I am now able to give you the complete picture.)