Reading novels in another language

While I was in Paris last summer, I found a weekly book market in a little park.  There were some nice collectible books, but what I was really after were cheap paperbacks.  French fiction is hard to come by where I live, even at my local library, so this little market was perfect for my needs.  I found box after box of used paperbacks.  I ended up with a dozen different books, trying to find some familiar French names.  So far, I have made it through L’etranger de Camus, which was not too difficult – I think existentialism lends itself to simple text.  I have also read Gigi de Collette – yes, the same one that the movie was based on!  That one was more flowery in the vocabulary.  I don’t understand every word, and sometimes I am not able to use a dictionary, but I do think it is beneficial to read anyway, to try and make sense from the context and from what I do know.  I’m sure I get some of the ideas wrong, but overall, I believe it is increasing my fluency.  I keep a book tucked into my purse, and whenever I have to wait somewhere for 10 minutes or more, I read a bit.  Now if there were just more hours in the day!