News, Specials and Events
Perhaps the snow flurries and cold weather are making you think of the holidays and gift-giving. As I mentioned last week, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza books are now available in the store. And if you are starting to think of buying gifts you will want to mark the date of our annual Gift Book Sale on your calendar. Friday, November 28 is the first day of the sale which has become a highly anticipated annual event. Like-new, gift-quality books are for sale at less than half retail value. Don't forget that in addition to giving the gift of books you can also give a Gift Certificate, just ask at the counter.
This week we have a variety of book sets for sale at half price. Among the sale sets are the Encyclopedia Britannica's The Annals of America and several Time-Life sets, including The Seafarers, The Old West, and Time Frame.
This week you can also get a super bargain on a special selection of older Biography, History, Geography and Travel. What these books may lack in snazzy appearance they make up for in substance and price. Take one of these books home for only 50 cents.
We look forward to seeing you.
The election is on my mind as I write this, but presumably it will soon be over and Americans will have a newly elected president. Some of us will be happy and some of us won't. Each of the candidates has promised change and has expressed the desire to move our country in a new direction. Most Americans seem to be hoping and expecting that change is on the way.
Change can undoubtedly be a good thing. On the other hand it's nice to be able to depend on certain things. You may be able to guess where I'm going with this, after all this is a bookstore blog. You can depend on finding a great variety of gently used and priced books and special features each week at the Friends Bookstore.
Featured this week are Thanksgiving books and Christmas books, music, and movies. We also have selected sets of books at 1/2 price. We even have a 22 volume set, the Dictionary of American Biographies (pub. 1937) that you can make an offer on. We are also continuing to put out extra fiction and mystery for you to choose from.
Take a break from politics and enjoy some time browsing through the bookstore this week.
Temperatures are dropping and many of us turn our attention to indoor activities. I find the cooler weather encourages thoughts of steamy cups of hot chocolate, a cozy quilt and a wonderful new mystery. If that sounds good to you, the Friends Bookstore can help. This week we are making it especially easy to find just the right book to enjoy. We are continuing to offer Book Bundles (four trade fiction books bundled together) for just $2.00! And even though we always have lots of fiction and mystery, both brand new and vintage, hard cover and paperback, this week we are adding even more. We have put out an extra cart filled with great mysteries and fiction to expand your choices.
Two other items you will want to remember include our video sale and our featured Halloween books. This is the last week to get VHS videos at half price. We have a wonderful choice of titles most at a dollar or less. And although Halloween is Friday, you still have time to pick up a spooky tale or two to share with your little trick-or-treaters, and maybe even one for you!
There is a lot of excitement in the Friends Bookstore as we celebrate National Friends of the Library week. Just for starters, 2 lucky patrons per day may win a free "Friend ly" book. Just put your name into our drawing for titles such as You and Me, Poems of Friendship by Sally Mavor, The Firefighter's Best Friend - Lives & Legends of Chicago Firehouse Dogs by T. & D. Orsinger, Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy & many more. Enter as many times as you like. No purchase is necessary for entry and you need not be present to win.
However, you may wish to make a purchase when you see the prices on our budget "Friend ly" specials for the week. Bundles of Books will give you a whole pile of quality paperback fiction for the price of 1 book - only $2.00!
Our viewer "Friend ly" sale is on VHS tapes. The selection is large. All will be 1/2 price. That means most will sell for $1.00 and a few for just 50 cents.
Saturday (10/25) will be children's day. Children may come to the store between the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and make a free Friendship pin. Children's picture books will be 1/2 price all day. Parents - you may wish to do some shopping while your child is making their craft. Any adult accompanied by a child will get 20% off their purchase of adult books (sale items excluded).
Membership Special
Our special offers are not limited to the bookstore. Join us in membership this week and recieve 20% off the regular membership fee (see Join the Friends). You will also get a coupon good for 20% off a bookstore puchase. Sign up a friend along with yourself and you will both get a 30% off coupon. The person who signs up the most new members will recieve a free book of their choice (collectibles excluded) plus 30% off a bookstore purchase.
We hope you will take advantage of this special, in particular. Membership dollars help us support that vital community resource - your library. And also, we can never have too many Friends!
What do poetry, military history, religion and hobbies and crafts have in common? The answer is that these topics are all featured in the Friends Bookstore this week. There is a large and varied selection of books in each of these categories.
There are also a lot of foreign language books in the store right now. Our German, French, and Spanish shelves are full. You can choose from novels, dictionaries, or various other books in these languages and others.
As always we are open Wednesday from noon to 7:00 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Aristotle said, "We make war so we may live in peace," certainly a thought-provoking idea. But for whatever reason, humans have waged wars with each other for as far back as we can trace.This week in the bookstore you will find a large selection of military history books. If you are interested in reading about battles, wars, and military heroes, you will definitely want to check these books out.
While you're at the bookstore be sure and pick up your Halloween books. A spooky, scary story or two will help get you in the mood for carving pumpkins and haunted houses. Halloween will be here before you know it!
This week in the bookstore we are spotlighting several categories of books. National Banned Books Week is observed September 28 - October 4, so we have assembled a collection of books that have been challenged or banned somewhere in the United States over the years. Some of these titles will surprise you. Stop in and look them over. Other categories of books that are featured this week include Art, Michigan-themed books, Religion, and Hobbies and How To.
As autumn approaches our thoughts turn to the natural beauty that will soon surround us. Each fall Michigan provides her residents and visitors with a stunning display of blazing colors as leaves turn to bright reds and yellows. This week in the Friends Bookstore we are celebrating Michigan by spotlighting Michigan-themed books. You can choose from a selection of books about Michigan’s history, architecture, environment, people, and more. You will also find books written by some of the many talented Michigan authors.
Two additional categories of books are being featured this week. Browse through a large selection of Hobbies and How To and peruse the Literature, Classics, Poetry and Drama for that book you’ve always meant to read.
The Friends Sidewalk Sale will be held Saturday, September 13, rain or shine. Unfortunately at this time it looks like it will be raining. Hence, we switch to Plan B. The sale will take place in the Van Deusen Room on the third floor of Central Library. Don't let the rain keep you from the incredible bargains available between 9:00 and 3:30 at the Friends Book Sale upstairs in the library. See the previous post for more information.
Super book bargains are available this Saturday at the Friends Sidewalk Sale. The sale takes place on the sidewalk outside Central Library between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Books are priced at 10¢ a book or $2.00 per bag.
As always you will find a big selection of paperback and hardcover fiction, including mystery, romance, and general fiction. You will also find a larger than usual selection of assorted non-fiction including biographies, memoirs, history, nature and science, and more. Lots of children's books will also be available.
If you come thinking you'll buy just a couple books at 10¢ each, but realize this is a bargain too good to pass up, buy a grocery bag from us for $2.00 and squeeze in as many books as you can. Or bring your own bag, just let us know and we will stamp your hand in exchange for $2.00.
Stock up with some good books for those chilly months ahead. Remember the proceeds from our sales help support the library.