Great Cheap Books!

If you're hungry for book bargains, start counting down! The Semi-Annual Used Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library is only 27 days away. Of course, that's if your Friends membership is current and you're coming on Thursday night. If it's not, or you don't have one, you can purchase or renew at the door that evening.

Here are the dates and times for the Book Sale. You DO NOT want to miss this. We restock all weekend so if you miss Thursday evening, it won't be all picked over by Friday afternoon!

Thursday, September 25 -- 6-8:30 p.m.
Friday, September 26 -- 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, September 27 -- 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 28 -- noon - 3:30 p.m.

Prices range from .50 for rack paperbacks to $1.50 for hardbacks in like-new condition! Sure, there are some higher prices for exceptional or rare books, but overall these are FANTASTIC bargains.

Where do all these books come from? Donations, donations, donations! We have the most wonderful community of donors, many of whom practice the ultimate recycling! They buy cheap books, read them, and donate them for the next sale! What a very cool way to support the library programs and keep your house from getting overwhelmed with books!

See you SOON!

/kw

Great Gift for A Child!

This book, Princess Ruby and The Moonman, is signed by the author and in a perfect dust jacket. What a wonderful gift for a very special child. This book, and many other treasures, are available at our Amazon.com storefront. And in a little over 3 weeks, the Amazon books will be available locally at our Semi-Annual Used Book Sale. Be sure to renew your membership or set one up so you can have first look at Friends Night, 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, September 25. Members of the general public come in on Friday at 10 a.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

/k

What's Missing From This Photo?

Look at all these friendly faces! Why are they smiling? Because they've just finished setting up the Spring 2008 Semi-Annual Used Book Sale at Reston Regional Library.

We are so grateful to our volunteers. Some work with us year-round. Some come just for the semi-annual sales. All are absolutely integral to the success of the Friends of the Reston Regional Library.

We would love for YOU to join us so you can be in the picture too! If you're interested in helping set up, or do other jobs, please send an e-mail to restonfriendspr@gmail.com Give us your name and phone number and our Book Sale Boss will give you a call.

Oh yeah, what's missing from this photo? YOU!

/k

Counting Down!

Yep! The countdown has begun! It's a little over a month until the best semi-annual used book sale in Virginia kicks off! What makes it the best?

1. We restock all weekend. Just because big buyers show up the first day doesn't mean all the "good" stuff is gone. Come back between soccer games and you're just as likely to find something good as the first time you stop by.

2. We have the most in-tune volunteers around. Some of them who help with set-up are so knowledgeable about what's been stocked in their area that they can help you find titles that might be up your alley. Not exactly personal shopping, but close.

3. Rare and wonderful books. Some of our volunteers have eagle-eyes in spotting books that are worthy of a second look. But, like all book sales, we don't catch them all. So there's a chance you'll be the one to find the gold nugget in the mine.

4. Fun -- we know you don't want to wait in line and we know you want to find EXACTLY what's on your list. We can't fix either one of those things to a degree of perfection, but we can try to minimize your wait, and we can try to offer you good alternatives. And the fun part -- we try to do it with a sense of humor.

Speaking of alternatives, here are some books on our Amazon site that are just right to whet your whistle!

See you on Friends' Night -- Thursday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m.!

/kw

Back to Basics...uh...BOOKS!

The VHS tapes are gone, the money is deposited and we can declare our third summer mini-sale a success! What? You think you missed one? Well, first we did the Cats Pajamas sale. Next we did the National Geographic clear-out. Finally, we have just finished the VHS sale. This has been a busy summer for the Friends volunteers!

We are unlikely to be that busy in such a short time again any time soon. Two of the sales were driven by a need for space. The National Geographic clear-out opened up space in our storage shed where we keep books awaiting the Semi-Annual sales. The VHS sale opened up space in a different storage area where we pre-position the CD/DVD/Books on Tape for the Semi-Annual sale.

Since we won't be accepting either National Geographic or single VHS tapes anymore, we'll be able to accrue more of the stuff that you LOVE to purchase at our Semi-Annual Used Book Sale!

And speaking of that, it's on the calendar and we're counting down.

Friends Night is Thursday, September 25. Make sure your membership is current!

We open to the public Friday, September 26 at 10 a.m.

If you're one of Charly's faithful volunteers, you'll be hearing from her soon. If you'd like to be one, get in touch with her ASAP. We will train you so that the match between the needs of the organization and the desires of your heart will be a good one.

This week on Amazon are the books above. Go to our storefront to see more!

/kw

VHS Sale Success!

We are mid-way through the VHS sale and have sold over 800 of the tapes! We began the day with slightly over 1200 tapes on Saturday the 9th. Hurry over today, Sunday, because Charly's skill with restocking at just the right moments ensures that everyone is able to find something to take home!

Thank you Friends for supporting us through donations and sales!

Mark your calendars now for the HUGE SEMI-ANNUAL Used Book sale. Last weekend in September. We'll kick off the event on Thursday evening, September 25, for Friends night -- members only!

/kw

Apollo, What's Cookin'

Does anyone remember the excitement of watching men step on the moon for the first time? I was a child and remember going to a neighbor's house because they had a 'good' TV. I'm sure when my children see that footage now they have all kinds of questions about why the picture resolution was so poor. Technology has marched on! But even with the poor picture quality, the momentous occasion had us holding our breath, and then cheering! It began a life-long fascination with space for many children of the 60's. This book, Apollo, captures every bit of the excitement and drama that the missions to the moon encompassed. At $32 on the Amazon site, it is the perfect holiday gift for a space enthusiast.

Who doesn't need new cookie recipes? As the weather starts to cool and the kids head back to school, it will be time to combine the ingredients to find the perfect after-school snack. This King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion is just the thing to experiment with. It's $18 on the website.

And finally, the French Recipe cookbook gives one great ideas for fall dinners. Step by step instructions help the most hapless among us impress our friends and family. It's only $14.

Why do we put books on our Amazon site instead of saving them for the Semi-Annual Used Book Sale?

We select the books for Amazon based on criteria that include the following:

1. A book of high value in the re-sale market


2. A book that might not get the exposure in a Semi-Annual Used book sale that will allow it to be sold


3. A book that is so cool/unique/interesting/wow that we cannot imagine withholding it from the general public for sale. In other words, a niche book.

As an organization dedicated to raising funds to supplement our library and FCPL library programs, our fiduciary responsibility requires that as we identify donated books we must place them in the best 'market' for that book. For the loyal Friends who come to our on-site sales, don't worry! We save lots and lots of books for you. But the majority of you want to go home with numerous books for the $50 you spend at the book sale -- not just one really unique $50 book -- unless that unique one is JUST the one you've been looking for!

So, we encourage all of you to check our Amazon Reston Friends site regularly to see what's new. If you find something you want, and you are a current Friends member, we will meet you at the library to sell you the book, saving you the postage. Just e-mail us at RestonFriends@gmail.com

/kw