Spring forward this sale weekend

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, which means you'll want to be sure to move your clock forward by one hour on Saturday night. Otherwise, you'll arrive at our Sunday sale an hour late! Incidentally, the correct term is daylight saving time, not daylight savings time. If you had it wrong, don't feel bad. More people Google the incorrect phrase than the correct one!

 
News from the Library, by E-mail and RSS

If you have ever given the Library your e-mail address, like this newsletter editor did when he signed up for a Palo Alto Library card, you have probably noticed that they are sending you one to a few e-mails per month since the start of the pandemic.

If you haven't been getting these e-mails, and are curious, there's an archive of them here. The messages linked from the archive page have links to a subscription page.

If you prefer this sort of thing in your RSS reader instead of your e-mail, you can get the RSS feed here. (This may open in your RSS reader instead of in your browser.)

The City may also be sending you "Uplift Local" e-mails once a week or so. There is an archive of those e-mails here.

 
What's special for March

February was a busy donation time and FOPAL's sale goers are benefiting with FOPAL's 1st 2022 super big FUN March Sale! Spring is coming, donations are up and we've got plenty of great books, games, puzzles, LPs and more!

Look for several safety procedures and requirements in place for this sale.

• Recommended face covers for all.
• Requesting/administering self-health assessment of customers (don't shop if sick).
• Allowing 80 customers in the Main Room.
• Allowing 90 customers in the Bargain Room.
• Allowing 30 customers in the Children's Room.
• Reduced number of cashiers, and moving most cashiers outside.

The Art section this month is offering a full bay of books on Industrial Design, compliments of IDEO. Look for these displayed on the end bay near the DVDs across for Art/Architecture. For Home & Craft book fans remember you have two big bays to shop from, both are full up with new offerings. The woodworking subsection has been blessed with an abundance of Fine Woodworking journals each priced a mere $3-. For even more Home & Craft books don't forget to check the Bargain Room. The Children's Room shelves are packed full of books and more all waiting to find their way to homes of FOPAL's children's book lovers. Looking for the vintage children's books? These can now be found in the vintage special area in the corner across from non-fiction books. Games & Puzzles shelves are packed! Check out the nearly new games and gently used puzzles all priced to sell. This March's selection is one of the biggest!

 
History

"The History shelves are bursting with books on all topics historical. So much so that we have also filled the 'Special' shelves as you enter the Main Room. To your right we continued our specials for February, Black History Month and President's Day. The Black History collection is very extensive. In the Presidential section we have at least one book on each President from Washington to Kennedy. We also have sections on Canada, Spain and Ireland. In light of recent developments we moved the Russia books to the specials. Perhaps reading about Russian history will help give us an insight into Putin's view of the world and his seeming wish to go back in time to the Soviet Union or Imperial Russia. We also have some wonderful large format books and a section devoted to Napoleon and Joan of Arc on the bottom shelves. Sandwiched between Travel Guides and Travel Narratives on your left are more History books. They are primarily biographies of important historical figures in United States history. Another shelf has books about Hitler and Nazism. Lawrence of Arabia occupies the bottom shelf. The main History section is somewhat reorganized due to the special but look carefully and I'm sure that you will find some tantalizing books to take home with you. Enjoy the search!" -Suzanne Little, History Section Manager and Lin McAllister, Assistant Manager

 
Children's Room

"The shelves are packed for the March sale; donations have rolled in steadily, and shopping has been limited--and our prices for books in almost-new condition are still a real steal. The School-Age Fiction section boasts a great selection of early chapter books, along with the always popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Rick Riordan series. Look for two beautifully illustrated Greek mythology books with an introduction by Rick Riordan! In the Board and Early Picture Books section under the front windows, you'll find our usual abundant display of engaging books for the youngest 'readers.' There are also many picture books about Easter that will capture the imagination of those who await the arrival of the Easter Bunny. Other picture books tell the story of Easter from a religious perspective. On the table near the Religion section, look for books on Purim, Passover, Holi, and Norooz. Our graphic novels/humor shelves are overflowing this month--lots of Bone, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, Nate the Great, and other popular books. The Activities section is well stocked with cookbooks to tempt young chefs and their parents, and American Girl books of all kinds. Plenty of games, puzzles, and toys, too. You won't be disappointed." -Carolyn Davidson

 
Children's Vintage

"Looking forward to seeing you all at the March Sale! The big news is that the little kids' vintage books have been moved and are now located in the same corner of the building as the older kids' books. It is definitely a vintage nook now! I continue to come across children's series books (I particularly have a lot of boys' series books right now) so those shelves will definitely be filling up and turning over in the next few months. Come in and see what we have to offer!" -Lisa Heitman

 
Essays & Short Stories

"Avid readers of both short story and essay collections should be aware that we have a remarkable assortment of books in both categories. There is a strong representation of both hard and soft bound editions. Included are both contemporary authors, whose names will be familiar to readers and writers of importance in the history of literature. There is a goodly selection of works in translation. There are also many anthologies that will provide years of reading pleasure. It is also worth noting that we have works of interest that are collections of letters, works devoted to folklore and fairy tales. Last but not least there are literary journals that are worth taking a look at, especially considering their very modest cost." -Allan Fisch

 
Judaica

"Browse the Judaica section for books on the Jewish religion including editions of the Torah and other basic texts, Kabbalah, Jewish history, the Holocaust, memoirs, Israel, Jewish Women, the Jewish American Experience and other related subjects.

"New this month - The Dawn: Political Teachings of the Book of Esther; From Our Springtime: Literary Memoirs and Portraits of Yiddish New York; The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet; Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press; House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family.

"Most fiction with Jewish themes will be found in Classics/Modern Literature or Current Fiction. Books entirely in Hebrew are shelved in the European Languages section." -Charlotte Epstein, Section manager for Judaica

 
Health

"This month, the Health section has received a number of books on ADD, ADHD, and Asperger's Syndrome. Some of the ADD titles are: Simple Solutions to Adult ADD, The Disorganized Mind, Organizing Solutions (for ADD). Other volumes include The Asperger Love Guide, Aspergirls, Pretending to be Normal, and The ADHD Effect on Marriage.

"Our patrons will find lots of good books on exercise...from Pilates to Weight Lifting. And, look for the new books on cannabis." -Suzanne Cholko

 
Computers

"The Computer section doesn't normally have games or software, but this time offers a Microsoft Flight Simulator package comprising the 4-CD set and two different guidebooks. There is also a computer- related board game on offer." -David Cortesi

 
Mysteries & Thrillers

"Mysteries & Thrillers is including a section that has multiple books of popular authors. The books include Penguin Classic Crime Series from 1950, Agatha Christie, David Baldacci, Andrew Gross, Anne Perry, Lisa Scottoline and Sherlock Holmes." -Cathy Swan

 
Donations

We have made it past Drop-off Donations 3.0 and have returned to accepting donations without the need to make an appointment.

HOWEVER....

We are closed for donations from Sunday March 6 through Sunday March 13 to prepare the Main Room for this weekend's sale. Please hold your donations until Monday March 14.

Please read our donation guidelines before you bring materials to us.

All that said, our normal hours for drop-off donations are Monday through Saturday, 3pm-5pm. (But not the week before the sale.)

 
Suggestions?

We're always eager to hear your suggestions for ways to improve our book sale. Please email us at suggestions@friendspaloaltolib.org.