Library News

All branches closed on January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Plan accordingly.

-Frank McConnell

 
What's New in January

Start your journey into your family history this year with our special selection of Genealogy (a subsection of the Reference Section) books. You'll find these gems in the bookcases to your right as you enter. Don't miss out on our Art section, featuring a vast selection of how-to books in the studio art subsection. No matter your skill level or preferred medium, there's something here for you. This month, our Medicine section has been refreshed with a wide variety of new offerings. A big shoutout to our new Medicine section manager, Amy S., for her incredible work! Thanks to generous donations, our Children's Room is fully stocked with an array of books, games, and puzzles. And don't forget to explore the Children's Bargain Room/H2 for even more treasures. We've also received a large collection of Sailing books, now available in the Transportation section with a large portion in the Bargain Room too. These books are priced to move, so sail on over and check them out! Finally weather permitting, our freshly curated Music Pop-Up Sale will be up and running outside this weekend. Don't miss out!

-Janette Herceg

 
Poetry

I'm January bringing you
A year of days - all brand, brand new.
And in these days so cold and drear
Let's make some toasts to the New Year.
First, let's all throw back a brew
For that poetic form Haiku.
Next, join me in a strong Gin Rickey
In honor of our friend James Dickey.
And finally, an iPA
For Edna St. Vincent Millay.

https://fopalbooks.com/poetry.html

-Mandy MacCalla

 
Sociology/Anthropology

Out of 492 books that the Sociology/Anthropology section features in January, I want to draw your attention to two books -- W.E.B. Du Bois's essay, "The Souls of Black Folk" from the 1903 collection of essays and sketches of the same title, and W.E.B. Du Bois's Data Portraits: Visualizing Black America. When the latter was published in 2018, one author wrote: "W.E.B. Du Bois is best known for his sharp, sociological imagination and groundbreaking book of racial philosophy, The Souls of Black Folk. But the writer, historian, and Pan-African civil rights activist also had a remarkable visual mind. Among his many talents, Du Bois was a designer and curator of Black culture, the most explicit example being his data portraits, which vibrantly visualized the complexities of racial segregation, which Du Bois iconically dubbed 'the color line.'"

-Natalia Koulinka

 
Children's Room

Happy new year! Again this month, the Children's Room looks like a "real" bookstore full of good reads, toys, games, and puzzles. We have books for Martin Luther King Day, Groundhog Day, and Valentine's Day--check them out.

In observance of Martin Luther King Day on January 20, at the entrance to the School-age Fiction section we are featuring books by Black children's authors who have won numerous awards (Newbery, National Book, and Coretta Scott King awards): Jacqueline Woodson, Rita Williams-Garcia, Kwame Alexander, and Sharon M. Draper. To add historical and literary perspective, we also include a comprehensive collection of the Uncle Remus tales.

James, by Black author Percival Everett, won the 2024 National Book Award. It is a retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the viewpoint of Huck's companion on the river, Jim. Our Classics section has several copies of Huckleberry Finn. Read it to see firsthand how Everett altered the original story. Our Activity section is bursting with toys, and several big-name brands are well-represented. We have a big selection of NERF blasters and a Power Ranger extravaganza! There are vehicles for all environments--terrestrial, aerial, and extra-terrestrial. We have sports equipment such as hockey gear and NERF golf clubs. Music is well-represented too, including a Casio keyboard and a nicely packaged set of instruments (from F.A.O. Schwarz) for a toddler musician. For quieter pursuits, you'll find several puzzles ranging from the floor variety to Ravensburgers. And, as usual, we have many math books, as well as shelves bursting with graphic novels.

The Non-fiction section, according to its manager, has "nothing exceptional, just our usual excellent collection of non-fiction books." There are books on space, biography, art, history, true adventure, dinosaurs, Native Americans, Lego, Star Wars films, science, and many other subjects. If you've never shopped this section before, give it a look--you're sure to find something to pique your child's interest.

Beginning Readers features many inexpensive sets of books for early readers, lots of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books, and even a fun matching/dominoes game with the Mo Willems critters.

-Carolyn Davidson

 
Children's Vintage

We have a wide range of choice in Children's Vintage this month! Not only are the shelves fuller than usual, but Collectibles, World Languages (French, Russian, German), and Golden Oldies (for younger ages) are especially packed with lovely options. Series books feature many Trixies (both picture cover and oval) and many Tom Swift Jrs. Several Thornton Burgess books in dust jackets with mylar protection, a 1st edition Roald Dahl Danny Champion of the World, and an unusual copy of The Wonderful World of Oz anchor the big kids' fiction section. There are several "All About" science books, many in dust jackets, and a matched set of A Child's History of the World and Geography of the World by Hillyer (1950s reprint) rounding out the offerings. And finally, we have an entire collection of vintage puzzles, both block puzzles and jigsaw, for those long January evenings. Shelf pictures are available at fopalbooks.com.

-Lisa Heitman

 
January Book Reviews

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Rosie is a young girl, seemingly the most quiet child in her rambunctious class of elementary schoolers, sees things other people don't. In her mind, one person's trash is another man's treasure. Once all the kids leave the classroom, Rosie goes on an adventure searching for objects that could be of use in her nightly explorations. As soon as the lights in her house turn off, Rosie brings out her creative and wonderful builds from underneath her bed, terrified of showing them to another soul. But when Rosie's great aunt shows up, her desire to help others with her designs resurfaces. Caught between her hesitation and her willingness to help, Rosie will learn to make decisions that greatly affect her life as a future engineer.

Rosie Revere, Engineer isn't just about a girl achieving her dreams, it's about being able to recover from making mistakes, and realizing that sometimes you fail, but accepting that it was only the first attempt in learning. As the world progresses further into STEM, it's important to cultivate that love for it early on in a child's life. Especially that of a girl's. With Rosie being a girl, it was inspiring for many little girls who read it, and it encouraged them to stay with STEM, and not to give up under pressure. Rosie Revere, Engineer is an inspiring force for many girls out there, with powerful messages about life to boot. This picture book is recommended for 3 to 6 year olds.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

When a troublesome orphan was suddenly picked up by a richly dressed nobleman, and told to be a prince, what could go wrong? Sage, one of the many thousand orphans in the country of Carthya, just had the rotten luck to look just like the missing 2nd prince. Conner, a scheming nobleman seeking for a puppet prince to take power, found Sage on the streets and took him back to his duchy alongside two other boys; telling them to be the perfect prince. Since the whole royal family was murdered and the 2nd prince is missing, the country is falling apart. But if Conner finds the perfect impersonator for the missing prince, he can puppet the boy to rule however he would like. So, he devises a game for the boys; whoever does the best will end up being taken to the castle, and put on the throne. The other two boys will be put to death. As Sage learns more about the world around him, he starts to make different decisions that may or may not change the course of fate in this shattered country.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a story about deception. As readers are reading this book, they are constantly kept on the edge of their seats, by the twists and turns of this wild ride. Even though the book may seem boring and political in the beginning, there will be many unexpected things that come into play after an amazing build-up. The theme of deception is found in many levels of the story. Kids will learn that deceiving people and lying will most likely end up in consequences, as well as how lying is sometimes acceptable; everything depends on the situation. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen is recommended for ages 10 - 14.

-Emma Chen

 
Judaica

Browse the Judaica section for books on the Jewish religion and culture 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.

Special interest this month:

• Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust
• The Hundred Years War on Palestine
• The Redhead of Auschwitz
• Mossad Exodd
• 100 Jewish Brides - Stories from around the world (2024)
• The Bible As It Was

Most fiction with Jewish themes will be found in Modern Literature/Classics or Current Fiction. Books entirely in Hebrew are shelved in the European Languages section.

Shelf photos at https://fopalbooks.com/judaica.html

-Charlotte Epstein, Judaica Section Manager

 
Music CDs

Once again, at the January sale, the CD section will be offering NEW (still sealed in MFG's shrink wrap) CDs for sale. There will be over 100 CDs, including Rock, Jazz, Classical/Opera and Soundtracks. These will be offered at a fraction (1/3 to 1/2) of the price of the same items sold on Amazon. Come find that CD that you might be looking for, that's never been used!

In addition, the CD section will be offering over a dozen CD Box sets for sale. These will include Rock, Classical and Jazz, Check it out!

-John Scheibe

 
Self Help/Personal Growth

Some featured books this month are: How to Know a Person; 12 Rules for Life (includes a freebie summary pamphlet); 12 MORE Rules for Life; Anxiously Attached; Ego is the Enemy; Burnout- the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. There are four shelves of 'Popular on Amazon' books and 4 shelves of 'New Arrivals'. The 'Journals' and 'Workbooks' section might be helpful if you want to make 2025 the Best Year of your Life possible!

A SPECIAL OFFER still stands! There are over 50 copies of the popular book Mindset, by Carol Dweck, Stanford psychologist. It features transformative insights into redefining success, building lifelong resilience and supercharging self-improvement. There's enough to teach a class, run a workshop, have a study group or give to friends. Buy 10 or more and pay only $1 per book (tear off a tag from the posted notice to show to the cashier).

-Marnie

 
Music

Pop Up Music Sale will return to its usual location under the tents next to the Main Room ramp. There are many new titles including very clean boxed sets that are user-friendly priced.

Music Books Section includes a Red Cart full of great Beatles books.

-George Chaltas

 
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Comics

We've got nearly a full shelf of "Dune" books, The original series, sequels, prequels, and whatever you call a later book that goes between the original volumes 2 and 3. We continue to have a lot of less-frequently-seen older paperbacks, including almost every title published by Airmont Books; a set of the original "Star Trek" script adaptations by James Blish; and a little collection of Lancer and Ace Howard and Burroughs titles with the classic Frank Frazetta covers. Fantasy hardbacks galore, with lots of recent books by Leigh Bardugo, Gail Carriger, Sarah Maas, Brandon Sanderson, Martha Wells, and more.

In Comics, check out the magazines on the bottom shelf for a bunch of Marvel Conan titles, both normal-size full-color and jumbo black-and-white.

-Rich McAllister

 
Donations

We accept donations on Monday through Saturday from 3-5 pm in the Main Room. But we close to donations in the week before the sale so that we can prepare the Main Room for the sale, which means that we are closed for donations from Sunday January 5 through Sunday January 12. Please hold your donations until Monday January 13.

We will also be closed Monday January 20 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

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

 
Suggestions?

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