Friends of the Seminole County Library Bookstore

Happy to report as of Monday morning the pipe is fixed and the library building is open. Our thanks to the crew that gave up its Sunday.

Mother said there would be days like this; a water main break in the library has closed the building and, of course, the Friends of the Library Bookstore. At last word a repair crew was on the scene, but the store will remain closed until the work is completed and the building reopens. Please hold off on delivering any donations until then, too. Stay tuned.

A quick note, we will be back in normal operation as of Noon, Tuesday the 17th. One thing you can count on: puzzles. Lots of puzzles. Usually, when donated puzzles come in, they go right on the shelf next to the cashier’s desk. Lately they have been circling back in the work room waiting for a space to land so the shelves are filled with new (to us) offerings.
Yes, the picture is an old one, but you get the idea. 😉

First, a reminder the Seminole County Library and The Bookstore will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Next, we would like to draw your attention to a rare but not unique new offering in our Foreign Language Area (down aisle 5 just past center and on your left) where you can find both language guides and literature in various languages. The newest arrivals are some beautiful volumes in Farsi, mainly dealing with classical poetry and stories from that ancient culture. Some of the books are bilingual if you, or anyone you know, might enjoy a deep dive into a Persian experience.

If this is January, this is the month to start working off all that holiday food and beverage, to resolve to get more exercise and watch the diet. Uh-huh.
To help you avoid loosing a bet with yourself, the bookstore elves have pulled out the best of their diet cookbooks to feature on our welcome table. To…you should pardon the expression…sweeten the deal, they have also pulled out a bunch of the diet and exercise DVDs in stock and put them on a sale cart by the entrance. Better yet, they are Buy One, Get One.
Whether or not you win that bet and keep the resolution, we all wish you a Happy New Year.

We start the new year at noon on Tuesday, January 3 with something of a low-key niche sale: a Buy One, Get One sale aimed at our ‘analogue’ music fans. On top of our normal ‘all media (CDs, DVDs, tapes, and records) a dollar offer, records and sets are now BOGO. If vinyl is your thing, you never know what you are going to find in these recent donations.

An unvetted gift along with our best holiday wishes to all: https://www.facebook.com/ForReadingAddicts/photos/a.153715111423931/5563370390458349/

Once again, Sunday, Dec. 18, is our last day of business before a holiday break until Jan. 3. Just to make it interesting, we are offering one last “Flash Sale”; all Christmas CDs are ten for a dollar Sunday only. Our remaining Holiday/Christmas books are still available as BOGO (Buy One Get One) and they are all on the Welcome Table by the entrance.
As the year draws to a close, we would like to share a little behind the scenes look at the creative decorations of our Library Staff colleagues who have decorated the doors to their various offices as part of a county wide employee competition. Go team.
Finally, our best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season.

Only a couple more days to visit the store before we close for the holiday break after the end of business Sunday, December 18.
Wouldn’t you know a really interesting Christmas set just arrived; a 14-volume collection for young readers called “Christmas Around the World” published a few years ago by World Book. As of this posting, this delightful set, including some pull-out holiday recipes from the named locations, is set to go on display by the entrance. Not exactly sure of the price, but it will be a great bargain.

First an announcement about holiday hours before we share photos of our Annual Holiday Lunch. The Bookstore’s last day of business this year will be Sunday, December 18 from 1 – 4 pm. We will reopen Tuesday, January 3 (2023 if you are losing track) at our usual time (Noon).
Now on to our yearly display of the volunteers who make all the magic happen all year long as they meet and greet each other at the Annual Friend’s Luncheon. For some, this is really the only time they see each other if their volunteer shifts don’t overlap. For others, it is a chance to socialize with friends they see weekly while busy restocking shelves or sorting donations. The photos are in order from setup to filling plates to socializing to cleanup.

The last of our saved-up Christmas books are on the two for one cart by the front door. Just a couple weeks ago the elves were betting ‘we will never sell all those books.’ Sunday the last of the reserves were taken off the ‘holiday books’ shelf in the back. If you stop in, remember to check both sides of the cart (sometimes it gets pushed back against the wall) as well as the Welcome Table display for seasonal favorites.

A quick reminder the jigsaw puzzle shelf in the front has plenty of new offerings. Donors apparently are making room for an expected bumper crop of holiday gifts. Also keep an eye out for more of those yellow ‘clearance’ stickers around the store. Almost time to clear out our ‘white labeled’ books. That is ‘clear out’ as in ‘give away’.

Hope your holiday went well. We are back at the usual time today (Sunday) with quite a few new items on the shelves.
Remember that music history display on the featured shelf to the right as you come in the door (see the previous post if you need a refresher)? Well, p**f, it was scarfed up in no time. It is replaced with a nice little collection of Stephen King books and stories.
Speaking of nice little collections, our little Genealogy section along the back wall has expanded nicely thanks to a donation from the Central Florida Genealogical society members after their monthly meeting at the library on Monday the 21st. Along with some standard references and a bunch of magazines there are some books related to very specific geographic areas.

The Holidays are here. Anyone else as bemused by that as we are by that?
In any case, the library will close early on Wednesday (and so the store will close at 4 pm-NOTE NEW TIME) and be closed Thursday and Friday.
A reminder there are lots of new books on display in the Children’s’ section; look for the orange price tags to quickly pick out the recent arrivals.
There are some interesting new offerings on the feature shelf, to the right as you come in the store. We thought the juxtaposition of poker tips on the bottom shelf and music history on the next shelf a nice example of our ‘something for everyone’ mind set.

A few special notes as we resume normal operations post storm.
First, attention ‘mystery’ fans; the library has culled its mystery section and the result is a delightful influx of offerings on our ‘new arrivals’ table down aisles one and two.
Second, attention poker fans; a significant donation from one of your fellow aficionados, along with some from our own ‘games’ area, is featured on the specialty shelf on the right by the door as you enter the store. Good luck, or maybe, make your own luck.
Third, attention parents and kids; another significant donation has enriched the selection in the Children’s area. Even if you recently checked the shelves, it may well be worth another visit; the new books cover many age levels and topics.

The Friends Bookstore will be closed Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 9 and 10) for Central Florida's next weather adventure. So will the library as of noon Wednesday. We have not been given any word on the Library's Friday plans (well, Duh, it is a holiday), but of course we are closed as usual Friday and Saturday.

As promised, the end of year holiday books are out and on a BOGO (Buy One Get One) sale cart by the entrance. Not to be outdone, the Welcome Table elves have pulled Thanksgiving themed items for their table.
Now perhaps the biggest seasonal event is the second BOGO sale; EVERY COOKBOOK in the store. Comfort food, party dishes, international favorites, the best from Mom’s kitchen and everything else on the shelves in the last row toward the back, BOGO.
One note though, we describe our holiday sale as including all the various festivities but to be fair this year the vast majority of donations, and hence holiday items on sale, are of the Christmas persuasion. If anyone out there happens to have books on other holidays to donate, please, bring them in, perhaps in a separate bag or box and tell the cashier to notify ‘the sorters’ of the special donation. That way they can be processed and placed on the sale cart as quickly as possible.

The end-of-the-year Winter Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Diwali, and any others that come our way books are right around the corner. In fact, they are being sorted and labeled in the prep room in the left back corner to be precise and are due on the floor any day now.
Meanwhile, if you want to get a jump on something special for those special young people in your life, the volunteers in the children’s section have pulled out some classics and award-winning titles for you.
If you are after shear volume of volumes remember the free clearance table right next to the children’s section. We’ve even added a tissue box stuffed with shopping bags to prove we are serious about clearing them out.

The Casselberry Library is a happening place with early voting going on at the other end of the lobby. The parking lot is fuller than usual, but it is rather like a parking lot at a mall in the holiday season with fairly quick turnover.
There are a couple of interesting items on our shelves by the window ahead of you as you walk into the store. If the arts are your thing there is an interesting collection on the coffee table shelf dealing with many of the great names in Western culture.
Or, if you prefer the sciences, there is an interesting collection of the Life Magazine Science Library on the cart in that same area.

A little treat for the kids to sweeten their trip to the library and bookstore; a book of their own to keep for free. It’s our way of supporting the joy of reading in young people. (Now the fine print which kids should learn to read, too- it applies to books up to a dollar and for folks 18 years of age and under. No purchase necessary.)
And speaking of a dollar, the sale on media, CDs, DVDs and Audio Books, is over, so the price is back to one dollar a disk.

Struggling to avoid overt references to “Love for Sale” or even “Almost Free Love”, we note all romance novels are alluringly price at 10 for a dollar. All means all; those enticingly placed on a cart by the door and those demurely waiting in the regular romance section.
A reminder to check all your favorite sections for new selections sporting the bright new gold labels.

“The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.” -- Omar Khayyam.
This is certainly true at the Friends Bookstore. From the pithy little truths posted on the information white board to the featured items on the Welcome Table to the stock on all the shelves, what is offered today is offered today and when it is off to a new forever home it is gone until someone else happens to donate the same book or the new owner decides to recycle it.
It is easy to see the new now arriving; they are the books with the bright, cheery orange price tags.

The last week has certainly reminded us we are not separate from our environment. If you would like to know more that science has to say about that check out the weather, climate and environment sections of the physical science area along the back wall. There is even one dense tome on water management. Just looking at the size of it tells you something about what the utility engineers are facing at the moment.
We are again accepting book donations, but we must state the obvious; we can only accept books in good condition. If in doubt because it is ‘only slightly damaged’, please, don’t bring it in.
We have noticed an increase in sociability among patrons; lots of stories are swapped in the aisle ways and at the checkout counter, sharing experiences and adventures in the recent ‘interesting times’ we have all shared. That may be an affirmation of the welcoming atmosphere the store offers for like minded book lovers. We hope so.
If books helped you through the storm, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

OK, We're back. Normal hours. Normal great deals.

Well, hasn't this been a long few days?
The plans of one small bookstore don't amount to a hill of beans, to paraphrase Rick in Casablanca, but so far in the fog of recovery no decision has been made on reopening. That could change any minute of course. The library, according to Seminole County, is slated to reopen today (Monday):

Hurricane Event | Seminole County Seminole County Office of Emergency Management is continuing to monitor and prepare for Hurricane and hurricane

Don’t you just hate it when reality gets in the way of your reading plans? Well, it is about to.
The bookstore is closing Tuesday, September 27 through the rest of the week. The status of the library is pending at the moment. You can watch for updates here: https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/seminole-county-library/index.stml/.
The bookstore plans to reopen for regular hours as soon as possible after the storm but be advised that is contingent on the impact of the storm on the facility and of course the volunteer staff. We will post updates on this page.
Also note no book donations will be accepted during the closure, so please do not leave anything outside the doors in hopes they will survive the storm.
Finally, the graphic with this post is only good for mid-day Monday, September 26, 2022. If you want up to date maps, try: https://spaghettimodels.com/.

There was some talk of keeping up with the big stores and going right to the winter solstice holidays but sticking with tradition the Welcome Table crew opted to feature ‘the next big thing.’ Are turkey cook books waiting in the wings?
Halloween was the next big thing before all those projected hurricane paths started showing up all over the Florida map. This could be an interesting week coming up. We will keep you posted on any impact on store hours, provided we have access to the internet.
Incidentally, we have a nice offering of weather and climate books in the Physical Science section at the back of the store.

How does a person become ‘Senior Volunteer’ after only 18 months with the Friends of the Seminole County Bookstore?
Well, our volunteer Mary did it this week by, as she put it, “turning an age with a two and a nine in it for the second time.”
Her involvement with the Friends began quiet by accident one day when she happened to visit the store, noticed the volunteers, and asked about opportunities. “I love it here with the other volunteers and with the customers,” she enthused recently. “I was looking for something to do and be around people and this is perfect.”
Mary’s career has ranged from running a tuxedo shop to handling payroll for a large company. Here she focuses on “Hard cover fiction. I do all areas as needed, but hard cover fiction is my favorite.”
If you happen to see Mary darting through the aisles, ask her to show you around and maybe ask about volunteer opportunities, too.

Paperback book section update: It’s back, as promised.
Those bare shelves that startled you when you walked in are closer to their usual configuration with a slightly altered arrangement that might make it even easier to find your favorite authors. Plus, the stacked books actually make for more titles per foot of shelf. More new (to us) books; same low price.

The Welcome Table says ‘farewell’.