Library News

The Library have got an events calendar with lots of stuff to do. Big items for March that were noted in an e-mail that went out late in February and referenced posts to the Library's blogs include events for Women's History Month and Nowruz.

-Frank McConnell

 
What's Special for March 2024

Another terrific sale was held in February, which was also held on the Super Bowl weekend. A big THANK YOU to all who spent their time with FOPAL either as a customer or volunteer! Also, February was a strong month for donations, as we saw a steady stream of new/used books coming in, most of which will be for sale this weekend. Anthropology/China is a featured subject this month, a bay is dedicated to what we're calling "2 Stanford Professor donations". Two retiring professors at Stanford University generously donated their libraries. The "2 Stanford Professor donation" books may be found in the History special section as well! Look for reads on China, examining the history of Chinese anthropology from domestic and international perspectives, and much more.

Next, you want to check out a nice selection of Russian-language books. A sizable donation in Russia and about Russia may be found in their respective sections. Our Classic Fiction section manager reports that they'll have a two-bay display of books from a recent donation of Heritage Press/Sunglass classics. In 1935, the Heritage Press was founded for the creation and distribution of more affordable 'semi-luxe' books. "The classics which are our heritage from the past, in editions which will be our heritage of the future" -The Heritage Club. The section for Home & Craft is overflowing, and its section manager Virginia P. has all these reads and "how-tos" priced to sell!

If the rain keeps you away from the sale this weekend don't forget you can shop for books, puzzles, DVDs, or CDs during the week, and non-sale weekends. Regardless of the weather we encourage you to visit the Friends of the Library Bookstore in the Mitchell Park Library, or the FOPAL gondolas in the Downtown and Rinconada Libraries. These sales areas are open during library hours and restocked weekly with new books on various subjects. And, to shop FOPAL's High-Value books please peruse https://www.ebay.com/str/friendsofthepaloaltolibrary

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!

-Janette Herceg

 
Poetry

March is windy, March is wild,
Hurries like an eager child.
Though Chinese New Year had its time,
Shelves now are full of Chinese rhyme.
And classic poems are on the scene,
From Dante to the Faerie Queene.
So shop the sale, pick up some verse
To make March better and not worse,

Shelf pictures for poetry can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/poetry.html.

-Mandy MacCalla

 
Travel Guides

This section has not been in the newsletter for years, but it has been culled and updated to only include more recent guidebooks (your donations of guidebooks like those from Rick Steves and others from the last few years are very welcomed). We have sections organized by countries internationally, and by states in the US. In CA we have many books on hikes and areas of interest in the Bay Area for families, those with dogs, focused on biking, etc. as well as areas farther afield.

In addition, we often get larger donations focusing on areas of interest to the donor. This month we have several books focusing on lighthouses around the world. You just never know what's in our area at the end of the first block of sections as you enter the main room.

-Vicky Evans

 
Book Reviews, for kids, From a kid

The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder

By Marissa Meyer

A gorgeously spun tale by Marissa Meyer. Set in a sci-fi world where the moon and Earth are locked in a very tense truce. Cinder, the main character, must navigate the tension ridden streets of Earth to try and save her sister Peony. Will Cinder fall before she saves her sister, or will she save her sister?
(Recommended for 13 and above)

The Pout Pout Fish

By Deborah Diesen

A sweet tale for young children about feelings and how to navigate them. Written by Deborah Diesen, this book is an excellent way to help your kids start conversations about the new feelings they're experiencing!
(Recommended for age 5 through 8)

-Emma Chen

 
Home & Crafts

March Home specials include fashion and costume design, from A History of Fashion by J. Anderson Black and Madge Garland, to A Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank. There are style and etiquette guides: Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen, How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp, and How to be a Gentleman by John Bridges. You'll find many titles on interior design, such as Irreplaceable Artifacts: Decorating the Home with Architectural Ornament, and Living with Books by Alan Powers. We have two books by Candice Olson: On Design and Kitchens & Baths. You may get lucky this March with Jerry Baker's Solve It with Vinegar! household formulas. Or try the Reader's Digest Household Hints & Handy Tips for your spring cleaning. We recommend Cynthia Townley Ewer's House Works: How to Live Clean, Green, and Organized at Home. Even better, Less is More: A Practical Guide to Maximizing the Space in Your Home. Our home building and remodeling shelves include: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Building Your Own Home, Do-It-Yourself House Building Step-By-Step, and The Timber-Frame Home: Design, Construction, and Finishing, in addition to other titles.

Crafts books for March feature a beautiful floral arts gift for Women's History Month, My Book of Flowers by Princess Grace of Monaco. Or working from their origin, Pods: Wildflowers and Weeds in their Final Beauty: A Visual Guide from Flower to Pod to Dried Arrangement. This month we have a plethora of coloring books for adults, as well as Origami titles. You'll also find many resources from making paper mache and metal crafts, to gel candles and gift baskets. There is a multitude of Fabric Arts to consider: Weekend Sewing, Family Knits, Knitting Nature, Mini Amigurumi, The Needlework Garden, and Hooks-Only Crochet, among others. Quilting titles include: Last-Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts and for more Women's history: The American Quilt Story: The How-To and Heritage of a Craft Tradition. Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html.

-Virginia Perry

 
Antiques & Collections

March Antiques showcase dolls and more dolls: All Color Book of Dolls by Kay Desmonde, and The Collector's History of Dolls, plus others. Looking for background on that unique kitchen item? Try the Reader's Digest Stories Behind Everyday Things. In addition you'll discover a beautiful Phaidon book: Arts & Crafts Style by Isabelle Anscombe. Find these and other antique guides for your collecting reference.

Shelf photo can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/crafts.html.

-Virginia Perry

 
Children's Room

March blew in like a lion, bringing along several holidays. Look for books for Ramadan (3/10-4/8), St. Patrick's Day (3/17), Nowruz (3/20), Purim (3/23-24), and Easter (3/31). You'll find several bags of plastic Easter eggs, too. Stash pennies inside them, hide them in your garden, and watch the fun happen!

Our Activities section offers some beautiful folk dolls from a variety of countries; games and puzzles; like-new graphic novels; and a set of clear Legos. (If you're the lucky buyer, let us know what you build with these!) On the Non-fiction shelves you'll find several new additions to the Lego and Star Wars collections.

School-age Fiction has some terrific items this month. In Classics all of these are gift quality: The Art of Freddy by Walter Brooks; The Illustrated Book of Myths; A Paddington Treasury by Michael Bond; a beautifully illustrated Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (originally priced at $50); and the 50th Anniversary Edition of Half Magic by Edward Eager. Look on the Fantasy shelves for the Collector's Edition of Harry Potter Film Wizardry (originally priced at $45), new gift collections of the Harry Potter books, and the Collector's Edition of Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts (originally priced at $45). All would make wonderful gifts. Check out the Popular Authors cart for Stuart Gibbs' Spy School series, the Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler, and the Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart. Finally, among the Award Winning Authors books are a Roald Dahl Treasury and two beautifully illustrated Brian Selznick books: Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Stock up on very reasonably priced books for all levels of new readers, and on equally low-priced DVDs of Disney and Harry Potter films, along with children's films you may not be familiar with. Good for a rainy day!

The picture book bins are full as ever. Be sure to look for the Magic School Bus series, always popular and appealing to young readers. If you're looking for a gift book, check out the giftables shelves near the cashiers' table. Beautiful bargains galore.

-Carolyn Davidson

 
Philosophy

This month we have received a fine donation of ten books by the French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984). These are on the top right shelf with a few other related books. Also we have several books from last month's special on the topic of Emotion still available.

Shelf pictures at https://fopalbooks.com/philosophy.html.

-Nigel Jones

 
Humor

This month's special is a collection of British and Irish Humor ranging from Monty Python, through Spike Milligan to AbFab to Peter Cook and beyond. An unusual and very good book worth taking a look at is the illustrated Three Men in a Boat. We also have books by one of James Joyce's favorite Irish writers (a man of many pseudonyms) Flann O'Brien. Not to forget 23 books by the ever popular P. G. Wodehouse!

The book of the month is without doubt the large hardback The Hirschfeld Century in perfect condition.

Shelf pictures at https://fopalbooks.com/humor.html.

-Nigel Jones

 
Nature

This month in the Nature section, highlight on Global Warming/Environmental books about how to navigate changes in the earth, and what people can do in their own power. If something lighter is needed, check out the dogs section for how to be your dog's best friend.

-Serena Bramble

 
Self Help and Personal Growth

Some featured books in Self Help and Personal Growth this month are: Right Kind of Wrong; Winter Swimming; Big Feelings; Reaching for Personal Freedom; Tribe of Mentors; Think Like a Monk. There are some small books marked down to a third or less of their internet price: Pocket Guide to Emotional Freedom; Calm Yourself; and Finding Balance. Bargains Abound, so come by and Browse for what might Spring out at you. May you have a Marvelous March,

-Marnie

 
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 - Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context; The Bus on Jaffa Road: A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice; Medicine in the Bible and the Talmud: Selections from Classical Jewish Sources; Dreams Deferred: A Concise Guide to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Movement to Boycott Israel; Tastes of Faith: Jewish Eating in the United States; The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People.

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

 
Medicine and Health

The Medicine section has several interesting books this month of which Clara Barton, Professional Angel is one. Clara was an intriguing woman...a nursing angel, but not without her own personal demons. Also intriguing is Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists & Movement Professionals. As Amazon reports, "this book offers a fun approach to learning essential structural anatomy" and can be used by any professional dealing with exercise. As we all have lived through the Covid-19 epidemic, it might be interesting to compare what we know with this volume: Covid-19: Separating Fact From Fiction.

In the Health section, a possible partner to Medicine's Anatomy Trains is Manual of Structural Kinesiology. Health has several offerings for healthy eating, including the Anti-Inflammation Cookbook, Keto Essentials, and 100 Best Foods for Health and Longevity. To accompany the previous books, there are several tomes on Aging Backwards, Successful Aging, and Lifespan: Why we Age, and Why We Don't Have To. Finally, one could read Uncontrolled Spread; Why Covid-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.

-Suzanne Cholko

(Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/health.html.)

 
Sociology/Anthropology

In the upcoming sale, nineteen sub-sections of the Sociology/Anthropology section present 512 books. There are many recently donated books on various aspects of the history of China. They are organized into their own sub-section. Although all sub-sections contain newly arrived books, such sub-sections as Social Movements & Political Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology of Culture, Race, Theories & Methods in Sociology & Anthropology, and Archeology are the leaders. A new sub-section, the U.S.: Self-Reflection, furnishes 23 books, each telling a well-researched and admirably written story about people and life in the country.

-Natalia Koulinka

(Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/social.html.)

 
Mysteries

Mystery Red Cart: The red cart has books by Janet Evanovich and John Grishman. Two top shelves are Evanovich and the bottom shelf is Grishman. All paperback back books on the red cart are $1/ea and the hardback are $2/ea.

Mystery section: We have many new mysteries that have come out in the last two years (2022&2023). They are on a special shelf labeled to show year published. There are also many Louise Penny and Donna Leon books on the bottom shelf in the alphabetized section.

-Cathy Swan

 
SF/F/Comics

There's a small collection of scholarly and critical books on SF. Coincidentally with the movie coming out, I've got a lot of Dune material: a boxed set of the first 6 books by Frank Herbert, and five of the prequels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Some more vintage paperback SF, including two nice Bradbury Bantams from the early 50s. On the Tolkien shelf, there's a pretty little illustrated volume of The Plants of Middle-earth by Dinah Hazell. Comics that caught my eye were Jack Kirby collections, Fighting American from the '50s and New Gods from the '70s, plus three fat omnibus collections of The Walking Dead.

Pictures on fopalbooks.com/scifi.html.

-Rich McAllister

 
History

Last month saw a large donation of books on Chinese history, many in very good condition. See the first display case by the front door for these. We also received substantial donations of books on Medieval Europe, Ancient Rome, Russia and the Soviet Union, and France - from Charlemagne to modern times. In the last several weeks we've received some pamphlets by Karl Marx (reprints) on French history - there was more to him than the Communist Manifesto!

In Western Hemisphere history we've added a section on colonization, with books exploring the interactions between Native Americans and Europeans, both in North and South America. There are several new additions to the post-1860s US section, including Prelude and A Fever in the Heartland: in this election year it's reassuring to read that the country survived times about as bad in the past.

And if you want some lighter reads, the History red cart has some volumes on the odd corners of the past.

-Lin McAllister

(Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/history.html.)

 
STEM

We are still offering substantial selections from the ongoing USGS donation. We also have gotten a spectacular donation from an Intel scientist with impeccable taste in modern STEM books across many interesting subjects. The donation volume has been stronger than usual and all the shelves are bulging full with the best offerings.

Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/STEM.html.

-Edwin El-Kareh

 
Sheet Music

Quality donations have been light for the past few months, but the volume of donations has been steady. So, there will be plenty sheet music in the bargain room and only a few more new titles in the main room. After over a year of absence we now have some decent titles for organ. A few more classical piano pieces have shown up.

Shelf photos can be found at https://fopalbooks.com/sheetmusic.html.

-Edwin El-Kareh

 
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 March 3 through Sunday March 10. Please hold your donations until Monday March 11.

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.