Tucson book sale

Isn't the Tucson FOL book sale coming up soon? It claims to be the largest in the Southwest. Has anyone ever attended it?

I go every February and October. I don't recall that there is another between those two times. It's a wonderful sale, although shopper competition can be fierce! But there are usually more than enough copies of recent fiction bestseller library discards (at the February sale they went for five for a dollar). Good nonfiction is a bit more difficult to snag. There are generally many children's books, although here is where the jostling is at its most aggressive. Go early, go often: they restock all during the sale.

Upcoming Sale Dates for big Friends of the Library book sales in Tucson:

Oct. 26-Nov. 6, 2007
Feb. 1-19, 2008

If you can hold off buying new books you want, start a list and take it with you to the sale; your savings will make it well worth the deferred gratification!

I went to the Pima County FOL books sale today: Most nonfiction of recent vintage was snagged by earlybirds. Books on tape were depleted by the first shoppers as well. Not the usual complement of mystery, scifi, or children's books. Plenty of failed fiction: copies of Tom Wolfe's "A Man In Full" and Scott Turow's "Limitations" and Updike's "The Terrorist." And gazillions of any book by Michael Crichton. Plenty available by Jean Auel and Tim LaHaye and of course J.K. Rowling. Library discards are 5/$1.00 or 25 cents each. "Speciality" fiction (mystery, sci fi, westerns) are $1.00/each. Books are restocked every day of the sale.

It's time again for the great Tucson Friends of Pima County Library booksale. It's really worth checking out if you're in the area. Today is members only day but the public sale starts tomorrow, May 10. The schedule is posted at http://www.ftppl.org/calendar.htm . And one of the great things about LibraryThing is that you can just print off a list of books you have for any tag and take it to the shelves with you. (I do that with mysteries and SF since they all look alike to me after awhile!)