• THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING!: Do some of your Christmas shopping early!

— CHECK OUT OUR SPECIALS:
Best sellers include all the usual suspects–Dan Brown, John Grisham, James Patterson, etc.– at rock-bottom prices: 50¢ for hardcover titles, 25¢ for most paperbacks. Large format (trade) paperbacks are never more than $1.  Newer hardcover books (2008 & 2009) have their own special section and also sell for a mere $1 apiece. Many of these titles have been read only once and are in pristine condition, so do your shopping early for office and reading group parties.
— SHAKESPEARE & OTHER CLASSICS:
Don’t neglect your personal improvement amid the frenzy of Thanksgiving preparations and all that follows. A Shakespeare paperback takes up almost no room, and your reading choice will impress fellow travelers as you wait in line upon line at the airport. Classic novels are alphabetically arranged by author and always worth a look at the Bard Street Book Store.
— COOKBOOK MANIA:
Julia Child flies off the shelves, metaphorically speaking, as soon as any of her volumes show up in a donation box, but Bard Street has many other gently used recipe collections just in time for holiday chefs who have been inspired by seeing and/or reading Julie & Julia.  The jewel among current offerings: Larousse Gastronomique, which retails for $60, priced at a mere $15.
— DVDs AND VIDEOTAPES:
Thanks to a series of generous donations from Ray Martel, we can offer a gigantic collection of DVDs and videotapes at bargain basement prices. Most DVDs are $1 apiece, and VHS tapes are only 10¢. Come early for best selection and stock up for the cold foggy weather.
— CHILDREN’S CORNER:
This inviting area of the Bard Street Book Store has some very special treasures for children and grandchildren. They include The New Junior Classics, Vols. 1-10, originally published by Collier in 1938 and priced at $5 for the set. The Illustrated Treasury of Children’s Literature, c. 1955, with beautiful colored woodcuts, is a steal at 50¢. And a shelf of hardcover learning aids introduces the novel idea of  turning off the computer, as do FunCraft Books (Games, Puzzles, Action Toys, & Activities are included in the paperback series). For audiovisual diversion, all children’s videotapes are now 10¢ each..

• FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.hbfol.org
--- Hermosa Beach Library: 310-379-8475
--- Carol Lawson, Book Sale Chairman: 310-372-2610 — Book donations accepted at the library any time the library is open.

• MONDAY MORNING BARD STREET BOOK SALES: Open hours are still 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. except for Holidays or the Monday before and after each Saturday book sale. Large book donations may be brought to the Bard Street address during these hours, or call 310-372-2610 to arrange for other delivery.

• INSIDE THE LIBRARY: Selections change weekly on the interim book sale shelves located on either side of the aisle leading to Pier Avenue. On display currently are audiobooks, CDs, hardcover fiction & nonfiction, and popular trade (large format) paperbacks.

• BENEFITS FROM BOOK SALE FUNDS: Recent purchases to benefit the library include a microwave for the employees’ lunch room, 30 newly issued DVDs for the rental collection, and two handsome reference desks which were presented during the 50th anniversary ceremony on September 26 (see below).

• 50th ANNIVERSARY PARTY MESSAGE FROM FOL PRESIDENT DOROTHY YOST: Thanks to all 120 guests who attended the HB FOLs 50th anniversary celebration at the open house at the library on September 26th. Hermosa Beach Mayor Kit Bobko was charming in relating his experience reading to young children in the library. All members of the City Council were at the party, as were County Librarian Margaret Donnellan Todd and Regional Supervisor Steve Klein. The refreshments were delicious; special thanks to Laura Mandracchia of littlelaurasweets.com for providing the artistic hand-decorated cookies. Official local and state government proclamations presented to the Friends are now on display at the Bard Street Book Store. Patricia Gazin’s Legacy of a Library (1991) and a brochure describing the 50-year history of the Hermosa Beach Friends group were given out and are still available in the library, at the Bard Street Book Store, and online at hbfol.org.

• CARPET CALL: The Bard Street Book Store is in dire need of a replacement for its worn-out (and unsafe) carpet. A donation of carpeting and 
installation would be greatly appreciated. Please call Dorothy Yost at 310-379-9357 if you can help.