SACO — All good things must come to an end, or so I’ve heard. This year, our annual book sale began on July 24th. No book cost more than $1.50 and children’s books were half that price. I know from being one of the people who carried them down from the attic and laid them out on the tables that we had lots of books. Unlike most years when the sale lasts a little over a week, this year, in a season of Covid, we left the book sale open and running. Because of that, we’ve taken in over $14,000 in sales which will go directly toward running the library and museum. Considering that means we probably sold at least 8,000 to 10,000 books, there are still so many left. (And that isn’t even counting the thousands of new donations and withdrawals we’ve already carried up to the attic for next summer’s sale.)

Unlike last year, we now have a need to use our meeting rooms for, well, meetings. Also, although we’ve been very successful with outdoor story times, the weather is getting colder now and those will be moving indoors as well. So the books have got to go! For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been charging just $2 a bag. We need to get rid of the books and go back to normal. As you read this, all the books are free. Yes, that’s right, free. And they’ve got to go.

While it’s true that the selection is not quite as broad as it was in late July, there are still literally thousands and thousands of books to choose from. Especially strong at this point, is the selection of children’s books, which were replenished throughout the summer and fall. There is plenty of fiction. There are still loads and loads of nice cookbooks. There are hundreds of biographies. We still even have quite a few DVDs, audio books and videotapes (especially children’s titles.) Please come in and carry away as many of anything as you could possibly use. If the past year has shown us anything, it’s that everyone needs a library of their own, just to get through quiet days and sometimes lonely evenings.

We have many empty boxes and bags that you can pack your choices into, or you are welcome to bring your own. Right now, I envision that the books must all be gone by mid-November so don’t procrastinate. Now is the time, because, sadly, all good things must come to an end. See you soon!