Library News

All Palo Alto City libraries will be closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 15.

They've got a nice events calendar with lots of other stuff to do on other days!

-Frank McConnell

 
What's Special for January

Did your New Year's resolutions include getting physically and emotionally healthy? Check out the current selection in the Psychology/Self-Help section, for your motivational reads for 2024. Looking to improve your overall health this year? Check out the Health section for a vast selection of books on creating wellness. The History section received a large donation earlier in the month, giving its section a wide selection of new offerings. Look for the History Special in the bays to your right as you enter the Main Room. This month, thanks to all our generous donors, we have Ephemera back for January, priced and shelved ready to move. The Ephemera offering is located next to Travel Guides, across from the Specials bays. Finally, it looks like the weather will not cooperate this weekend and we'll have our freshly curated Vinyl Popup sale running both Saturday and Sunday given the forecast holds true.

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

-Janette Herceg

 
Self Help/Personal Growth

Some Featured Books this month are: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly; The Inner Work of Age; Beyond Distraction; Swamplands of the Soul; Be Useful; Lighter-Let go of the Past; The Weekend Effect; Acceptance Commitment Therapy; Quitting-a Life Strategy. There are multiple copies of some 'Popular on Amazon' books: Atomic Habits; Maybe You Should Talk to Someone; The Art of Gathering; The Four Agreements. I haven't seen much interest in the 'Christian Oriented Personal and Spiritual Growth' book section, so I'll probably discontinue it after this month's sale. I've shelved a larger number than usual of books that I've never seen before. Maybe you'll find a book you're looking for, and/or one to support you in your New Year's intentions! All very low priced, so come by and Browse. Wishing you all a year of Personal Growth,

-Marnie

 
History

Kick off the new year with a book about a famous - or a not so well known - woman! History has a special display by the front door on Women in History.

We got a large number of books in very good condition on Japanese, Chinese, and Russian history. We also received some books on the more obscure "Founding Fathers", some unusual takes on George Washington, and a variety of books on the early United States. If you want an impressive collection for your Zoom background, there's a nice set of the Chartwell Edition of Churchill's The Second World War, in good to very good condition.

Check the History Red Cart for a selection of The Library of America's books on U.S. history, ranging from John Smith's accounts of the early Virginia colony to reporting on the Vietnam War, many in near new condition.

-Lin McAllister

 
Health

It's a New Year and time to consider Downsizing Your Body, be Vibrant, and use 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates! While you are involved with that, think of Rough Medicine (Jason Druett's surgeons at sea in the Age of Sail), think about Healers: Extraordinary Clinicians at Work. You might need to catch your Breath (by James Nestor), or maybe see if you have Good Blood (by Julian Guthrie); make sure we take Our Daily Meds (Melody Peterson). but remember to treat Food As Medicine (Sue Radd). Treat Your Day, Your Way (Timothy Caulfield) and try not to think about The Hacking of the American Mind (Robert Lustig, MD) or Black Death at the Golden Gate (David K. Randall). Ha! Fat Chance! (Robert Lustig, MD).

-Suzanne Cholko

 
Poetry

January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
And now the wolf is at the door;
That's Beowulf, of English lore,
Along with other classic bits,
Sir Gawain and some other Brits.
So come on by for New Year's cheer
And buy some poems to start the year.

-Mandy MacCalla

 
Home & Crafts

January Home specials include fashion from Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie to Style by Kate Spade. You'll also find the History of American Costume: Book One 1607-1800. Other shelves feature The Virgin Homeowner, home building and remodeling, as well as home maintenance planners. For your New Year's resolutions, try Minimalista: Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Better Home, Wardrobe, and Life, or The Joy of Living with Less: How to Downsize to 100 Items and Liberate Your Life. Don't forget Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. In addition, try Uncluttered: Storage Room by Room by Candace Ord Manroe. There's a variety of resources on interior decorating, such as the International Book of Lofts, as well as multiple titles for kitchen and bath.

Crafts books for January include floral arts: Simply Elegant Flowers with Michael George and The Book of Dried Flowers: A Complete Guide to Growing, Drying & Arranging, among others. There are multiple titles on ceramics, such as Mastering Handbuilding: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More. Fabric arts to consider: Vogue Knitting, as well as the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing, and Couture Sewing to name a few. Other titles feature jewelry and bead-making plus The Art of Gift Wrapping by Wanda Wen.

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

-Virginia Perry

 
Antiques & Collections

January titles showcase: The World of Golf Collectables by Sarah Fabian Baddiel and for 'Hello Kitty' fans, Small Gift: Celebrating 50 Years of Sanrio. Look for The Book of Tea with a preface by Anthony Burgess, as well as The Illustrated History of Phonographs by Daniel Marty. You'll also find a deeply discounted set of vintage The Family Circle magazines, plus A History of Toys by Antonia Fraser. Other titles include furniture and rugs, plus pottery and porcelain, in addition to antique guides for your collecting reference.

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

-Virginia Perry

 
Philosophy

The result of a recent large donation is the almost complete changeover of books in the Philosophy section to accommodate the new arrivals. Many of the books you see in the first photograph are making their first appearance on the Philosophy shelves. This also means a bumper collection of books going to the Bargain Room and the second photograph shows five boxes with around 100 books all ready to be transferred.

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

The special for next month, and another first, will be on the topic of emotion.

-Nigel Jones

 
European Language

The European Languages section has lots of books in German, including a lot of serious psychology and philosophy books about the emotions, especially shame. We also have several collections of the works of Wilhelm Busch (Max & Moritz), and books by Christian Morgenstern and Peter Sloterdijk, among others.

-Susan Strain

 
Children's Room

If you thought the holidays were over, think again. This month we are offering books for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (1/15), Tu BiShvat (1/24-25), Groundhog Day (2/2), Lunar New Year (2/10), Lincoln's birthday (2/12), and Valentine's Day (2/15). You'll find these holiday books on display racks near the front door, and in the Non-Fiction section on the biography shelves and the display table.

School-age Fiction features Fantasy and the Popular Authors cart this month. On the Fantasy shelves, look for a gift-quality, beautifully illustrated edition of The Rise of the Dragon by George R. R. Martin; lots of Rick Riordan titles; many Harry Potter books, even the early titles in the series; and like-new hardback editions of the Christopher Paolini Eragon series. On the Popular Authors cart you'll find many of The Mother-Daughter Book Club books by Heather Vogel Frederick, lots of the Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler; and plenty of James Patterson's Middle School series.

The Graphic Novels/Humor shelves are very well stocked this month, and in the Activities section you'll find several good wooden puzzles and toys, including a set of colorful Tegu magnetic wooden blocks.

Look in the Picture Books sections for lots of Disney--both hardback tales about individual characters, and hardback story collections. You'll also find a good stock of series such as Curious George, the Berenstain Bears, Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Tank Engine, The Black Lagoon, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Alf, Froggy, Magic School Bus, Franklin, and Angelina. We also have collections of Arthur and Barney stories. And there are multiple copies of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and Harry the Dirty Dog. Most good condition, giftable hardbacks and paperbacks are priced at $1.00 or just a bit more.

-Carolyn Davidson

 
Children's Vintage

January is children's series month! The early 20th century was a rich era for series books for both boys and girls, and we're bringing them all out. You won't be able to miss the Nancys - they are right in front of the check out table - and the Hardy Boys are on full display back in the vintage section. In addition, we have many, many other series options - Bomba the Jungle Boy, Grace Harlowe, Dick Kent, Betty Wales, Doris Fein, and, my personal favorite, Biggles, RAF pilot and adventurer - as well as others. Come and browse and either add to or start a new collection.

But it's not only series books - this month older kids have several L. Frank Baum books on offer (including 3 copies of The Magic of Oz) and giftable versions of Alice in Wonderland and a boxed The Giving Tree. The World Languages and Myths and Fables sections are also particularly robust.

For the younger set (K-2), we're highlighting Let's Read and Find Out Science books. Easy to read explanations of weather, volcanoes, dinosaurs, etc. may just spark some scientific curiosity that leads to eventually great discoveries! Also, in the same vein, we have several nature-oriented books by Holling C. Holling, including Paddle to the Sea and Minn of the Mississippi. Several books featuring Tasha Tudor's exquisite watercolors and pencil drawings round out the special collections for January.

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

-Lisa Heitman

 
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. Many new donations are on the shelves this month.

Special interest this month - My Shalom My Peace: Paintings and Poems by Jewish And Arab Children; Into the Inferno: The Memoir of a Jewish Paratrooper behind Nazi Lines; Major Farran's Hat: The Untold Story of the Struggle to Establish the Jewish State; The Jews of Islam; Business Ethics: A Jewish Perspective; Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness; Kabbalah of Envy.

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

 
Curious Books

Curious Books wishes you a Happy New Year, with books to help you get off to a good start. We feature several books on happiness as well as other pleasant and engaging volumes. Enjoy!

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

-Donya W.

 
Science Fiction and Fantasy

In Science Fiction and Fantasy, there's a half-shelf of hardcovers from the 50s and 60s. Authors like de Camp, Pratt, Heinlein, and the Smith brothers, E. E. and George O. Publishers like Gnome Press, Shasta, Fantasy Press, and Avalon. To match the old stuff, look for recent books by Andy Weir (signed), John Scalzi, Martha Wells, Erin Morgenstern, and Neil Gaiman.

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

-Rich McAllister

 
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 January 7 through Monday January 14. Please hold your donations until Tuesday January 16.

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.