For the Love of Books.

Barley the Van was the only “Homeless by Choice” RV equipped with book shelves. When I specced out my wandering  home, I insisted upon it. I required storage for my volumes. 

I knew enough about the lifestyle of living in a Van down by the river to understand there wouldn’t be TV or WIFI. So as an avid fan of non-fiction I would fill my downtime by reading. This wouldn’t be a hardship for me. When I’m not hiking, blogging, drinking coffee or IPAs, occasionally socializing , I read. 

When my book supply became dangerously low, (a handful of reads). I sought out “Friends of the Library” used book stores. 

Ahah! Not all Friends of the Libraries are created equal. There are Duds and Studs.

Losers ?

Snobsdale, AZ with their snippy volunteers lording over 70-100 books of marginal interest.

Telluride, CO  had a haphazard collection of books as disorganized  as the dreadlocks of the local White Rastafarians.

Winners?

McCall, ID where the 80 plus year old book selling woman attached a “Reading is Sexy” bumper sticker on her sedan. 

Others? Carbondale, Boulder and Fort Collins CO. Admirable book shops with a dedicated staff.

BUT! The Academy Award Winner is the Durango, CO “Friends of the Library.” Lela’s Book Store offers up oodles of great authors: Bill Bryson, Sebastian Junger, Timothy Egan, Hampton Sides, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Erik Larson and Tony Horwitz for name dropping purposes. The books are in fresh out of the wrapper condition. No dog ear pages, no coffee stains or scrawls in the margins. I found a community who treated the written word like priceless art. Once again, I felt like I was among “My People.” Upon settling down here, I knew I had to be a part of this book loving organization. But first, I had to see what I was getting into. From the website: 

Wow! After becoming a member, I had a one-on-one class with Maile (Volunteer Coordinator) on how to be a book seller. “The roll out bookshelves go here at this precise angle. At the end of a shift tally up the book sales. (Luckily there’s a calculator). And most of all, “Don’t Lose the Key to the Storeroom!” 

I passed the exam and worked a few substitute gigs. I loved it. 

I was ready to help with the BIGLY Book Sale. When Maile sought volunteers, I immediately signed on to be a  round trip book shlepper, (moving books from the storage unit to the Library and returning unsold books back to storage). I also scored a shift of cashiering.

Me being me, I arrived at the storage unit half hour before showtime. I was a slacker. Uber Volunteer Lynnette had already hauled 50 boxes of books to the curbside. Of course, Jewish Guilt kicked in, “Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here early? I was just drinking coffee and waiting to do something. I could’ve helped.” I assuaged my guilt by offering her a store bought blueberry muffin and a Cutie Orange. Others arrived along with a small truck. Before one could say, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” the truck was fully loaded.

At the Library, it took even less time to unload the word haul. Anxious volunteers were waiting there to help. Into the conference rooms the boxes went. Tables were already set up. Fiction over there, Non-Fiction on the other side and Children’s book over yonder. Maile and President Shelly were playing traffic cops by directing the book flow. I got out of the way before I got hurt.

It wasn’t long before the Durango Used Book Sale was ready for avid readers to appear the following day. 

All the volunteers were then rewarded with a sumptuous lunch buffet. I was gobsmacked. For Jews the offer of food is the ultimate show of appreciation and gratitude. I wish the world worked as well as the Durango Friends of the Library.

The book sale netted $4,561.31 for library programs. Plus! 150 pounds of books were donated to local non-profit organizations.

Alas, with the new norm of Covid, the Library and Lela’s book store have been shuttered since March 16th. 

I took this as a sign to fulfill a life long dream. I am now the Founder of the Parkside Terrace Mini-Library. The circulation desk is now open for loans and donations. It didn’t take long for our first customer to appear. The Friends of the Library donated generously to this project as well.

Last photo: I was able to attain a look in at what books will be on hand in the new Trump Presidential Library. 

Make America Read Again!