Attention all book lovers: Montgomery County Central Library in Conroe is holding its annual book sale October 3rd – 5th. The Friends of Conroe Library, an independent organization, has been working hard, putting time and care into this event, as they strive to not only sell books for library funds, but also contribute to the community as a whole. Jo Ann Strauss, President of Library Friends of Conroe, and Cherie Murphy, Vice President, have filled us in on all the details! With excitement and gratitude, they’re hoping you won’t miss out on the big sale! All proceeds go to the Montgomery Country Central Library to help continue to grow their book collection and continue to provide fun events for the community.
Where: Montgomery County Central Library
104 Interstate 45N, in Conroe
When: Thursday, October 3, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday, October 4, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 5, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
** For an additional $5, you can get early access to the book sale on Thursday Oct. 3, starting at 3 pm! **
Get your cash ready! Cash and checks (with proper ID) only!
C.S. Lewis once said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough, or a book long enough to suit me.” With fall in full swing, you will need not only to stock up on your hot teas, soup ingredients, and harvest candle scents…you will also be needing to add to your book collection! A book in hand, a hot cup of tea, and a blanket is the scene many long for as the weather starts changing from hot (way too hot, am I right?) to cooler temperatures. Montgomery County Central Library’s book sale is here to help you get those much-desired books, and at prices as low as 25 cents. With prices this good, you could leave with enough books to fill a whole bookshelf at home!
If you can find a quarter, you can help a child extend their vocabulary and broaden their imagination by purchasing a book for them! For only 25 cents, you can buy any children’s book available at the book sale. And while you’re there, you can find something for yourself, too! Adult books price caps at $1! Novels, cookbooks, biographies…you name it. This book sale will have a book for everyone. With endless options awaiting, Jo Ann Strauss shares, “We have all books. We have a whole room dedicated to children’s books and young adults. In the large meeting room, we have everything from history to crafts, educational material, art material, sports, animals, cookbooks, religion…that’s the non-fiction room. One whole hallway is dedicated to fiction. We have them alphabetized. If someone likes Patricia Cornwell, or [James] Patterson…it’s easy for them to go and look through our tubs.”
Needing a book for school? The classics have been popular in years past, as high school students often are in need of classic novels for literature assignments. Why buy a new book when you can help out your local library and get the book for such a great price?
Jo Ann, Cherie, and the whole group of volunteers are thrilled to be having the book sale once again, and are equally happy with the help from the community that pours in. “From ROTC, to Boy Scouts, to National Honor Society…it’s phenomenal – those kids help with unloading and organization. We have two volunteers who are 82. The majority of us are in our sixties and seventies. We have to work around our creaking bones and bad shoulders and weak knees,” Cherie laughingly says, “so having the kids has really been a Godsend.”
Jo Ann adds, “I think it’s good for kids to know they are a part of a community. They know they are welcome, and they are appreciated. We tell them this is a good thing they are doing.”
Last year, Library Friends of Conroe counted nearly 750 boxes of books for the book sale! This year’s count is adding up to be comparable.
With books stacked tall, taking up a whole room in the library, Cherie and Jo Ann feel very thankful to Montgomery County Library Director, Reah Young. Jo Ann shares, “She has been extremely supportive with our closet where we have hundreds and hundreds of boxes. She said she’d do anything to help us out. She sees the value in what we do and what we do for the library. We work very well together. They have a treasure in her – and so do we.”
Since 1994, Library Friends of Conroe has been hosting book sales at the Montgomery County Memorial Library System to help the community enjoy the libraries to the fullest. This year marks thirty years of friendship – and thirty years of fun community engagement within the library system. From magicians to children’s programs and the summer reading program, to Santa making an appearance in the winter, there is a constant intentional effort to bring people into the library.
President Jo Ann Strauss and VP Cherie Murphy, along with their whole Library Friends of Conroe group, are thrilled to be seeing the book sale come around again this year. They prepare all year by receiving book donations. The Book Nook in the Conroe Library is where you can find them most days, as they are receiving book donations from kind readers who are parting ways with adored books. Puzzles are also a fan favorite, so don’t hesitate to donate a puzzle you are willing to part with! Receiving donations, selling books, doing silent auctions, and making friends with those who come and go—Library Friends of Conroe aim to build up the library and bring the community together by friendship and love of books. All proceeds go back into the library so it can continue to thrive!
Join in on this community labor of love by showing support to your local library.
Now, hurry-hurry, fast-fast. Go find your new favorite book at the book sale!
As J.K. Rowling says, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
For more information on the Library Friends of Conroe, email LFOC.booknook@gmail.com.
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