Christmas in June

    I always look forward to the first Sunday in June.  No, it’s not a holiday or anniversary; it is however, the last day of “Fairport, New York Canal Days” and most importantly, (to me anyway), the final day of the great Fairport Library book sale!

     I adore books, always have, especially cheap ones.  Any of you who read my blog know how I’ve sung the praises of Google Books, which are free--you can't get much cheaper than free.  I also recommend Amazon’s used book option, great books at a fraction of the cost and I've never had a bad experience.  The Fairport sale is another favorite of mine.  Sunday is remarkable; on this final day of the sale as many books as you can fit in a grocery store sized paper bag are $3.  Heck, you can't get a gallon of gas for $3, at least not where I live.

      Actually you buy the bag on entry and then fill it from the stacks and stacks of donated books and library discards.  This usually provides me with enough reading material for the year when supplemented with the other sources.  Among my many finds yesterday were Handbook on Irish Genealogy, The Genealogist’s Companion and Sourcebook, A History of Irish Fairies and a little number called Bright Lights Big Ass.  Hey, I can’t be scholarly all the time; it’s summer, time to kick back with some trashy humor.

     I also picked up several family histories that have nothing to do with my family, but I enjoy seeing how others have chosen to present their family stories and even though they aren’t about my relatives, they do describe an era they lived in.  Libraries usually advertise their sales on the net, so watch for them this summer.  Larger cities naturally have larger sales, but some good books can be picked up even at small sales.