Jolabokaflod, Christmas Book Flood

Yes, it's that time of year again. People in Iceland are preparing for the Jolabokaflod or the Christmas Book Flood. In Iceland, book publishing tends to focus on the end of the year. But almost everyone gets books for Christmas Eve and spends the evening reading. And I've seen books listed as good Hanukkah gifts as well. I still have books that I was given as Christmas presents after ... well an unspecified number of years.

Just in time for all this holiday giving, the Friends of the Library's Continuing Book Sale has expanded. These are the books that have been donated and are located at the bottom of the stairs. But now the Book Sale includes books on BOTH sides of the wall. With all this space, more books and more categories of books will be available for purchase every day the Library is open. And these books are at really low prices, mostly between 25 to 75 cents.

Yep, most of the books are under a dollar, although there are some special books at somewhat higher prices. Keep in mind that payment needs to be in cash at the donation boxes (and we'll take extra if you're feeling generous). So grab a handful of change and buy a bunch of books.

Every book you buy as a gift from the Friends of the Library is actually two gifts, one for whoever you buy it for and also a gift to the Library. The money is used to support the Library with events like the Hogwart's Yule Ball coming up on Dec. 14. (And if you have any Harry Potter fans, some copies of the books will be available for sale at the Yule Ball.)

I think it was Zuzu Bailey that said, "Every time you buy a book a librarian gets a can of Shhh! Spray." No? Maybe the version of "It's a Wonderful Life" I saw was a little different.