I must say I’ve been missing my literary/literacy time I had in Oakville such as working the library’s book sales and managing the Friendly Finds book shelves for them as well as my book club and writing group (both small groups I had for many years). This blog site is all about adventures and I suspect you may wonder what a book sale is doing on an adventure site. You are about to find out.
For those of you who know me well, I am sure you are not surprised that I’ve had my eye on the Times Colonist annual book sale. I believe it is the largest book sale on Vancouver Island and the proceeds support literacy programs across the island. The sale takes place this weekend, Saturday and Sunday only. It is held at “the curling club” (there must only be one!) in Victoria. I’ve read various articles about the sale to prepare. Not unlike a rock concert, people start lining up and camping out in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning in anticipation of the big event. The early bird gets the worm I suppose. Also, parking can be a real problem. Not wanting to parttake in the readers’ camp line, I decided that arriving around 10:30, and hour and half after the opening of the sale, would work well – fewer lines perhaps and maybe better parking.
Not so! As I cruised along Quadra Street looking for a good parking spot, I noticed a line of people extending several blocks. I really didn’t need to know where the curling club was situated, as the line lead from nearly Bay Street to the heart of the action I was looking for. All roads lead to Rome and all lines lead to the book sale. I must say it was very easy to find. I was lucky enough to find a spot in a one-hour parking zone about a km away. I needed the walk and the distance was a good incentive to keep my purchases at a reasonable carriable weight. You see, I don’t really need any books, I just love the thrill of the hunt and searching for authors I’ve yet to read.
I hustled to the line and parked myself at the back. I asked one couple how long they’d been waiting and they said “Not long, maybe just 15 or 20 minutes.” I couldn’t pat myself on the back for out smarting the buyers. I’d have to wait in line for a long time, too. I spoke with another lady in line and she explained how easy the books would be to find – well sorted and all in alphabetical order. She also said it was quick to pay. That all sounded so promising from outside the rink. Once inside however, it was sheer chaos. Aisles were jammed with readers and shoppers and unless T comes after A, the fiction books at least were not in alphabetical order. (I never expected that to be honest). So, like everyone else who had come before me, I picked a random row of books in the fiction section, abandoned my book list and just shuffled along browsing the titles and authors, in the shoulder to shoulder crowd, and pausing for a breath as those ahead of me also paused. This was not Toronto nor NY. No one was pushing. Everyone who wanted to pass said “excuse me” (maybe a few times before the Red Sea parted but they parted and brave or skinny ones got through). There were just tons of great books. Part of the experience was you had to dig and it helped to know your authors. Also, part of the experience was brief chats about great books with other readers who were suggesting books they had read and couldn’t put down with out finding it a home. Glad to have had some physical training, I jumped over grocery carries, ducked out of the way of arm loads of boxes stuffed with books, and even out positioned a lady with a huge wheely suitcase she had stuffed with her goods so as not to have to pass her moments later in the aisle. I don’t know how some of the buyers managed balancing so many boxes of books they had already selected while they searched for more.
About 30 minutes later, and 17 books heavier, I decided I’d better line up to pay. I hadn’t yet been to travel, nor biography, nor adventure stories, nor audio books for my parents’ seniors’ home, nor nature (BC birds, flowers, plants…) nor children books for our grade 2 volunteer work. I had to abandon those categories today. I decided that the best route to the cash was to pass by the adventure travel and maybe snag a book or two on the way so I wouldn’t miss any obvious finds.
After acquiring another 7 books, I was ready to check out but the checkout was in no way ready for me. The line snaked back and forth across the rink about 4 or 5 rows deep. By now my hour parking allotment had come and gone. The bad side of this layout is that one must stand beside rows of books while they wait. It is easy to have another look and add to the collection before reaching the check out. Fortunately for me, I am not into military books. We had to pass 4 or 5 aisles of those. No temptations there. Then came the medical science books. No temptations there either. A long queue provides a venue for people watching. The lady in front of me was carrying a mixed pile of books – one poetry, one zenish book, an Ernest Hemmingway book which her boyfriend pointed out he already had and she could read it, and maybe something Goth. “A student,” I thought. I had my own thoughts on Hemmingway and was glad she put It back. A lady behind me asked what time I arrived at the sale. I said about 10:30. She was shocked. She’d arrived around 7am and hung out in a waiting line that ran for several blocks and waited for 2 hours before the doors opened. What a keener! A lady a few people up from me in the queue was carrying a cook book. Who would wait in line for 30 minutes to buy just one book? Not me. I had to make it worth my while. By now we were passing westerns and again no temptation. As I slowly inched my way to the checkout, I also passed mental health, book sets and religion. Although these were not genres I had a keen interest in, one had to do a quick eye scan of the area to be sure. Within religion was a whole section devoted to Satan! Hum. Who knew about that category? Just when I thought it was safe to come out of the woods, the last row of books one needed to pass before checking out was “Last minute finds.” As hard it was to resist this temptation as there were so many great books on that table, I managed not to grab one last book largely due to the quick pick up of the line. About 24 books and $46 dollars later, I headed for my car contemplating returning tomorrow.
It is all for a good cause and it was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I am still smiling as I write this account.