Times Colonist sale offers book-lovers’ paradise

It is a book lover’s paradise — the ability to rummage through half a million books at this year’s Times Colonist Book Sale, Saturday and Sunday at the Victoria Curling Club.

This is the 21st year of the sale, a fundraising event that has raised more than $5 million for education and literacy programs on Vancouver Island since 1998.

Hundreds of thousands of books have been sorted by genres and subjects by a small army of volunteers and are now ready for new homes. Thousands of Victoria bookworms get an opportunity to fill the shelves of their personal libraries — inexpensively. Prices haven’ risen since 2002: Hardcovers $3, softcovers $2, pocketbooks and children’s books $1.

Books that don’t sell on the weekend will still find a good home — on Monday, school teachers and other non-profit organizations get to pick up all the books they want for free.

Admission is free. The event runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Curling Club, 1952 Quadra St. No strollers on the second floor (where the children’s section is found).

This year, the facility boasts stair lifts on both the front door and up to the second floor for those experiencing difficulty with stairs. Payment is by cash, debit, MasterCard, Visa or American Express; no cheques. Pay parking is available at the lot serving the curling club and Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. There is free on-street parking along Quadra Street, but spots on nearby side streets are for residents only. The club is on B.C. Transit route 6.

For more information, go to timescolonist.com.