I’m really excited about two of our upcoming events at the Library. On Wednesday night (March 28) at 6:30pm, we’re showing the award-winning documentary film, The Lost Boys of Sudan, directed by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk. The film tells the story of two of the “lost boys,” focusing on their journey to and life in the U.S. Watching it a few months ago reminded me of just how fortunate I’ve been in my life up to this point. Things I often take for granted, like a roof over my head and the opportunity to get a college education, are simply things that these “lost boys” have had to struggle for their entire lives. Their stories, both collective and individual, are truly amazing.
The screening is actually a prelude to the main event, which is a visit to the Library by Valentino Achak Deng. Deng is a “lost boy” and is the subject of Dave Eggers’ (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) new bestselling book, What is the What. He’ll be at the Library on Thursday, April 5 from 7-9pm to talk about his experiences and life story. If you haven’t read this book yet, start now. Copies of the book will be on sale at both the film screening on Wednesday and the Deng visit. Of course, the Library also has multiple copies available to checkout.
For more information on both events, visit the Library’s website or go straight to the flyer for the two events.
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Used Book Sale sign
Originally uploaded by tolrich7.
I stopped by the Friends’ used book sale this past Saturday morning. Arriving shortly before the doors opened, I was surprised to see just a small group waiting to get in. Later, I heard from a Friend that most of the serious book sellers and collectors showed up the night before, which makes sense. Apparently there were about 200 people Friday night and over 40% of the books on sale were sold. Still, I found a lot of interesting stuff on Saturday morning and came home with four nice books for the grand total of $5! By the time I left, around 10:40am, there were quite a few people there. The next time the Friends have a big book sale, I’ll definitely try to get there on the first day and take pictures of the madness 
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There will be a 2-day used book sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library, this Friday from 6-9pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm. Held three times a year, these used book sales have a reputation of having some great finds for serious book collectors as well as the casual reader. They also have a reputation of getting pretty rowdy as people compete for the best books. I imagine the scene to be something like a toy store a few days before Christmas, only instead of crazy parents searching for the best toys there will be no-nonsense bibliophiles and bookworms searching for the rarest (and cheapest) books. I’m going to try to make it to the book sale after work on Friday or early in the morning on Saturday to see the madness up close and personal! One colleague has advised me to wear body armor…
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