Bookmobile News

Healdsburg’s own Merriam Vineyards surprised us with very good news indeed: the Free Bookmobile will benefit from their upcoming Books and Bordeaux “back-to-school book swap for grown-ups”.  We think it’s a fabulous idea, and apparently, so does local culinary artist Michelle Anna Jordan, who will be in attendance.  Other authors are being recruited for signings and an afternoon of “good reds and good reads”.  You even get delicate bites which have been paired with the vineyards current releases for your $10 tasting fee. 

After all the swapping is done, we get the extra books to take on our travels around the county.  Another great partnership!  Take a look at the Merriam website for more information about the event, which takes place Saturday, September 18.

The big event for the Free Bookmobile in September is always the Sonoma County Book Festival on Old Courthouse Square.  Downtown Santa Rosa is transformed into a reader’s mecca, with devotees coming from near and far to meet authors, hear poetry, enjoy live performances, and browse books!  You’ll have to check out the website to see the amazing line-up featured at this years event, which gets underway at 10 Am on Saturday, September 25:

http://socobookfest.org/

Though we won’t be giving away books there, we will be hosting a colorful information booth to help raise awareness of our mission.  We will also have a couple of terrific silent auction items up for bid: a delicious dinner for four cooked in your home, with poetry recital during dessert, compliments of The Gourmet Poet, and a scenic three-hour sailing trip for four on a 33′ sloop in Bodega Bay by Bodega Bay Sailing Adventures.

The Book Festival is a very family friendly event, so don’t forget the kids!  See you soon…

Thanks to the efforts of Free Bookmobile supporter Dena Bliss, we now have that long-awaited drop-off site for west county residents!  Dena talked to the nice folks at Sonoma Bank and they agreed that collecting books for us was a great idea.  We installed a box last week and are up and running!  Not only has Dena contributed substantially to the project but this kind of participation by the community really inspires us to reach for that next milestone.

Sonoma Bank is easy to find.  It’s across from Rite Aid one block north of the downtown shops, in the Whole Foods shopping center.  Please help us fill the box so we can keep promoting literacy and love of reading!  We are in particular need of children’s picture books, as well as quality non-fiction.  Of course we need all kinds to keep our service going…

Thank you!