All Booked | Top Tips for the Planned Parenthood Book Sale

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Hello, fellow bookworms!

It’s September again, and with it comes one of Santa Barbara’s treasured literary traditions: the Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Book Sale! Held at the Earl Warren and featuring more than 150,000 books, puzzles and games, CDs and DVDs, vinyl records, and more — all for shockingly great prices — this sale is an absolute treasure trove, and it all goes to a great cause. 

Growing up in S.B., I spent many an afternoon perusing the kids’ books while my dad would be in the history section. So, as a longtime veteran of the sale, I thought I’d share my top tips for getting the most out of this amazing event!

1. Bring a tote bag. Bring two.

Yes, the volunteers have bags and boxes for you to use, as well as a holding area for you to stash your scores while you keep shopping, but in my experience, that canvas Trader Joe’s tote or that free one you randomly got at an event will come in handy. Believe me, though, I’ve been tempted to get my childhood Radio Flyer red wagon out of my parents’ backyard to haul my finds! 

There is no “I’m only going to get one book!” There is no “But I only look at this one section!” A law of the book sale is that you will end up finding something you never knew existed but now absolutely must have. So bring that tote bag!

(And then bring two more. And then keep five more in your car, just in case.)

2. Chat with the volunteers.

Not only are the incredible volunteers doing all the hard work of shelving, sorting, and keeping things running smoothly, but they are the port in the chaotic sea of endless tables of books. If you have a question, are looking for a specific title, or, best of all, would like a recommendation, the volunteers have your back! Every year, my housemate, Kelly, comes away with a book that was specifically recommended to her by a book sale volunteer and she ends up loving it. So, make some new friends while you’re there! We’re all bookworms together. 

3. Buy presents for the next two Christmases.

Or at least just the upcoming one! As Independent Editor-in-Chief Marianne Partridge can attest, the book sale is a golden opportunity to find gifts for anyone in your life or on your Christmas list, long before everyone and their mother is hitting the stores in December! Your brother who loves fantasy? Your sister who’s into true crime? Your little nephew who just graduated to chapter books? Guaranteed the book sale will have something for them. (And if you’re the kind of family who likes to do puzzles or board games together, they’ve got those too!)

4. Go exploring!

Maybe you’re strictly a sci-fi kind of a guy or a literature kind of lady. I’ve definitely fallen into that trap of thinking “I know what I like, so I can skip that section.” But I’ve learned to at least take a peek at just about every table, because I’ve gotten surprised too many times to count. Not only does the massive selection offer seemingly endless categories to dip your toe into, but the affordability of the pricing means that you can feel more comfortable taking a chance on a new genre or an author you’ve never heard of, because you won’t be out the usual store price of a brand-new hardcover! 

Case in point: One of my finds this weekend is a gorgeous coffee-table book full of art of big cats that I absolutely fell in love with. The store price printed on the inside of the cover flap? $65. Planned Parenthood book sale price? $7.

It’s currently sitting on my coffee table.

So, take the opportunity to expand your literary horizons! It’s a golden opportunity.

5. It’s worth a second trip! (Or multiple.)

Due to the massive inventory of the sale and only so much physical table space, as books are sold, they are replenished on the tables like a seemingly endless conveyor belt of bookish goodness. But what that means is that there will be books out on day five that weren’t there on day one! So, if you didn’t have much luck one day, you might try again a few days later, or if, like me, you had luck on day one but can’t resist the pull of what might be there now, it’s well worth a try.

I always find myself going at least twice, especially on the last day, when, as a bonus, everything is 50% off!

I have about a hundred more tips, but I think these cover the bases! Also, make sure to wear comfortable clothes and bring water — this recent heat is no joke.

If you have any good tips I missed, send them to me! I’d love to hear them.

Happy hunting!

—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com

FROM OUR PAGES

We’ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don’t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.

“He’s Got Game: Author Arvind Ethan David Discusses His Novel The Great Game at Chaucer’s Books on Sept. 3” by Leslie Dinaberg

“Here Comes the Book Sale! The Planned Parenthood Sale of Books (and More) Kicks Off September 10” by Jim Buckley

“A Journey From Mystical Childhood Experiences to Struggles with Fertility and Ultimately, Motherhood” by Meaghan Clark Tiernan

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UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS

Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.

Chaucer’s Book Talk: Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Book of Hours
Tuesday, September 15, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books 

Godmothers Gather: Mark Nepo, The Language of the Soul
Tuesday, September 15, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

The Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Annual Book Sale
Tuesday, September 15 to Friday, September 18 | Earl Warren Showgrounds 

Social Justice Book Club: Patty Krawec, Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds
Wednesday, September 16, 5 p.m. | S.B Central Library, Tech Lab

Ashwini Bhat in Conversation with Jenni Sorkin, Resonances
Friday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. | Godmothers

Buellton Bookworms Book Club: Theme: Back to School
Friday, September 18, 1 p.m. | Buellton Library

Godmothers Gather: Annie Meyers-Shyer, This Oak House
Friday, September 18, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Joe Rohde, Floating Mountains: The Art of Imagining the Impossible
Friday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. | Community Arts Workshop

Godmothers Gather: Carissa Schumacher, The Alchemy Transmissions
Saturday, September 19, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Little G’s: Dragon Dog
Saturday, September 19, 11 a.m. | Godmothers

Meet the Author: Lori Robinson, Saving Wild: Inspiration From 50 Leading Conservationists
Saturday, September 19, 1:30 p.m. | Domicile

Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, September 19, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center

The Mary Jane McCord Planned Parenthood Annual Book Sale
Saturday, September 19 – Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m. | Earl Warren Showgrounds

Godmothers Grow: Tracee Stanley, The Living Ritual Workshop
Sunday, September 20, 11 a.m. | Godmothers

Goleta Community Center Poetry Club
Sunday, September 20, 2 p.m. | Goleta Community Center

Art in the Park: Collage and Blackout Poetry
Tuesday, September 22, 2 p.m. | Estero Park

Montecito Book Club
Tuesday, September 22, 2 p.m. | Montecito Library

Mystery Book Club: Ally Condie, The Unwedding
Tuesday, September 22, 5:30 p.m. | Goleta Community Center

Godmothers Gather: Rachel Ashwell, Meadow Manor
Wednesday, September 23, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Book Talk: Annabelle Gurwitch, The End of My Life is Killing Me, The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker
Thursday, September 24, 5:30 p.m. | New Beginnings Collaborative Center

Chaucer’s Book Talk: David K. Israel, The Lost Mozart
Thursday, September 24 at 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books 

Godmothers Gather: Loria Stern & Veronica Taylor Black, Eat Your Flowers
Thursday, September 24, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Sensory Friendly Storytime
Friday, September 25, 4:45 p.m. | Solvang Library

UCSB Arts & Lectures: Scott Galloway in Conversation with Sam Fragoso: Notes on Being a Man
Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. | The Arlington Theatre

Little G’s: Caroline Perry, I Am Not Grumpy
Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. | Godmothers

Godmothers Grow: Lucinda Caldwell, The Artist’s Way
Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. | Godmothers

Godmothers Gather: Allycin Powell-Hicks, The Problem with Pretty
Saturday, September 26, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Solvang Library Friends of the Library Book Sale
Saturday, September 26 to Monday, September 28 | Solvang Library

Storytime at the Sea Center
Saturday, September 26, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center

Chaucer’s Book Talk & Signing: Steve Hawk, Nearshore
Sunday, September 27 at 4 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books

Godmothers Gather: Jim Curtis & Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, The Book of Possibility
Sunday, September 27, 6 p.m. | Godmothers

Storytime at the Sea Center
Sunday, September 27, 10:30 a.m. | S.B. Museum of Natural History Sea Center

Godmothers Gather: The Elsewhere Book Club
Monday, September 28, 5:30 p.m. | Godmothers

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S.B. SPOTLIGHT

We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. 

If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”

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Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*

Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include: 

Girl to Country: A Memoir by Amy Rigby; review by George Yatchisin

Almost Grown: A New York Memoir by Jesse Malin; review by David Starkey

Brought To You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy by Amy Westervelt; review by Brian Tanguay

*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).