The nights are getting longer, and the days are getting colder, so you know what that means? It's the perfect time to stay inside, curled up with a good book. Lucky for you, there will be plenty to choose from when the Friends of the Manheim Community Library host their Fall Book Sale. The sale will be held at Salem United Methodist Church, 140 N. Penn St., Manheim, from Wednesday, Nov. 8, through Saturday, Nov. 11. A Friends-only preview will be held on Nov. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. The book sale will be open to the public on Nov. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. as well as on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 9 and 10, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The book sale will feature a wide selection of quality books at great prices, said Kelly Barthold, book sale chair. "We have hardbacks, paperbacks and vintage books, cookbooks, and this year, we have some really nice travel books," she stated. "We have special interest, art, music, war and history, self-help, religious, inspirational books, a lot of romance books and lots of children's books."

The sale will also feature audiobooks, DVDs and puzzles. "We'll have fabric and yarn for sale, too," Barthold noted.

Proceeds from the book sale are used to support library programming. "We try to raise about $30,000 a year for the library's budget shortage," Barthold explained. "We hold a spring and a fall book sale, and then we host Holiday Crossings the first weekend of December at the train station in Manheim." The Friends also participate in a murder mystery event at Mount Hope Estate & Winery, with a portion of the ticket sales benefiting the library.

Barthold noted that the Friends group relies on community support not only to shop at the book sale, but also to make the book sale possible. "Longenecker's Hardware always provides a truck for us to move our books from the library to the church," she said. "We also count on the sports teams at the high school. They are great at helping us as well."

She added that the Friends could use help on Saturday at the end of the sale from people who have trucks to assist with moving unsold items back to the library. Many of the items will be stored for future sales, with some donated to Mennonite Central Committee, she said.

The Friends of the Manheim Community Library are always looking for new members to join, she stated, adding that members who pay a certain amount above the basic membership will receive a holiday ornament created by Stiegel Glassworks.

"I've made some good friends with people in the community through the Friends group," Barthold shared. "We do a lot of fun activities throughout the year."

For more information on the book sale or the Friends, visit https://manheimlibrary.org.