If all that ‘Kondo-ing’ has left your bookshelves a little too tidy and joy-less – or if you need a gift for a loved one, or puzzles to have on hand for little visitors — then mark your calendar for the 21st annual Friends of the Emmaus Public Library Used Book Sale. It’s on Saturday, April 13, from 7 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the Lower Macungie Middle School cafeteria at 6299 Lower Macungie Road in Macungie.

Nearly 18,000 books for readers of all ages and stripes will be on sale this year, many priced as low as $.50, and all neatly organized by category for easy browsing. Choose from hardcover, paperback, media (audiobooks, movies, music), kids’ books and jigsaw puzzles. Unique handmade bookmarks will also be available.

If you want to shop the best selection in a relaxed setting, plan to attend the ‘Friends only’ preview night on Friday, April 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. If you’re not already a member of the Friends, you can join for just $10 at the door and get your pick of the best items before the masses descend on Saturday.

Looking for the biggest bargains? Stick around Saturday afternoon for the ‘brown bag blowout’ from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m., when you can load up a standard brown paper grocery bag or recyclable grocery bag (like those issued by Giant and Weis) for just $4 per bag, or three bags for $10. Please bring your own bags and note that the doors will be temporarily closed from 2:45 to 3 p.m. to prepare.

This is the Friends’ biggest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds directly supporting the Emmaus Public Library. Last year’s sale raised nearly $12,000, which goes a long way toward meeting the library’s annual ‘private funding’ goal, currently at $114,453 for 2019.

If you’d like to donate books or other items for the sale (to make room on your shelves for the new books, of course), the library will accept up to five boxes of books, DVDs, audiobooks, music CDs, and puzzles — in good condition only, please. Also, no textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, audio or video cassettes, or Reader’s Digest condensed books. If you have a large quantity of items to donate (more than five boxes), please contact the library first at 610-965-9284, as we have limited storage space while they’re being processed.

In conjunction with the book sale, the food service provider of the East Penn School District, Nutrition Inc., will hold a Nutrition, Health and Safety Fair from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the school’s lobby and parking lot. Stop by to enjoy free food samples and pick up important health information.

The countdown is on — you have one month to get Kondo-ing!