It seems romance is waning in Cromwell and there's more demand for war.
Readers stocking up at the annual Cromwell Rotary Book Sale are making a beeline for the war section and steering clear of the romance novels, book sale project leader Lindsay Wilkie says.
''Our bestsellers are war books - they're selling extremely well, New Zealand books are popular and any on transport are getting a real thrashing. Romance novels? No, they don't seem to be that popular.''
Health and wellbeing books and those focusing on business and marketing also appeared to be less popular than other categories.
The sale began on Friday and finished yesterday at noon and although the final amount was yet to be tallied, Mr Wilkie said it was likely to top $10,000.
The event is the club's main fundraiser for the year and the proceeds go back into local projects.
It has been held in several venues but had now found a ''good home'' for the past three years at the Cromwell Bowling Club rooms, he said.
''It's an ideal location. It's warm, spacious, has lots of parking, it's centrally located and we can lay the books out well here.''
The event had been running for about a decade.
Originally, the club teamed up with one of the local churches to run the sale, but that organisation had later ''opted out''.
Donations of books and magazines are now accepted year-round and CR Motors is the base for the drop-offs.
''We test-read them all before passing them on,'' joked Ross Hansen, of CR Motors.
About 10,000 books were on sale, with prices starting at 50c, going up to $8 for newer bestsellers and $50 for some in the ''treasures'' section - collectable books.
And the stock was not sold to bookworms only.
One buyer wanted vinyl records to use as a wall decoration and several Readers Digest magazines sold were destined to be sprayed gold and turned into Christmas angel decorations.
Jenny Pitts, of Queensberry, said she was a regular at the book sale and usually bought about 20 books.
''That lasts me about half a year. The ones I like, I keep and the others I donate back to the sale. This is a good way to pick up some fabulous books,'' she said.
