Roaring trade at annual book sale

"Books galore, and thousands more."

When Rotarian Jim Hopkins opened the doors to welcome people to the annual Bookarama sale in Oamaru yesterday morning, more than 100 people were lining Thames St ready to find a bargain.

And a steady stream of people continued to file into the old Noel Leeming building throughout the day to browse through the selection of books, organised into categories from "A for animals" through to "W for Westerns", puzzles, DVDs, CDs and magazines.

By 2pm, Bookarama convener Ele Ludemann estimated the Rotary Club of Oamaru had already taken about $12,000 — close to a third of last year’s total revenue.

"It’s going really well, and we’re thrilled," Mrs Ludemann said.

"We’re just so grateful for the people who give us the books, and the people who buy them."

The quality and quantity of donated books was the best Mrs Ludemann had ever seen at the annual book sale.

"We’ve never had so many really good books."

Fiction was as popular as ever on opening day, and children’s chapter books had also been snapped up quickly, but there were still plenty of good books remaining, she said.

"We still have books in boxes, so people haven’t missed out."

Proceeds from this year’s sale, which runs until Sunday, would go to various community projects, including the Waitaki Event Centre and a 3-D printer for the Oamaru Public Library.

rebecca.ryan@odt.co.nz