Until recently, I wasn't much for reading.  I was like Harry Wormwood in the movie Matilda who told his teacher's pet daughter, 'Why would you want to read when you've got this television set right in front of you?"

If I want to be negative, I could say that a Pew Research Center survey from 2021 revealed that 35% of Americans did not read a printed book that year.  Well. Let's be positive!  65% of Americans did read a print book.  I want to know about Erie County.  Is this an area full of book readers?  I asked someone who would know.  I asked John Euliano, the acting director of The Erie County Public Library.

"We went back and looked in our system,” he said. “We currently have over 83,000 active library cards in our system.  That means we have 83,000 users that have used their library card in the past seven years."

I came to the library at a great time.  An organization called Friends of the Library is holding a fund raiser called "The Book Lover's Sale."  The Admiral Room of the Blasco Library is packed with people who love to read books and want to buy more. Joelyn Bush is one of many Friends of the Library volunteers who are helping with the event.

"It was over $6900 that was raised last year.  So very excited.  I think this turnout means we're going to raise maybe a little more this year,” she said.

Friends of the Library book sales are a testament to Erie County's love of books. Four sales are held throughout the year with the granddaddy being the Great American Book Sale held in June at the Flo Fabrizio Ice Center at the Erie Zoo.  Tables and tables of books. Thousands and thousands of dollars raised to support programming at the library system.

This month's sale is a great opportunity to ask people why they like to read print books especially when there's e-books and audio books out there now.  Leslie Barton says nothing compares to the old fashioned page turners.

"There is something about cracking open a book, especially one that is worn because you know it's well loved and it kind of lets you know this might be a good one. But also that fresh book.  When you get it, that first little bit of a crack.  Yeah, the actual physicality of the book.  Fantastic,” she said.

Jennifer Smith also loves books and is a member of a book club with her friends.

"We love our books.  To me, Kindles are great but There's nothing like opening the actual book, lifting the pages.  We even like the smell of books,” she said.

A lot of things go out of style and become obsolete. The printed book? Maybe never.

The Book Lover's Sale is a three-day event. The final day is Saturday, February 17.  It is held in the Admiral Room at Blasco Library. The sale runs from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The next sale begins May 9, also at Blasco Library.