The Early Nerd Catches the Worm

Whatever. We’d rather sleep in.

By Steve Jansen

published: February 07, 2008

You’d think that since we plow through novels and nonfiction reads like nobody’s business, we would be wise to the best strategy for scoring big at the VNSA Book Sale. But no, even we can learn something at the annual festival for superduper literature nerds.

For years, we’ve heard that the queues are unbearable if one doesn’t arrive before the doors open. So for the past half-decade, we’ve stumbled out of the sack at 4 a.m. in order to secure a place alongside fellow bookworms by 5. Three to four hours in that down-to-the-bone desert chill. Years of peeking over the shoulder of a woman who’s reading a romance novel with the opening line, “Dewey liked to do it.” All could have been avoided if we’d known that 10:30 a.m. is the best time to arrive. All the freaks are long gone, and there are plenty of pickings remaining from the stock of 600,000 selections. So that’s our advice, but feel free to show up whenever. Just don’t dare ask for back cuts.

Sat., Feb. 9, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 10, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., 2008