MPL: Fabulous Fall

It's Book Sale Time~

Rebecca Appelbaum
September 30, 2025

Hello all, and welcome back!

It’s almost fully fall, for all the weather wants to stay in summer (a mood that many of the staff here are grateful for) and with that comes changes for all of us. The kids are back (and are great), sports are starting, and we’re happy to help see you through it all. As you might expect, we’ve got a lot going on, so we’re going to dive right into it!

Firstly— it’s almost Book sale time! Join us this weekend, October 3rd-5th for the semiannual Friends book sale! The Friends have exclusive access to the sale on Friday, October 3rd from 6-8pm, and if you want that sweet first dibs as well you can join the Friends here or at the door! Saturday, October 4th is the general sale from 9am-1pm where everything is available for everyone at their set prices. Then, lastly, Sunday, October 5th from 1-3pm is the $5 bag sale, where the Friends provide the bags and you fill them with whatever from the general sale (not the specialty priced items) will fit!

This beloved twice-yearly event is more than just a sale; it’s a fundraiser that directly benefits the Millis Public Library. The Friends book sale and the support they receive year round help fund so many of our programs and activities, and let us offer them to everyone free of charge, so we look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Just as a reminder, the Friends won’t be taking any donations until October 14th. While a lot of libraries only take donations around their book sales, the Friends of the Millis Public Library accept them year-round and carefully go through all of them to give you the best book sale possible each time. Please hold on to any and all donations until then to allow the Friends to set up for and recover from the sale.

Also, as a general reminder, because the book sale is so big, room availability will be limited through October 5th to let them set up. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The next thing we need to tell you about is an update to our Notary service. So many of you have stopped by in order to get something Notarized, and we’re thrilled to have been able to help. Starting on October 1st, the notary will be expanding her hours with an appointment-only system in order to better serve the community. If you’re looking to book an appointment, check out the booking page, or see what you need and schedule it at the notary page of our website!

We also wanted to let everyone know that we’ve got another holiday coming up. Indigenous Peoples’ Day will be happening on Monday, October 13th, and we will be closed for it. Don’t forget to stop by before the long weekend and pick up whatever books, movies, or games you may want or feel free to check out our e-resources page to see what we have available from everywhere you and the internet are!

Then we have our programs!

Clicquot Book club was moved this month for the book sale, but that doesn’t mean we’re not excited to talk books! Join us on Thursday, October 9th at 2pm for our monthly book club you don’t have to read anything for! Our presenter goes through 9-12 books each month and gives spoiler-free opinions of them before letting you take home whichever reads piqued your interest! No registration necessary, the only thing missing is you~

We will also have the return of Color and Chill on Friday, October 10th! Come join us for another relaxing evening with new coloring sheets, soothing music, and everything you need for a little ‘you’ time. We’ll have art supplies in addition to the coloring sheets (on the good paper of course!), but feel free to bring your own projects, books, or supplies— whatever sparks joy! With music and snacks starting at 6:30pm and the room being set up by 4:30, there’s plenty of time for you to come down, relax, and recharge before you go back to it. No registration required.

It’s almost a new month, and with it, the return of our therapy dog friends! If your child has trouble reading, we welcome you to join us and let them practice with a sweet, non-judgemental listener with our Read to a Therapy Dog program! We still have spots open on Saturday, October 4th at 1:30pm, 1:45pm, 2:00pm and 2:15pm, and a number of them open for the following Saturday, October 11th at 1:30pm, 1:45pm, 2:00pm and 2:15pm, so register to claim the time that works for you!

We’d also like to invite you back for another Board Game Night! Join us on Thursday, October 16th at 6pm to meet new friends, face old rivals, and just have fun! We welcome gamers of all skill levels to come down and try out our featured game of the month. Or, if you’ve been dying for new players for your fave— bring it down! We’re always happy to learn something new. Please register here to let us know what kind of games to showcase; there’s a difference in a game for 4 and a game for 12 after all!

Are you ready for a film? Join us on Friday, October 17th for our next installment of Friday Features, where once a month we show either a new movie or showcase an old classic, all sponsored by the Friends of the Millis Public Library! Starting at 1pm in the Roche Bros Community room, this month we’ll be showing the classic “Arsenic and Old Lace” with light refreshments— no registration required.

"Arsenic and Old Lace" 1944 (G) 118min

Cary Grant stars as the one sane member of a charmingly lunatic family in director Frank Capra's classic comedy. When Mortimer Brewster (Grant) brings his new bride to meet his two kindly aunts, he discovers that, among many other acts of charity, the two genteel ladies help lonely old men die happy ... by feeding them a wonderful meal before poisoning them. Now, Mortimer desperately wants to protect the two serial murderers he loves, stop them from killing anyone else and keep his bride from discovering how deranged his family really is.

And finally on our short-term upcoming docket, we have another Teen Movie Night! Join us for a spooky season treat with “Little Shop of Horrors” on Friday, October 17th at 6pm. Bring your friends, blankets, and whatever you want to feel comfortable, and we’ll get the snacks!

Run time: 88 minutes

Rated PG-13

A quiet, shy flower-shop employee finds an extraordinary plant with unusual appetites.

As always, there’s more going on than we’ll ever be able to fit in any newsletter. To see the full upcoming list of events, check out our (appropriately named) event calendar! It’s the first place we put things when we’re ready to share them!

We hope something in here sounds fun for you, and that we’ll see you at the book sale! Until then, take care of yourselves, and happy reading,

—Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians