Hidden Gems for Your Weekend

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Join me in my weekly column as I explore Aliso Viejo and share some of my favorite finds around town.

I belong to a family of readers.  Right now, I am in the middle of two novels, one self-help book and three cooking magazines.  My husband is reading a fantasy adventure book that has a cast of characters and lands that I cannot pronounce. My 8-year-old daughter is just like me: She has four books on her nightstand and is in the middle of reading each one.  My 3½-year-old son is obsessed with Transformer books.  Thanks to our bedtime readings, I am quite knowledgeable in the long battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons.  Perhaps that information will come in handy someday.  A mom can hope, right?

The Orange County Public Library system feeds our love of reading, and we are frequent visitors to the Aliso Viejo branch.  My husband, however, jokes that there should be a plaque on the wall that reads, “The Bertagni Family financially supports the Aliso Viejo Library through overdue book charges.”

The Friends of the Aliso Viejo Library (FAVL) Bookstore is next to the entrance of the library.  It offers the perfect solution for my family.  It's filled with donated books, videos, CDs and magazines, and my family always has fun browsing through the well-organized shelves.  The prices can’t be beat, and I love the freedom of not having a due date.  As a bonus, the FAVL Newsletter states that "all the money that the FAVL makes goes to support the library and the programs for the community.”

This bookstore is run by amazing volunteers who are helpful and friendly.  I have even had volunteers offer to read books to my children so I can peruse the bookshelves in peace.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting Maria Porras from Aliso Viejo.  She has been volunteering with FAVL for more than 2½ years.  Although Porras also has a full-time job, she enjoys volunteering every other Saturday at the bookstore. 

“It’s fun, relaxing and peaceful.  It gives me a chance for ‘me time’ and to meet some really cool people," she said.

Also a voracious reader, Porras loves being surrounded by books.  When we met, she was flipping through a 1963 high school yearbook that someone had donated to FAVL.  That is one of the reasons I love visiting this bookstore—you never know what treasures you will find.

I am happy to say that my family left the bookstore with some fantastic finds.  Spending only $5, we left with five books and a DVD.    My daughter was thrilled to find more Baby-Sitter Club books and a soft-back edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  My husband found a new book series he can’t wait to read.  As for my “I only like books with robots!” son, he chose Pat the Puppy. Go figure.

The Friends of the Aliso Viejo Bookstore is open Monday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  For more information visit the bookstore’s website.