Reading a good book is like visiting an old friend, and this week, books are up for grabs and there are plenty of friends to be made.

“You think you’re all done and you go out into the hall and the table’s all full again,” Peggy Keener said with a laugh.

Keener is the new chairperson for the Fall Used Book Sale, assisted by Milly Burroughs. The sale is sponsored by nonprofit Friends of the Austin Public Library. Members of the group spent Monday afternoon setting up for the book sale this weekend, which will be held at the Austin Public Library.

Thursday is the members only pre-sale from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Memberships are available and may be purchased at the door for $10 per household. The sale to the general public will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Saturday will also feature a $5 bag sale from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The books were donated by community members all year round, with a large push for donations within the last month. Keener said there must be hundreds of people who donated books for the sale.

“Donations come in all year long and they’re saved [for the sale],” Keener said.

The sale is held twice a year in the fall and the spring. Two rooms currently sit filled with books — one with books for adults and one with children and young adult books.

Prices vary from 10 cents to $4, depending on whether it’s a type of media, a paperback book, a hardcover book or a coffee-table book.

“It’s such a fantastic deal,” Keener said.

The money raised will support library programs, author visits, the summer reading program and library projects. Austin community members donated not only used books, but also DVDs, VHS tapes, music and audio tapes.

Each section of the sale is labeled according to reader interest: mysteries, non-fiction, fiction, biographies, cookbooks, self-help and others. The books are also sorted by authors in many sections.

The books that are not sold are donated to organizations that need books.

“We do give away the books when we’re finished to needy organizations, so that nothing is wasted,” Keener said.

She said they go through the books and make sure they only donate things in good shape. In the past they have been donated to places like prisons and charities. Keener said the group is open to suggestions and if anyone knows of an organization that needs books, they can call the library.

Keener is excited for the sale and glad that she joined the organization for it.

“I said I would do it and I’ll do it again in the spring,” Keener said.