The ThriftBooks Blog

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 01, 2020

Happy New Decade! We are embarking on a brand-new era. It may seem a bit arbitrary, but we humans like to retrospectively infuse these tidy ten-year periods with distinct personalities. Here we review the character of the last five decades and make some guesses about how the 2020s will be remembered.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 18, 2019

You may be gearing up for some boisterous (read volatile) holiday get-togethers with the family. How about some stories of highly dysfunctional clans to get you in the right frame of mind? Here are twelve books that will leave you thinking, "Well, we're not that bad!"

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 06, 2019

As we countdown to 2020, we're publishing a series of ten of the best books of the past decade in ten different genres. 10 x 10! In order to finish by the end of 2019, we'll be packaging two genres together in this once-a-week series. This week's lists are Realistic Fiction and Memoir. Here are our picks for the ten best in each.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • September 02, 2019

Labor Day is more than just the last hurrah of summer. It is meant to honor and celebrate those who work—which is most of us. The day is also a time to reflect on worker's rights. This blog post focuses specifically on the history of women and girls working in America and the challenges they have faced.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • June 12, 2019

Not all dads are the same! Father's Day is this Sunday and you may be struggling with what to get for your specific fellow. Here's a list of book recommendations for all different types of fathers.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • May 22, 2019

Teaching calls for tough, determined, and self-sacrificing types. Here are five books highlighting inspirational, real-life teachers.

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By Emma Zaratian • May 06, 2019

Mother's Day is this Sunday. It's a holiday often known for family get-togethers and floral bouquets. It's also a time to reflect upon our relationships with our mothers, whose complex personalities have so unmistakably formed our own. To that end, here are some memoirs and novels we think explore the deeper dimensions of those maternal relationships.

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By Beth Clark • March 20, 2019

Introverts, this week honors the uniquely quiet genius that is YOU…in all your awkward, misfit glory. The world may be overwhelmingly extroverted, but that only makes your innovative problem-solving abilities more valuable, so embrace your socially selective selves and celebrate your innate strengths. Extroverts, keep reading for some riveting facts about your enigmatic counterparts!

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By Beth Clark • March 14, 2019

Celebrate #NationalPiDay with 3.14 pieces of your favorite pie (à la mode, according to our recent poll), 3.14 slices of your favorite pizza (pie), 3.14 chapters of The Life of Pi, or by seeing how many decimal digits of Pi (π) you can memorize and say aloud. (FYI, there are over a trillion, so hydrate first.)

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By Beth Clark • March 06, 2019

Hedy Lamarr wasn't just an actress who made history, she was a brilliant woman who shaped the future with her inventions. US Patent 2,292,387 in particular…the technology that made cell phones, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and more possible. Read on for more about the exceptional woman you'll want to thank the next time you get a text. (Unless it's from someone lame, but that's on them, not Hedy.)

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