The ThriftBooks Blog

By Beth Clark • December 18, 2018

The Pulitzer. The Man Booker Prize. The National Book Awards. The Edgar Awards. All of them generally mean one thing: the books they're awarded to definitely don't suck. In fact, they're brilliant and incredible and moving and mesmerizing and disturbing and powerful and funny and, well...you'll just have and read them for yourself. Below are the winners of the most prestigious prizes, so enjoy.

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By Beth Clark • December 13, 2018

With only 500 left in the world, the ethereal and legendary Stradivarius violin is a work of alchemical art that some of us will get to see, a few will get to hear, and a handful may get to touch, but only the true elite of the musical world (or the extremely rich) will ever get to play. Below are 12 reasons why Stradivarii are unique and worthy of reverence.

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By Beth Clark • December 11, 2018

The National Board of Review Awards, Independent Filmmaker Project Gotham Awards, and People’s Choice Awards officially kick off Oscar Season, so here are the literary-based winners and potential Academy contenders.

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By Beth Clark • December 04, 2018

Socks are such a basic item that they're easy to take for granted...and leave on the floor, shove under beds, or lose to the dryer monster. (It happens to the best of us.) But socks actually deserve mad props for keeping our wiggly and sometimes stinky feet dry, warm, and free from blisters, so in honor of National Sock Day, here's a little history of how they became a thing and some "rules" to follow. (And yes, no socks with sandals is one of them, but that wasn’t always the case...)

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By Beth Clark • December 03, 2018

Some sentimental holiday reads are synonymous with Christmas and considered sacred, while others make us laugh year after year, but are a little too irreverent to be mainstream classics. Below are 12 titles that are a combination of both, so whichever you choose, happy holidays!

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By Beth Clark • November 29, 2018

You don't have to be an expert in theoretical cosomology or quantum physics to love Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but if your sense of wonder or insatiable curiosity is fascinated by the science of it, we're about to make your inner nerd very happy.

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By Beth Clark • November 26, 2018

When authors like Roald Dahl and Jon Scieszka pair up with illustrators like Quentin Blake and Lane Smith, the result is nothing short of magic that both parents and kids love to read over and over and over! (And over…)

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By Beth Clark • November 21, 2018

If you're as excited as we are about the upcoming publication of Christopher Paolini's "The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm," then this blog is for you! (And if you're not as excited as we are, you should be, so it's still for you.) Subtitled "Tales from Alagaësia Volume 1: Eragon" the book is the first in a new series and written as three short stories set in the world of Eragon's current adventures in Alagaësia. Read on for more on Christopher Paolini and a refresher on where we last left our hero and heroine in the Inheritance Cycle.

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By Beth Clark • November 16, 2018

Long before she became the queen of Twitter or the beloved author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling was (and still is) a voracious reader...a habit she shares with the majority of the world's ultra-successful people. Keep reading for 7 books she loves—the author who inspired her fangirl moment might surprise you. (Hint: they have the same hair color.)

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By Beth Clark • November 14, 2018

Role models can inspire you to be your best self in ways you're not able to on your own, regardless of who you are, where you live, or what your occupation, age, or bank balance is. (Which is why even already successful people hire life coaches to motivate them.) Whether it's your bestie, favorite author, teacher, celebrity, or a professional who's risen to the top of their field (ahem, RBG), November is devoted to thanking them for being someone you look up to and aspire to emulate. Keep reading for more on how role models help us, how to help them help you, and how to be one yourself.

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By Beth Clark • November 09, 2018

2018 may be winding down, but there are several epic screen adaptations that are set to be released before it does, including All the Truth is Out, Holmes and Watson, the newest Grinch movie, Mary Queen of Scots, Mortal Engines, Mary Poppins, Watership Down + more!

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