The ThriftBooks Blog

By Eva • December 02, 2015

Holiday shopping guides are everywhere, so why should you read mine? Because I'm a college student. Which means I'm broke. Which means I'm basically a gift-giving magician. So here's your guide to the holiday season – on a very, very tight budget.

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By Melina Lynne • November 18, 2015

Here in the Northwest, outdoor thrill seekers hit a lull at this time of year when summer is truly over, but our ski season hasn't begun. With the November wind and rain raging outside I'm more than happy to find indoor activities for the time being, and reading is always at the top of the list. The only side-effect to your reading time when it comes to the mystery and thriller genre, is an inability to move. The doorbell may be ringing, the kitchen timer going off, and the kids running in circles around you, but until you get through your chapter, you are glued to your seat; your fingers itching to turn the page and find out what happens. (Looking ahead is considered cheating!)

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By Melina Lynne • November 13, 2015

We are fast approaching the holiday season, and while we dig through our attics, garages, and closets in search of our holiday decorations, we are also thinking about those big family meals. Maybe you have a tried and true recipe you go to every year, or maybe you are still in search of a knock-down, drag-out, fantastic dish that will go down in family history.

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By Hugo Munday • November 06, 2015

President John F. Kennedy listed From Russia with Love among his top 10 favorite novels, and after a private screening of Dr. No at the White House he was reputed to have said "I wish I had James Bond on my staff." Bond was the creation of Ian Fleming, former pupil at England's most prestigious private school, member of British Intelligence during World War II, and off-spring of the Fleming family who owned a private bank. After World War II Fleming tried his hand at writing, and sixty years ago the first Bond book, Casino Royale, was born.

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By Hugo Munday • November 02, 2015

The latest in the James Bond movie franchise is released this month and I'll go. It's not a book by Ian Fleming, most of the ideals of the movie are outdated and corny, but out of allegiance to my childhood, I'll go.

This week you can use the code ASTON at Thrift Books to get a 15% discount on books in the Spy Stories and Tales of Intrigue genre, so that got me digging up a lot that wasn't related to James Bond. Much of it would make, or even has made, block-buster movie scripts and so it follows that we have some good books too. Starting with the interesting and working up to mind-blowing...

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By Melina Lynne • October 26, 2015

Vampires, werewolves, monsters, zombies, wizards, witches, and all things that go bump in the night. These topics used to be relegated to fiction pulled out in the fall to get us geared up for Halloween, but now have their own presence in the literary world. So how did they make the leap from October reading material to year-round "go to" reads? I have three words for you: teen paranormal fiction, and I’m not just talking about books, or in our case, used books like Twilight and Harry Potter. Sure, Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling made it “cool” again to write about fantastical elements. It helps that these are usually easy reads and always leave us wanting more; another series, another set of characters, and another chance to further our paranormal addiction.

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By Melina Lynne • October 11, 2015

Guilty pleasures. We all have them, and entertainment is one of the biggest categories. Whether it is the TV show we watch when no one is around, or the book we hide behind our more "accepted" reads on our shelves. One category in the book world that has slowly risen in the ranks is the Teen and Young Adult genre. With series like Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, and Divergent; audiences for these books have grown broader... and older. I will admit to being found in the teen section often when browsing for new series to delve into, and I know I am not the only one. Try typing "twilight mom" into your search engine, and see how many hits pop up. There are countless clubs and forums where older generations have raised their hands, and said, "Yes, I like Teen Fiction!" And there is nothing wrong with that.

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By Eva • October 07, 2015

You know that feeling of heart-stopping embarrassment you get when you come across a photo of yourself from years ago? It's a universal 'oh-my-god-I-can't-believe-I-thought-that-was-cool' moment, and we've all been there. Puberty can a time of questionable stylistic choices and a deluded state of believed independence. I for one thought it would be a fabulous idea to cut off my butt-length brown tresses in favor of a bleach blonde pixie cut sometime in the middle of my sophomore year of high school. Of course it was a terrible idea, and I was left with five awkward years of grow out and dye jobs, and a really unfortunate driver's license until I turned 21.

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By Hugo Munday • September 24, 2015

Politicians of all stripes were on their best behavior listening to the Pope address Congress. He may not be a native English speaker, but he referenced some very influential American authors in his speech, some better known than others. Our current 15% off fiction coupon (use LITFIC at checkout) isn't going to work for all of these, but for those of us who need to catch up with what's on the Pope's bookshelf…

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By Melina Lynne • September 21, 2015

A world where fact meets fantasy in any age, historical fiction covers books where the plot takes place in the past. Usually a deliberate and defined past that creates a tension based between the pull of historical accuracy and a really good story.

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