The ThriftBooks Blog

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 22, 2020

Happy Celebration of Life Day! Life is sweet. Life is hard. Life’s a trip. No matter who you are or what your circumstances may be, figuring out how to live well is a journey. Even as we savor the sweet aspects of existence, we grapple with questions about what it all means and how we can make the most of ourselves.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 17, 2020

Today is Betty White's 98th birthday! The pioneering actress, comedian, and producer boasts the longest television career—80 years—of any entertainer. She was one of the first women to assume roles both in front of and behind the camera, and she's also written several books. Read about her fascinating journey.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 15, 2020

Have you started cheating on your diet yet? Has your goal to be more productive got you feeling frantic? If you’re tired of seeing your New Year’s Resolutions fall by the wayside after a couple weeks, we have some ideas for you. This year, consider resolutions that will not only improve your life, they’re even enjoyable.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 10, 2020

January is National Soup Month (an obvious choice!) and everyone's always looking for the next great soup recipe, right? So, we decided to help out by recommending five great soup cookbooks. Whether you're looking for a good vegan stew, an exotic new concoction, or just trying to figure out how to put your new Instant Pot to use, we have an option for you.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 08, 2020

This week we celebrate the birthday of writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Largely unappreciated in her lifetime, the trailblazing author's writings saw a resurgence after Alice Walker's 1975 essay called her "the patron saint of black women writers." Here we review five of her essential titles.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • January 03, 2020

A new year means new books! Here are nine of the most highly anticipated titles in the first few months of 2020, plus related recommendations you can read now.

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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 27, 2019

This is our fifth (and final!) installment of the best books of the past decade. Each week for five weeks, we’ve presented top-ten lists of the best books of the past decade in two different genres. A total of ten lists of ten: 10 x 10 = 100! This week’s lists are Poetry Collections and Romance. Here are our picks for the top ten of each.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 25, 2019

This can be a rough time of year for many. Grief, loneliness, and scarcity are among the reasons people may feel particularly isolated and sad during the holidays. It's an opportunity to reflect on these difficulties and how we can help. Here are twelve books that offer perspectives on empathy and awareness.

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By Ashly Moore Sheldon • December 20, 2019

Here's our fourth installment for the best books of the past decade. Each week for five weeks, we are presenting top ten lists of the best books of the past decade in two different genres. A total of ten lists of ten: 10 x 10 equals 100! This week's lists are SciFi/Fantasy and Thriller/Mystery. Here are our picks for the top ten of each.

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