The ThriftBooks Blog

By Beth Clark • December 24, 2018

Ho ho ho...where did Santa go? One night a year on Christmas Eve, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) tracks Santa with live updates as he makes his way around the world. They also answer almost 150,000 calls to the North Pole, and they know if you're being naughty or nice. Keep reading for more on who they are and how they do it!

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By Beth Clark • December 19, 2018

'Clapping back' is the act of (or art of, depending) responding to criticism or any other form of attack (real or perceived) by putting someone in their place. How? With a 'clapback': a quick, targeted, and clever reply that establishes a boundary and shuts the conversation down. (Previously known as a 'burn.') Below are some current and historical examples, plus a few pro tips.

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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 Catie Baldridge • December 01, 2018

People love stories. Since injuring my hand, I found that people request stories even more when they see someone wearing a cast! The real story was mundane and typical, but that didn't stop me from having a little fun and telling good tale.

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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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