ThriftBooks is Turning 18!

Books, Movies, and Music From The Year We Were Born

Happy birthday to us! Thriftbooks turns eighteen this month. As a celebration, we decided to revisit some of the most popular books, music, and movies from the year of our birth, 2003.

Books

These books, flying off the shelves in 2003, reflect a diverse mix of nonfiction, YA, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and humor. There's truly something for everyone!

• The Kite Runner—Khaled Hosseini's heartbreaking story transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction.
• The Da Vinci Code—In this mystery by Dan Brown, Symbologist Robert Langdon works to decipher a set of cryptic clues surrounding a bizarre murder at the Louvre in Paris.
• A Short History of Nearly Everything—Bill Bryson applies his trademark wit to some of the oldest, biggest questions about the universe and ourselves.
• Inkheart—The first in Cornelia Funke's Inkworld series chronicling the adventures of a teen who discovers she can bring characters in books to life.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time—By Mark Haddon, this poignant, funny story follows a boy with autism trying to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog.
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers—Popular science writer Mary Roach offers this oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of our bodies postmortem.
• The Time Traveler's Wife—Audrey Niffenegger's singular love story features a dashing librarian who inadvertently travels through time.
• The Devil Wears Prada—A delightfully dishy novel by Lauren Weisberger about the most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.
• Oryx and Crake—The first in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam series is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future.
• The Devil in the White City—Erik Larson intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the event to lure his victims.
• Plus! The Best American Short Stories of 2003: Explore this compilation standout short fiction from the year.

Music

This list of some of the best-selling albums from the year of our creation offers up a similarly eclectic mix, including classic rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-metal, country, and pop.

• Get Rich or Die Tryin', 50 Cent
• St. Anger, Metallica
• Up!, Shania Twain
• Meteora, Linkin Park
• How the West Was Won, Led Zeppelin
• Justified, Justin Timberlake
• The Eminem Show, Eminem
• Cocky, Kid Rock
• Heavier Things, John Mayer
• The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia Keys

And if this makes you curious about the top hits from other years, check out The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, listing the most songs and artists from 1955 to 2009.

Movies

This list of memorable, hit movies that hit the big screen in 2003 combine box-office blockbusters with critically acclaimed films. Pop some corn and revisit a few of these cinematic gems.

• Finding Nemo—The beloved animated Disney film about an adorable little, lost fish, his devoted pop, and their quest to be reunited.
• Lost in Translation—The Sofia Coppola-directed Oscar-winning film is a valentine to the nature of unexpected friendships and to the city of Tokyo.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl—Johnny Depp channels Keith Richards in the swashbuckling pirate fantasy.
• Seabiscuit—Toby McGuire and Elizabeth Banks star in this Depression-era drama (based on a bestselling book!) about the life and racing career of an undersized and overlooked horse.
• The Matrix Reloaded—Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss return to their roles from the original 1999 sci-fi film.
• Whale Rider—Based on the novel of the same name, this is the inspiring story of a twelve-year-old Maori girl who aims to become the chief of her tribe.
• 2 Fast, 2 Furious—Starring the late Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013, this is the second installment in the wildly popular action franchise.
• Kill Bill, Vol. 1: Quentin Tarantino's campy, stylized grindhouse cinema-inspired film stars Uma Thurman as a female assassin.
• Elf—Starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel, this goofy comedy about an oversized Christmas elf instantly became a holiday classic.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—The final Oscar-winning installment of the epic Peter Jackson-directed trilogy.

Wow! Lots of good stuff happened the year we were born. We feel honored to be just one of many great things to have come about in 2003. We hope you've enjoyed this blast from the past as much as we have.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon