The ThriftBooks Blog

By Melina Lynne • August 26, 2016

Excitement is in the air! The drafts are picked, teams assembled, and training camps done. We are now fully immersed in football season: the number one cause of hoarse vocal chords, heated Facebook debates, and self-proclaimed referees. Chips and beer are becoming harder to come by on weekends, and our close friends are slowly becoming our Sunday morning/afternoon enemies.

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By Melina Lynne • July 07, 2016

I had been in an abusive relationship. Admitting it to myself had its own difficulties, not to mention opening up to my family and friends. Now I had the crazy idea of writing it all down and sharing it with the world. Well, I won’t get too carried away... It wasn’t the world, but all my friends on Facebook and anyone who happened to stumble across my online blog.

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By Melina Lynne • December 14, 2015

Many memories will be shared over a good book, starting with the time-honored tradition of the bed-time story. Who here remembers begging their parents to read just one more book? "I promise I will go right to bed after the next one;" "I'm not tired yet;" "But I really like both of the books. I don't want to choose." Do any of these sound familiar?

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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 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 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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By Melina Lynne • September 02, 2015

Have you ever solicited new book ideas from your friends, or posted your inquiry on Facebook, Twitter or some other form of social media? What you hear back is generally a pitch for their favorite author, genre, series, etc., and, ultimately, you realize you are no further in your quest for a new read than when you started. Plus you will now have to answer the question, "So, did you read it?" several times over the weeks and months to come. Sounding familiar?

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By Melina Lynne • August 24, 2015

Who doesn't like a little mystery in their life? We spend each day so lost in the routine of working, taking care of the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc. that it becomes hard to carve out a few moments during the day that we can make completely about ourselves. However, sometimes an opportunity to step into another world with a good (especially discounted!) book, and use those parts of our brain that we feel go dormant at times, is much needed. Who better to stimulate our thrill-seeking, mystery-solving, crime-fighting selves than one of the best-selling authors of all time, Agatha Christie.

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