By Barbara Hagen • November 16, 2021
The holiday season brings exciting new releases in books, music, movies, and TV. That plus the much-loved classics come together to make the holiday complete. Today, I’d like to provide a bit of Holiday Helper insights for ThriftBooks this season to help you get the most out of your experience and holiday shopping.
By Barbara Hagen • November 07, 2021
Since November is National Family Literacy Month, I thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts on reading to those littlest ones between the ages of 0-4 and the oft asked question when selecting books for this age: Which is better, Board Books or Picture Books?
By Barbara Hagen • October 14, 2021
October is TeenTober, a nationwide celebration by libraries to fuel the passions of teens in and outside of libraries. When it comes to reading, kids and teens today have a plethora of options, endless almost. The challenge as children become teenagers is not what to read but how to keep them reading. Learn more about TeenTober and the trick that I have found to help keep books in their hands.
By Barbara Hagen • July 28, 2021
By Barbara Hagen • June 18, 2021
As a child, one of my favorite summer activities was going to the library. Today the world is a lot more complicated than the summer of my youth with more screens, distractions, and technology, but the good news is, that special magic is easy to find...just get books into the hands of kids!
By Barbara Hagen • April 25, 2021
By Barbara Hagen • April 14, 2021
A few weeks ago, a would-be new customer reached out to us with a question that caught me off-guard. "Are you a real company?" As I thought about it more, it made increasing sense to me why someone might ask this. In our widening virtual world—made even more so by the pandemic—we are right to question what is on the other side of the glowing screen in front of us.
By Barbara Hagen • February 08, 2021
By Barbara Hagen • December 24, 2020
For many of us, it may feel like COVID is The Grinch, stealing our ability to celebrate or enjoy the holiday like we have in the past, be it with friends, families, activities, or traditions. Even our shopping was very different this year. But on Christmas Day, let's all be reminded of the immortal words of Dr. Seuss and the meaning of holidays.
By Barbara Hagen • December 14, 2020
Vinyl records are a real blast from the past. Find yourself a new LP or an old favorite, dust off your record player, and sit back, close your eyes, and let yourself be hypnotized by the complete musical experience of it all, just like it was way back when.
By Barbara Hagen • November 30, 2020