Blowing Smoke: How to Appreciate a Dragon

Some will say dragons are mythological creatures men created to explain different natural phenomenon in a pre-scientific world. Others will tell you dragons were how man once made sense of dinosaur fossils. However, any book lover will tell you dragons are a very real and integral part of literature that have fascinated us for centuries and deserve our appreciation, which is why January 16 is Appreciate a Dragon Day.

How do we appreciate a dragon, you might ask? Let’s take a look at some of our favorite dragon tales to find out.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday: Top Five Books & Songs

We honor the birthday, and legacy, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special collection of books and songs that speak to his influence in the Civil Rights Movement, chosen by our Buy Guy, Steve Leach.

Parting the Waters and the other two volumes of the America in the King Years trilogy, Pillar of Fire and At Canaan’s Edge, by Taylor Branch— This masterwork tells the whole story, keeps the huge cast of characters distinct and fully-formed, and throughout its 2,700-plus pages kept me mesmerized and dumbfounded that all of it happened during my lifetime.

Parting the Waters and the other two volumes of the America in the King Years trilogy, Pillar of Fire and At Canaan’s Edge, by Taylor Branch— This masterwork tells the whole story, keeps the huge cast of characters distinct and fully-formed, and throughout its 2,700-plus pages kept me mesmerized and dumbfounded that all of it happened during my lifetime.

Holiday Hours At Half Price Books

It’s official booklovers: we’re well into the swing of the holidays! Whether you’re just now making your list or you’re checkin’ it twice, you can be sure to find great gifts at your local HPB. This year, some of our locations are even offering special holiday hours to help you wrap up your shopping (see what we did there?). Check out the list below to see if HPB stores in your area are operating with extended hours and take note of which stores are closing early around the holidays. Happy shopping!

Arizona
California
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Missouri
Nebraska
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Texas
Wisconsin
Washington

Don’t see your store listed? Visit www.hpb.com/stores to find their normal store hours. We’ll be updating this blog regularly so you can always check back to see if their holiday hours get added to the list.

Buyer’s Picks 2020

Editor’s Note: Our buyers hand select new bestsellers that are sold in our stores. It is our pleasure to present a closer look at some of our favorite Buyer’s Picks from 2020 and selected titles from the bestseller program!

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Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Outside of the President Obama memoir, Ready Player Two has been one of the most anticipated books of the year. The plot of this sequel to the 2011 hit Ready Player One has been a carefully guarded secret, so there was very little information about it before its release. Wade Watts, a young boy living in a trailer park in the future, finds a last Easter Egg, which starts Wade on a new quest. But there is a new rival who will stop at nothing to beat Wade and get the prize himself.

Celebrating Booksgiving Day at HPB

Like everything else this year, 2020 is going to have a different holiday season. Many families won’t be able to gather to celebrate their favorite things – spending time together, enjoying a football game or spending hours cooking and eating all of their favorite foods.

Half Price Books is also making adjustments to our favorite holiday – Booksgiving Day – which takes place Saturday, November 21.

Meet the Bibliomaniac: Justin Masi

Hey Meridian, we are moving in! We are ecstatic about our new store in Meridian, Idaho. In this edition of Meet the Bibliomaniacs, we would like to introduce you to the HPB Meridian store manager, Justin Masi, who’s been hard at work leading our Meridian team (in masks and maintaining safe social distancing practices, of course) building out our newest store for you!

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Introducing: New HPB Exclusive Woodshoppe Items!

Established in 1984, the Half Price Books Woodshoppe’s work goes far beyond the store bookshelves that hold your next read. Not only do our beloved builders bring the kids’ section of your local Half Price Books to life with adorable themes, but they also produce every practical woodworked item in the stores, from desks to chairs and other fixtures.

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That’s right, our Woodshoppe employees are practically superheroes. And now they’re using their mastery of all things lumber to craft cool items for you to take home.

As part of our HPB Exclusive line, The Woodshoppe presents an awesome assortment of handcrafted items designed to help booklovers who are looking to organize their homes or have a good time during game night.

Best of the Decade: 2000s

Editor’s Note: This year, our Half Price Books calendar once again features lists of books, movies and music. We’re heading into a new decade with a new focus…the past. Each month, we’ll share a list of events, inventions and, of course, books, movies and music, from every decade since the 1900s right here on the blog. Enjoy!

Social media makes its mark with the debut of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and history is made when Barack Obama becomes the first African American president of the United States. We dive into the decade that arguably changed the way we connect with one another: the 2000s.

Best of the Decade: 1990s

Editor’s Note: This year, our Half Price Books calendar once again features lists of books, movies and music. We’re heading into a new decade with a new focus…the past. Each month, we’ll share a list of events, inventions and, of course, books, movies and music, from every decade since the 1900s right here on the blog. Enjoy!

The internet is made available to the public and a wizard kid named Harry takes the reading world by storm. We mosey right on into the next decade with events, books, music and movies that made the 1990s memorable.

How to Enter the #BannedBook Daily Giveaway

Did you know you can now leave reviews on your favorite products on HPB.com? Review your favorite books at HPB.com for a chance to win a $50 HPB Gift Card. One lucky reviewer will win each day from September 27-October 3.

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Ready to enter the giveaway? Follow the steps below to enter.