“What does Earth Day mean to you?” Our Facebook users answer.

Posted by Tommy on 04.22.2013 at 11:44 am

Earlier this month, we posed a question to our Facebook community: “What does Earth Day mean to you?” Here are some of the responses they (you) came back with, in their (your) own words. Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Impact, community, earth day, voices

An FAQ to answer all your Shop From Work Week questions

Posted by Tommy on 02.15.2013 at 12:45 pm

This being the third year of what may be the most important planetwide holiday, we thought a blog post explaining a little bit about the sale was in order, especially for those just discovering it. So we have literally thought of every single question you could possibly have. Don’t even try to have more questions, because that would be impossible.   Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, faq, jörg, shop from work week

UK readers: Save the date for this Fun Run with the National Literacy Trust

Posted by Tommy on 01.31.2013 at 10:45 am

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Maybe you decided to get more healthy and active? Or to contribute something to your wider community? Or just to meet new people? Whatever it is, the National Literacy Trust can help.

On Sunday 24 March we will be hosting the first ever Where’s Wally? fun run in Victoria Park, London. Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Our Partners, better world books UK, National Literacy Trust, NLT, Where's Waldo, Where's Wally

Giving them many worlds to live in: A great video on why Books for Africa deserves your vote.

Posted by Tommy on 12.18.2012 at 9:31 am

Have you ever considered what it would be like to grow up without any books? Our Twitter friend @melerycelery made this short video contemplating what it would be like.  Her conclusion: not awesome!  That’s why she’s supporting our longtime nonprofit literacy partner Books for Africa for the Project For Awesome fundraising project—and she needs your vote to help raise funds for them.

Click through to vote for her video to help BFA get funding from Project For Awesome!  (December 18th is the last day to vote.)  Thanks!

2 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized

Here’s Cyber Monday at Better World Books in a nutshell…

Posted by Tommy on 11.27.2012 at 10:21 am

Cyber Monday is upon us, the internet version of Black Friday. (You’ve probably already seen the sale, where every used book that ships from us is on sale through this Friday. If not, check it out!)

There is no other video clip in all of recorded history that so masterfully melds reading and cyborg intelligence as this clip from 1986’s Short Circuit. Johnny 5 speaks for all book lovers when he says (wait for it)….

Have your say » | Tagged Uncategorized, cyber monday, input, more input

And that’s why it’s called “Black Friday.” (5 origin stories that might not be true, at all.)

Posted by Tommy on 11.21.2012 at 10:35 am

Disclaimer: After writing this blog post about Black Friday, our pesky fact checkers insisted on adding some unnecessary commentary to the write-up. In this writer’s opinion, the piece was fine, but they were using very loud voices during the conversation. I suggest skipping their note at the end of the post altogether.

As this week winds to a close, a lot of people are going to be donning their cold weather gear and pressing their noses against the glass at their megastore of choice until the employees let them inside for discounts on TVs that are marginally bigger than last year’s model. In other words, it’s Black Friday time!

The origins of Black Friday are shrouded in mystery Read more…

3 Comments » | Tagged Uncategorized

You gave us scary book suggestions, and now we can’t sleep.

Posted by Tommy on 10.23.2012 at 7:00 pm

A few days ago, we asked you for some good Halloweenish book recommendations on Facebook.  Here are a few of the recommendations.

1. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Courtesy of Tatiana P.)
2. The Little Stranger (Thanks to Maggle M.)
3. The Graveyard Book (Hat tip to Sarah S.)
4. Let the Right One In (“So much more disturbing than either film adaptation,” says Daniella B., and Jamie S. agrees.)
5. Coraline (Says Amanda B., but she also casts a second vote for The Graveyard Book.) Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Book Lists, community, october, recommendations, scary reads

Want to know what our customers have been buying over the last couple Octobers?

Posted by Tommy on 10.23.2012 at 12:45 pm

Here are the top October sellers from BetterWorldBooks.com during the last couple of years.  Wait, wait, first try to guess.  Did you guess something spooky?  The answer may terrify and/or not-at-all-terrify you.

In October 2011:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
3. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
4. A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Book Lists, Uncategorized, october, scary reads, unscary reads

Happy International Literacy Day

Posted by Tommy on 09.08.2011 at 1:36 pm

In 1966, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the 8th of September to be International Literacy Day: one day out of the year to call attention to the state of literacy and adult learning around the world.  UNESCO also takes this day toward the Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to governments or NGOs that contribute to the promotion of literacy.

You may ask: “Why literacy?” From unesco.org:

“Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy. Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Read more…

3 Comments » | Tagged holidays, Impact

Everything I know about life, I learned from (Literary) Dads.

Posted by Tommy on 06.17.2011 at 1:15 pm

June 19 is coming up, and that’s easily one of the most fatherly days of the year, if not the fatherliest. So let’s talk about lessons learned from patriarchal parental units — specifically, the ones in books. Here is a handful of Life Takeaways gleaned from dads of the printed page.

Be a good role model.
If there is one nugget of wisdom that lawyer and superdad Atticus Finch imparts to his kids by way of his actions in To Kill A Mockingbird, it’s to do the right thing no matter what. Even in the face of cantankerous townspersons and societal prejudice, Mr. Finch insists on taking the high ground instead of the easy road.

Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged holidays, Uncategorized