Month: January 2015

Books for the Big Game

/ Jim / Leave a comment

Like everyone else, we’re gearing up to watch the big game this Sunday between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. If you’ve got all your game time snacks planned out and you’re tired of hearing about “Deflategate” (We know we are!), here are some football books to tide you over until kickoff.

The QB: The Making of Modern QuarterbacksParcells: A Football LifeWin Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a ChampionGrowing Up Gronk: A Family's Story of Raising ChampionsNotes from a 12 Man: A Truly Biased History of the Seattle Seahawks

The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks by Bruce Feldman

Bestselling author Bruce Feldman takes a look at what goes into creating the perfect quarterback, a position that can make or break a franchise. Feldman gained access to Johnny Manziel (aka “Johnny Football”), George Whitfield and many other players to take a look at this specialized business.

Parcells: A Football Life by Bill Parcells

Parcells’ autobiography takes a look back at his decades-long career as an NFL coach for four franchises, including the New England Patriots. During his influential career, he’s the only coach to take four different teams to the playoffs.

Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion by Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll is one of the most successful coaches in football today. As the head coach at USC, he brought the Trojans back to national prominence, amassing a 97-19 record over nine seasons. In this book, he shares the championship-winning philosophy that led USC to seven straight Pac-10 titles, and is now shaping his program with the Seattle Seahawks, winners of their first Championship last year.

Growing up Gronk by The Gronkowski Family

The Gronkowski family is a legitimate miracle. Five towering brothers, (three who have played in the NFL) including record-breaking tight end New England Patriots, Rob Gronkowski, who is realizing a meteoric rise to a spot in NFL history. Another played major league baseball, and the youngest is an up-and-coming Division 1 football player.  Growing Up Gronk takes readers behind the scenes to tell the Gronkowskis’ incredible story, revealing how they were raised, how they were motivated, how they trained, how they played, even how their mother kept them fed (which I’m sure was an undertaking!).

Notes from a 12 Man: A Truly Biased History of the Seattle Seahawks by Mark Tye Turner

Before Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson, there was Steve Largent and Jim Zorn. As the Seattle Seahawks prepare for the big game, football fans will enjoy this rollicking team history as seen through the eyes of an obsessive fan. Author Mark Tye Turner, a television writer who’s been a 12th man since Day One, tells it like it is and in obsessive detail. This book will make you laugh, wince, cheer, and learn everything you ever need to know about the Seattle Seahawks–and then some!

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Jim is Art Director at Half Price Books Corporate.

A Booklover’s Guide to Reading Resolutions

/ Sam / 1 Comment

Happy New Year! Put your best book forward and make yourself a better bibliomaniac with our Booklover’s Guide to Reading Resolutions.

Resolution 1: Read More

Make a pledge to read more this year. Now, this resolution may seem like a gimme, but it’s a great place to start. We’re challenging you to Resolve to Read More. Head over to hpb.com/resolve and tell us how many books you plan to read this year. Plus, you’ll be automatically entered to win a $100 HPB Gift Card. The deadline to enter is January 31.

Need a few recommendations? Here’s what some of your fellow HPB booklovers have already picked as their first reads of the year:

A Song of Ice and Fire Series (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Yes, Please  by Amy Poehler, Gray Mountain by John Grisham, Killing Patton by Bill O’Reilly, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Burn/Hope to Die by James Patterson, Gone Girl/Dark Places/Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett, I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, If I Stay by Gayle Foreman, Mr. Mercedes/Revival by Stephen King, Prince Lestat by Anne Rice, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Escape by David Baldacci, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

Resolution 2: Join a Book Club

Experience the same book with fellow readers. Book clubs are a great place to share your thoughts, plus you might learn something you wouldn’t catch by just reading alone. Start your own or feel free to join us over at the bi-monthly HPB Book Club.

Resolution 3: Meet an Author

Why not meet the author behind your favorite story? It makes for a great memory and a great way to see another side of the book. Plus, get those burning questions answered straight from the source. Half Price Books hosts author events throughout the year at stores around the nation. Be sure to check out the HPB Local Store Events Round-Up to find out which authors are coming to your area.

Resolution 4: Improve Your Shelf

Grab those books that have been piled on the nightstand for months or sprawled around the house and take the time to organize your bookshelf. Display them proudly and add your own personal touches with bookends, keepsakes and other collectibles. These shelves below belong to actual HPB booklovers! Pretty cool, huh!? Check out our Pinterest board for more shelf and storage ideas.

Resolution 5: Find a new Reading Retreat

Some like to read at home in bed or on the couch, but wherever you’re reading, venture out and find some place new. Reading is a real treat, so why not enhance the experience with a special place to do it? Find a local coffee shop, a cozy bench at the park or create a reading nook of your very own at home. You’ll be surprised at how a change in scenery opens up the mind. These reading retreats make us want to curl up with a good book right away!

Hope these resolutions inspire you. Happy reading!

What reading resolutions are you making this year?

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Sam is Public Relations Coordinator at Half Price Books Corporate.

Red Carpet Ready… HPB Previews the 2015 Golden Globe Awards

/ Jason / Leave a comment

The 72nd Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 8:00 p.m. EST on NBC. Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are sure to bring the laughs as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association celebrates the best in film and TV performances over the past year. I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t been able to view every Golden Globes-nominated performance (somehow, I just couldn’t work that into my job description…darn!), so instead I wanted to spotlight some interesting things I’ve found among this years’ crop of nominees:

Julianne Moore’s Big Year

Like other award-winning redheads Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain and Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore is a lock for a nomination almost every time she’s on screen. But two in one year? That’s impressive. Moore’s performance in Still Alice is predicted to win her the Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, however she’s also nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for Maps to the Stars.

Rachel Green and Michael Scott at the Globes

Both Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell found fans and fame starring in iconic comedic roles on the small screen. This year, however, these two comedy vets sunk their teeth into grittier roles: Aniston as a woman struggling with chronic pain in Cake, and Carell as a boxing team sponsor preparing for the 1988 Olympics in Foxcatcher.

Quvenzhané Wallis: The World’s Hardest Working Preteen

Critics’ reviews of the latest version of Annie notwithstanding, you have to give credit to young Quvenzhané Wallis, who has done more at 11 than many of us will accomplish in a lifetime (including, ahem, an Oscar nomination). It’s also nice to see a fresh young face stay present amongst awards discussion, rather than fading away after one breakout performance. Must not be such a hard knock life, after all…

Allison Tolman and Frances McDormand in the Same Category

I’ve long been a fan of the original Fargo film, and Allison Tolman was simply tremendous in FX’s TV adaptation. (Plus, like me, she’s also a Baylor University alum…Sic’em, Bears!) I found it intriguing that she’s nominated in the Best Actress in a miniseries or TV Movie category alongside Frances McDormand, whose delightful Det. Marge Gunderson was more or less the spiritual successor of Tolman’s Det. Molly Solverson.

Anthologies are the New Streaming

Just a few years ago, Internet-based streaming television changed the game. Netflix, Amazon and the like suddenly gave stiff competition to long-standing networks, especially with award recognition. Since then, one of the most original and interesting TV trends has been the rise of the “anthology series.” Based on this makeup of year’s nominees, it looks like we could be seeing many more shows like American Horror Story, Fargo, True Detective, etc. I’m okay with that.

Books + Movies = An Award-Winning Combo

Obviously, I’m a little biased here, but there was no shortage of book-to-movie adaptations this year, and it’s great to see them get recognized. From Foxcatcher to Gone Girl to Wild to Inherent Vice (and many more), there are tons of great reads that you can also watch unfold on the silver screen. I’ve got my reading list ready to go!

Who are you rooting for this year at the Globes? To view all of this year’s nominees, visit www.goldenglobes.com.

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Jason is Email Marketing Coordinator at Half Price Books Corporate.
You can follow him on Twitter @jasonapermenter.