Thrift Store by Bebe Nicholson

amazon.com

Released: December 2013

I found this book at a California laundromat last winter. The full title is actually Thrift Store: Shop, Cook, Laugh...But Don't Call the Police. At first glance, it looks like a goofy, funny "ha-ha" book, which is why I picked it up in the first place. While it only took me about an hour to read, it was exactly what I needed after finishing after having read novels of a more intense nature.

Thrift Store is a collection of anecdotes and recipes compiled by workers and volunteers for North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) in Georgia. Each story is about a real experience that took place at a community thrift store—all of which are moderately entertaining if you frequently shop at thrift stores. Most of the stories are cute and wholesome, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at how non-profit thrift stores can help people in need.

Hilarious? Maybe, maybe not

The recipes scattered throughout this book are pretty basic, and you could most likely find them in abundance on the Internet. The stories aren't hilarious in a belly-hurt kind of way—they're simply just wholesome. "Wholesome" seems to be the best word I can use to sum up Thrift Store.

If you're looking to gain tips and tricks about thrift-store deals and how to shop at them, this book probably won't help you much. But the stories do serve as a great reminder that certain things you may take for granted could make a world of difference to people at their times of need. I've been there, and maybe you've been there. Either way, this book is a nice reminder.

Would you love Thrift Store?

Reading Thrift Store may be a great way to spend an hour if you're at the DMV or at the park and need a happy pick-me-up. However, you probably wouldn't want to go out of your way to purchase it—unless maybe you volunteer at a thrift store. I've got to hand it to Nicholson and NFCC for taking the time to share their inspiring stories with the rest of the world.