What is the Hoopla over Hoopla?
Plus some great literary links, bookish eye candy, and great books to add to your TBr
I have been wanting to do a shout out for Hoopla for a while. Hoopla and Libby are both resources we can use to borrow audio and e-books from the public library. I wrote about both back in January of 2021. At the time I created the graphic above to explain the main differences. Now, four years later I am circling back to say that while Libby is the more popular of the two, the real gem is Hoopla. I am finding great newly released audio books on Hoopla with NO WAIT and it also has a robust backlist (books published over a year ago). It is better than Libby - Hands Down!
In recent months I have enjoyed How to Read a Book (review below), Sunrise on the Reaping, and The Briar Club to name a few. Backlist treasures are too many to include but if I am looking for a spiritual, history, or memoir title, I am much more likely to find it available from Hoopla. They do limit the number of checkouts per month - my library allows seven, but the content across libraries is almost identical (this is not true of Libby). One final caveat is that I use Hoopla primarily for audio books as I can’t send e-books to my Kindle paperwhite. I can read an e-book via Hoopla on my phone but that is my least favorite way to read books.
Wondering if your library offers Hoopla? Check here.
EYE CANDY ALERT:
I am obsessed with this cute little Romance Book Truck, The Fleuria. It is located in my old stomping grounds of Hermosa Beach!! I will need to track this down next time I am in SoCal:
Follow her journey here:
Graduation Season is upon us, which means it's time to ponder life through a good commencement speech. I found this listing of the 21 of The Best Graduation speeches from The Pioneer Woman (and yes, she is on the list, cue eye roll) but I do love that the link has YouTube videos of each of them. My favorite is #10, author George Saunders’ 2013 Syracuse University speech Failures of Kindness. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Literary Links:
Attention writers: Suleika Jaouad just published The Book of Alchemy. It is composed of short essays and writing prompts and is broken into themes ranging from new beginnings to love, loss, and rebuilding. I am using this during my morning journal time and loving it. I am also inspired by a Cup of Jo article about gathering with friends for a journalling party. What a terrific idea!
In my February newsletter I discussed the problems kids have learning to read. Recently, I was blown away by this article outlining problems teaching adults to read in the US. Currently about 48 million adult Americans read at or below the 3rd grade level. If you are stirred to take action, this is a great opportunity to make a difference
In August of last year, Pope Francis published a letter to the church about the importance of reading fiction as an act of understanding the human condition. His letter is richly researched and beautifully written. I had no idea the former Pope was such a proponent of reading, and more specifically reading fiction.
“Literature thus has to do, in one way or another, with our deepest desires in this life, for on a profound level literature engages our concrete existence, with its innate tensions, desires and meaningful experiences.” --Pope Francis
Recent Reads
Wow, it has been a minute since a book has grabbed hold of me like this — and I have read some terrific books this spring. A shout out to the fellow indie bookseller who recommended this to me.
The Names is essentially a “sliding doors” book. It begins with a regular morning at home. Cora, mother of 9 year old Mia and a new baby boy, is asked by her husband Gordon to register the baby’s name today. [Note: this is set in England so I am assuming this is a UK thing]. It sounds simple but Cora’s life is anything but simple as she is controlled by her husband and the sole outlet for his rage. That morning she ponders three names, the one she prefers (Julian), the one her daughter suggests (Bear) and her husband’s name (Gordon). From there the book provides snapshots of this family every seven years for 35 years, exploring what happens with each choice. I hope this doesn’t sound confusing, it's not. The consequences of Cora’s selection become very clear very quickly . The author brilliantly creates three separate but compelling narratives each with their own trade offs. I just can’t explain how heart wrenching and beautiful this book is. Clearly there is a trigger warning for domestic abuse and some of the book is hard but it's also important. We, as readers, don’t stay mired in the abuse but we do get to see the repercussions of living with an abusive spouse or being parented by a violent bully. Smartly, the publisher indicates on each page who we are following: Bear, Julian, or Gordon so you don’t have to work to keep the narratives distinct. This will definitely be one of my favorites of the year. So well plotted, structured and executed. Hats off to Knapp for making me care so much about these characters. [Published: 5/25; Pages: 336]
Murder at Gulls Nest is a delightful new mystery. The cover is fabulous; it gives you all the vibes of a classic Agatha Christie novel and that’s exactly what you get. Nora, a lifelong nun, has left her life in a monastery in search of her dear friend, Frieda . Frieda left the ministry and took up residence at Gulls Nest - a downtrodden boarding house in a small coastal town. When she stops writing to Nora, Nora grows concerned enough to go looking for her. She arrives to investigate and also takes up residence at Gulls Nest. Think Miss Marple, twenty five years younger.
Soon after she arrives, one of the residents is found dead on the property and Nora’s investigation widens. She tries to work with the police, but they are not very interested. She also tries to keep herself out of danger with limited success. Note: she and the policemen do end up working together and there is a bit of chemistry here. I like that the police do not become adversaries but eventually partners. This book worked great for me: I enjoyed the coastal setting, quirky residents, fun plot, and the ending. It looks like Nora may be here with us for another mystery and I am here for that too! [Published: 4/25, Pages: 333]
How to Read a Book has been recommended to me on more than one occasion. When my friend Shelly, owner of Walkabout Travel, raved about this book I decided to give it a try.
The set up of this is going to sound rough, so be patient. Violet is being released after being imprisoned for killing someone while driving drunk. Harriet leads the women’s book club at the prison where Violet served her time. Frank is struggling to create a life for himself after his wife was killed (by Violet). After release, Violet begins her life again but she is totally alone until she runs into Harriet, and of course Harriet runs into Frank. Things are more complicated in this book that I am letting on because I want things to unfold for you as they did for me. I went in with very little information. The themes of this book revolve around forgiveness and redemption, both forgiving others and forgiving yourself. It is about creating a family when you don’t think you have one anymore, and about lowering your barriers and being open to new things. I don’t want to give the impression that this is a sickly sweet story, the author is handling difficult issues and relationships and these are not treated lightly. It also focuses on the importance of books and reading play in each of the characters lives. This would make a good book club choice. [Publication: 5/24, Pages: 283]
We have a guest review from my sister Leslie. We have a two person book club and discuss books all the time. She raved about Cher’s memoir and I asked her to share what she liked about the book.
I was excited to receive Cher: Part One as a gift. I love the simple songs of the 60's which Sonny and Cher were such a big part of. Cher writes candidly and with humor about making that music, but not until she has covered her childhood, in perhaps a bit too much detail. It is a rollercoaster of moving houses and crazy characters, and yet this shows where her strength and perseverance stem from. I loved reading about her desire to perform at an early age, which becomes a reality when she meets Sonny Bono in the right place (LA) and at the right time (she 17, he 28). They were each other's biggest fans and the source of creativity not only in music, but comedy. This partnership led to a decade of concerts, travels, making money, losing money, comedy acts turned into TV shows, all beloved and then forgotten by audiences everywhere. Whew! I squirmed while reading about Sonny — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Cher spoke of him more generously than I could have imagined. She is direct, funny, modest and very engaging.
What has stayed with me from the book is how forgiving she is of others, and how hardworking and creative she is. Cher lives life on her own terms - from the beginning till today, wisely navigating the bumps in the road. This memoir ends just when her acting career gets going. (Part Two is to be released in November of this year) and I for one cannot wait to read it. [Published: 11/24; Pages 434]