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Eight Reasons I’m Excited About Hoopla (And You Should Be Too)!

1 Apr

hoopla

Hoopla means to get excited about something and now for Hoboken Public Library resident card holders, along with other members of BCCLS libraries, Hoopla now means having online access to 15,808 videos (including movies and TV shows), 14,313 audiobooks, and 212,595 music albums!  Each month you have an access to up to 8 different choices.  Here are 8 things I’m excited about that Hoopla is currently offering.  So go online and see what all the Hoopla is about!

1. Serenity

As a huge Joss Whedon fan I was sad when Firefly got cancelled, but Serenity was a wonderful consolation prize.  With its blend of Scifi and Western it became an almost instant cult classic.  If you’ve enjoyed Whedon’s more recent work on the Avengers franchise and haven’t seen this yet, definitely check this out.  For more classic scifi goodness check out David Lynch’s Dune or for a documentary about the archetypical fans checkout the documentary Trekkies about devotees of Star Trek.

2. The Sword in the Stone

If you’ve had enough of Frozen, have your kids checkout one of my favorite Disney films instead.  The Sword in the Stone is a charming interpretation of the classic Arthur legend.  I especially love the Wizard battle between Merlin and Madam Mim.  Also available is The Black Cauldron based on the first in The Chronicles of Prydain high fantasy series by Lloyd Alexander, one of my favorites as a child (please be aware that this one unlike most Disney animation is rated PG).  But if you your kids still want more Frozen you can listen to the Frozen Soundtrack or even sing along to the Karaoke version which are available from Hoopla.

3. The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo by The Puppini Sisters

I’ve been meaning for a while to write in the blog about the retro-wonderfulness that is the Puppini Sisters.  Inspired by groups like the Andrews Sisters they take on classic tunes, while also giving fun treatments to covers of “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Crazy in Love”.  Their original pieces are quite lovely.  Also checkout Max Raabe and Palast Orchester’s Golden Age, whose cover of “Oops! … I Did It Again” isn’t to be missed.

4. A Cook’s Tour

I loved Bourdain’s classic memoir, Kitchen Confidential, and his latest foodie travel series on the Travel Channel and CNN.  If like me you can’t get enough of New Jersey born Bourdain’s dry wit and adventurous spirit check out his first travel series, A Cook’s Tour, where he travels to Tokyo, Paris, Morocco, Russia, and more.  If you want more foodie delights check out the terrific films Mostly Martha and The Wedding Banquet or the documentary on the world renowned Spanish molecular gastronomic chef Ferran Adria, El Bulli: Cooking in Progress.

5. Carrie Vaughn’s Low Midnight

Carrie Vaughn’s newest novel Low Midnight is available as an audiobook from Hoopla.  You may remember I wrote an earlier blog post about Vaughn’s Kitty series about a radio host DJ who is a werewolf.  In Low Midnight, she writes the about of one of my favorite characters, the mysterious Cormac Bennett.   You can also listen to other books about Kitty including Vaughn’s first Kitty and the Midnight Hour.  If you are a fan of urban fantasy Hoopla has more treats in store including the audiobook short story collection Night Shift featuring paranormal romance stories by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Milla Vane, and Lisa Shearin.  Plus consider checking out two great urban fantasy TV shows: Sanctuary about a group running a preserve for supernatural creatures and Being Human about a ghost, vampire, and werewolf who are roommates.

6. The Addams Family

The Addams Family has more recently spun off into movies and a Broadway musical all of which are enjoyable, but my favorite adaptation of the classic cartoon from The New Yorker, is the original TV series that you can watch now on Hoopla.  If you like dark humor check out the quirky Dead Like Me about a reluctant grim reaper.  Plus with Hoopla, you can view some episodes of the classic vampire soap Dark Shadows.

7. Return to Oz

Recently as part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion at the library we had a special Oz event where we discussed the first three books in the series and had a special screening of Return to Oz. If you missed the event you can still check out this cult classic film that many fans of Baum’s work feel is a more accurate interpretation of the books than the 1939 Garland musical. If you can’t get enough Oz you can also view The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.  Plus you can listen to the audiobook of Wizard of Oz or the Wicked, the Musical, Soundtrack.

8. Movies, Music, TV, Audiobooks available 24/7! 

One of the best things about Hoopla is it allows us to provide our Hoboken Library Card patrons access to materials even when the library is closed. You can borrow music for 7 days, videos for 3 days, and audiobooks for 21 days. Any time you feel like watching a comedy such as Mr. Wrong you can or maybe you’d prefer a documentary like Bowling for Columbine or check out an episode of kid’s shows (my toddler recommends Dinosaur Train and Chuggington).  Hoopla has a lot of great musical selections whether you enjoy mainstream powerhouses like Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Imagine Dragons or are a fan of more obscure music such as Industrial bands like KMFDM, :Wumpscut:, and Skinny Puppy.  I’m looking forward to checking out Austrian darkwave act L’ Ame Immortelle’s latest Drahtseilakt tonight.  I also can’t wait to download the audiobook for Lydia Millet’s Mermaids in Paradise that I’ve been looking forward to reading.  There are no waiting lists, no late fees, and you have up to 8 great entertainment choices per month.

You can get more information about using Hoopla here.  See our eResources page for even more electronic goodies available 24/7 to Hoboken Public Library Card Holders like magazines, eBooks, downloadable music, reference resources, and more!  And let us know your audiobook, movie, music, and TV show recommendations for Hoopla in our comments section.

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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Foodie Magazines and Ruth Reichl’s Delicious!

23 Jul

As it becomes easy to simply type into Google and run a search on any recipe you feel like making that day, the need to spend money on cooking magazines may seem unnecessary.  Many magazines have gone extinct in their paper forms; a few years ago I mourned one of my favorites, Gourmet’s monthly print edition’s demise.  There is something enjoyable about flipping through pages (whether real or virtual) and viewing the delicious full color images of meals you may not have considered trying otherwise.  The library has a variety of foodie magazines that you can borrow.  We keep the current and previous year, and all but the latest issues of the magazines circulate.  And for those who prefer to view their periodicals on tablets or ereaders HPL/BCCLS offers digital magazines as well for download from our Zinio service.  You can also check out Gourmet’s former editor Ruth Reichl’s new novel, Delicious!, set at a food magazine.

Bon Appetit always reminded me of Gourmet’s hipper, younger brother.  It has plenty of recipes that will impress for a dinner date at home or a summer party.   In July’s issue learn about Adam Sachs’s clever creation of smoker for salmon and mozzarella made out of a filing cabinet and read a quirky interview of Community/The Soup’s Joel McHale.  Learn how to make Shrimp and Fresh Corn Grits, discover recipes perfect for a Moroccan inspired feast, and concoct frozen cocktails made with fresh fruit!   If you enjoy Bon Appetit, you might also like to check out Saveur available through Zinio.  It is a feast for foodies with stories of traveling to world cuisine destinations, food trends, and quality recipes.  If on the other hand you are looking for simpler home cooking download instead Taste of Home, which has easy recipes with pantry staples, often provided by the magazine’s readers.

Pairing wine with food can make a good meal even more special, but for many wine can be an intimidating topic. HPL has two print magazines that can help you whether you are a connoisseur or a wine newbie.  Wine Enthusiast magazine gives you a buying guide of wines from a variety of countries and at diverse price points for every budget.  Beyond wine it also gives some coverage of beer and each month has a featured cocktail–August’s is an updated version of the Peruvian libation Pisco Punch.  Also check out Food and Wine; the August issue features everything from an article on Native American Cuisine, a primer on Rose Wines, to even a short interview with Tori Amos.

Even when you are watching your waistline food can still be enjoyable.  Cooking Light has delicious recipes that are also good for you.  Always interesting is the recipe makeover, which shows how you can take an unhealthy dish and reduce the calories, fat, salt, sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients, but still create something flavorful and delicious.  This July’s issue, available in print from HPL, includes an articles on the hot topic of going Gluten-Free.  Enjoy recipes for luscious peaches, tangy pickles, summer salsas, grilled meats, and more. You can also find some great easy and healthy recipes in Eating Well and diabetics can check out Diabetic Living available online for download from Zinio.

Whether you are a vegetarian or are trying to reduce your meat consumption for health reasons, Vegetarian Times has great recipes that will have even carnivores not missing the meat.  June’s issue includes some clever veggie tacos, home brewed sodas, and an article on Vegetarians Chefs in the United Kingdom.  It along with another vegetarian magazine, VegNews are also available online through Zinio.

Of course the library has a variety of other print magazines that include recipes as well that suit a variety of readers needs and lifestyles including Weight Watchers, Martha Stewart Living, Good Housekeeping, and Real Simple (all but Real Simple are also available from Zinio).  Also from Zinio you can download Every Day with Rachael Ray and Food Network Magazine for fans of the food channel’s programming and recipes.

delicious

Though Gourmet is no longer published, Ruth Reichl, who was the magazine’s editor for ten years, is still leaving her mark on the food world.  Delicious! is Ruth Reichl’s first novel, but those who have read her nonfiction works will be familiar with her beautiful prose and mouthwatering descriptions of the food.  The book’s protagonist Billie Breslin has dropped out of college and traveled across the country to New York to work at Delicious! (described as an iconic food magazine, one would presume it was inspired by her time at Gourmet).  But then when Delicious! is suddenly shut down, Billie is the only staff member left behind answering reader complaints and questions from the magazine’s readers in the old converted mansion used as the Delicious! former base.  When she discovers letters written by a twelve year old girl to James Beard during World War II, she finds not only a mystery, but also understanding about some of her own life’s dilemmas.  Although some of the situations seem implausible, the quirky cast of characters and yummy food writing will make this a quick summer snack.  I devoured it in two nights before bed, but it seems like it would also be a great beach read.  I’m looking forward to trying to bake up Billie’s signature Gingerbread recipe, which is included and sounds scrumptious.

Stop by the library or click on Zinio link on our homepage to read about and cook up something new today!

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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