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September 18 is Read an Ebook Day and HPL has a Smorgasbord of Choices Just Waiting for You!

18 Sep

If you have never checked out an ebook before, now is the perfect time with the help of the Hoboken Public Library!

Hoboken residents have access to two collections of ebooks and digital audiobooks from Overdrive, eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS.  Both are packed with great choices.  For many devices you can use the new user friendly Libby App, or the still supported older Overdrive App; both allow you to easily switch between both the eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS collections.  Overdrive also exclusively provides to libraries Kindle formatted ebooks for those who have Kindle ereaders or prefer to use the Kindle App. Both services allow you to check out 5 books at a time, eLibraryNJ for up to 3 weeks and eBCCLS for up to 2 weeks.

Other than these services, Hoboken Residents can also get a variety of ebooks including graphic novels and digital audiobooks along with media items from Hoopla.  Hoopla allows 10 checkouts per month for our patrons and has the added bonus of never having any holds on materials so there is never a wait for any of their items!

If you don’t have a smart phone or ereader of your own to read an eBook on – and are a Hoboken Resident Card Holder – then consider stopping in to borrow a Kindle or iPad which feature a selection of best sellers as well as books featured for all of the library’s book discussions.  We have several different models including Kindle Fires, Kindle Paperwhites, and Kindle Voyage. Some patrons like to check out different models of devices to compare before considering their own purchase.

Our iPads also feature all our Apps for our library ebook and media services so you can access those items as well when you set up an account with the services.  Also, our iPad minis feature foreign language and travel books.

One of the great advantages of eBooks is that you can adjust the size of the font so any book can be a large print book for those with sight issues. Plus ereaders can fit 100s of books with less weight than your average hard cover making them perfect for when you are on the go.  Have a book to recommend for inclusion on the ereaders? Let us know!

If you need help getting started with using ebooks just email reference @ hoboken.bccls.org for assistance and more information. Go Check Out an ebook today!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Reference

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Watch the Shows and Read the Books: Three Quirky Detective Series

22 Aug

Agatha Raisin, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games are three detective series which I had as much fun watching as I did reading.

Agatha Raisin
AgathaRaisin
I was curious to check out the Agatha Raisin series – since I am a fan of cozy mysteries – and I enjoyed several of M. C. Beaton’s novels, which the series is based on.  In the movie pilot The Quiche of Death, a London PR executive, Agatha Raisin, fulfills her lifelong dream of early retirement in a small village in the Cotswolds. When she enters the local quiche-baking competition in hopes of impressing her new neighbors she learns all is not as idyllic in the village as she expected. Raisin doesn’t so much solve crimes but rather comically stumbles into their solution. I recommend checking out the movie before the rest of the eight episode series since it sets up the relationship between the various characters.  You might also recognize star Ashley Jensen as the Scottish BFF/coworker, Christina, from Ugly Betty.  You can stream the first season on Hoopla which also offers audiobook versions of the novels.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
DirkGently
Douglas Adams is best known as the author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series which I had written about in a previous post, but his equally quirky Dirk Gently series about a holistic detective is also worth checking out. Serving as a follow up to the books, two seasons of the Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency have recently been created.  What makes Dirk a holistic detective is that he solves mysteries by following the interconnectedness of all things, so rather than seeking clues, he waits for the clues to come to him.  In both seasons the episodes start with confusing storylines that don’t seem in anyway cohesive, but by the end all is revealed and the mystery is solved.  I enjoyed the quirky way everything was wrapped up.  This is a good choice for those who like not only humor with their mystery, but also a bit of fantasy too.

Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games
AC_CriminalGames
Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games is a series of French Movies available to stream with subtitles from Hoopla or on DVD.  It takes classic Christie story plots and transports them to 1950’s France and inserts new crime solvers.  If you are a Christie fan who is open to new interpretations of her work than they are a treat.  I watched the adaption of Sparkling Cyanide (also published as Remembered Death) in which a movie star seems to have committed suicide but Inspector Laurence suspects murder.  He is reluctantly assisted by up and coming reporter Alice Avril and his always loyal secretary Marlène. There is a bit more humor infused in the movies than the original books which I enjoyed.  I also found it a lot of fun to see new faces solving old crimes.

Written By:
Aimee Harris
Head of Reference

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