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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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What is Storytelling and What Makes a Good Storyteller?: My Name is Red

20 Jun

MyNameisRed

There’s something so refreshing about perspective. It nods to the juxtaposition between one’s heart and mind: both the reader’s and the writer’s. This is one of the many reason why I find My Name is Red so beautifully fascinating – especially since in its original form it was not written in English.

My Name Is Red is a 1998 Turkish novel by Orhan Pamuk which was translated into English in 2001. You can borrow My Name is Red from BCCLS libraries in English or Korean translations.  It is also available as an unabridged audiobook on CD.  You can check it out as an ebook or a digital audiobook from eBCCLS.

Whilst the “main” layer of Pamuk’s novel leans toward a genre of mystery, it also seamlessly blends romance and philosophical puzzles, causing one to think twice about the true narration within each chapter. The main characters in the novel are miniaturists in the Ottoman Empire, one of whom is murdered in the first chapter. In order to figure out whom is the killer, each chapter of the novel has a different narrator, giving way a different perspective and truth that gets you closer to finding the murderer. Since each chapter leads the way to a deeper and more detailed truth, there are thematic and chronological connections between chapters and because of this, unexpected voices are used. It is these chapters told by different voices, character’s, and “things” that nod to such a question that goes deeper than mind and heart: “what is a storyteller?” We are immediately thrown into a new wave of storytelling when the table of contents reveals each narrator within this novel starting from the corpse of the murdered, to a coin, to then Satan, and curiously even the color red.

The figure of the storyteller and the art of storytelling in My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk opens up new ground to the reality that is a storyteller – which also sparks this question “can a color tell a story?” Allowing you to look at things through a more colorful light, it both challenges and excites the reader to experiment with the connection one would have with the narrator.

The book plays with this idea of voice, but every voice is invented. Referencing the title, we are introduced to Red as an actual chapter and narrator in the book as it brags “The truth is I can be found everywhere”. Suggesting a small truth in this story within a story within a story, as this color can be seen everywhere. It is this impossible voice that sparked quite a kindred reaction within me. Not only is red my favorite color, it also gave me this glimpse into the child’s wonder we are initially born with. A creativity that has no bounds – an impossible voice.

Even the thought of being narrated by a color and being introduced as “My Name Is Red” is mind boggling and makes me giggle from the pure genius of the writer. Why can’t colors be storytellers? Its hues are found everywhere and probably know more about what is the truth than any living organism.

So, even though the mystery is solved in the end, it’s the colorful words and creative ways of storytelling that made this one of the most memorable books I have ever read. I am personally not a huge fan of mystery novels, but this particular one is deserving of a chance even for nonmystery fans. The way it was written and how each chapter is broken down, beautifully expands your mind and allows you to think twice about your own opinions.

If you enjoy My Name is Red you can check out several of Pamuk’s other works from the Hoboken Public Library including The Red-Haired Woman, Silent House, and The Museum of Innocence.

Written By:
Sherissa Hernandez
Adult Programming Assistant

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