All the Hoopla about the Holidays!

8 Dec

I find Hoopla is my go to for fun holiday reads, movies and more.  I often recommend it to patrons for holidays from Hanukkah to Kwanzaa to Lunar New Year since Hoopla has lots of enjoyable holiday books.  Since my family celebrates Christmas, I thought I’d look at a few of the things I’ve been checking out this holiday season.

The Twelve Jays of Christmas
by Donna Andrews
Donna Andrew’s avian themed mysteries are always a hoot.  This year I’m listening to her latest audio book of The Twelve Jays of Christmas narrated by Bernadette Dunne who brings Meg Langslow, a blacksmith and mom of twins, and her extended family of quirky characters to life.  In this book, Meg must juggle a troublesome wildlife artist, Roderick Castlemayne, and her brother Rob’s surprise elopement plans along with the usual holiday festivities.  Many of Andrews other Meg Langslow mysteries are also available including several holiday themed audiobooks. You can read my blog post about her previous novel, Murder Most Fowl.

Inside Lyndey’s Kitchen:  Celebrating Christmas
If you are always looking for new holiday dishes to wow your friends and family like I am, then you may enjoy Inside Lyndey’s Kitchen: Celebrating Christmas.  They star Australian cooking host, Lyndey Milan. Broken down into three half hour episodes, she looks at classic, contemporary, and “lazy” dishes you can prepare.  On my must try list are her appetizers featuring duck breast with sour cherries and white gazpacho with scallops.  Also beautiful looking and delicious sounding is a raspberry terrine for dessert.  My favorite food, mushrooms, are featured in a Christmas morning mushroom custard.  Several other of Lyndey’s baking and travel series are also available from Hoopla.  As mentioned in a previous post our library patrons also have access to a variety of cooking and crafting videos from Craftsy that feature everything from roasting to bread making.

Midwinter Graces
by Tori Amos
I can remember as a freshman in college having to get up at 4 AM to stand in line for tickets for a Tori Amos concert.  I may not be willing to do that anymore, but she has always remained a favorite.  In Midwinter Graces, Tori puts her own unique spin on classic carols with her versions of Star of Wonder, Coventry Carol, and Emmanuel.  Plus enjoyable are her lush original songs like A Silent Night with You.  You can also borrow Tori’s latest Ocean to Ocean from Hoopla.  Also check out my previous blog post on eclectic holiday albums you can enjoy.

What favorite holiday items have you checked out from Hoopla for the upcoming winter holidays that you celebrate?

And don’t forget you also can check out a variety of holiday related items from our other ebook and streaming media services including Kanopy and Freegal!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services

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Pursuits Through History: Time After Time and This Is How You Lose the Time War

1 Dec

Last month, with the year winding down, it seemed like a good time for our Science Fiction and Fantasy group to pick a time travel themed book and movie.  We enjoyed them both and encourage you to check them out as well! 

Time After Time
Time After Time is the 1979 film starring Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen in an action and romance story which travels between 1893 and the late 70’s.  In 1893 London, Jack the Ripper (David Warner) has been on what will become a legendary killing spree and H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) hasn’t just written about a time machine, but built one.  When Jack uses the Time Machine to escape capture, Wells must follow him into the future to try to stop his continued murder spree.  Jack finds the violence of modern day San Francisco delightful, but Wells is disheartened that we have not achieved the Utopia he was hoping for.  While trying to stop Jack, he falls for a beautiful and intelligent banker played by Mary Steenburgen.  Will Wells be able to stop the Ripper? Will romance be able to survive across the decades?  Check out the DVD from one of the owning BCCLS libraries to find out!

This is How You Lose the Time War
This is How You Lose the Time War is an usual epistolary novel, revolving around two agents on opposite sides of a time war, written by two wildly creative authors, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.  Blue is from a future where everyone is part of a nature collective called The Garden that encompasses the consciousness of all living things.  Red is part of The Agency, a Techtopia where the line between man and machine has blurred.  Their rivalry starts out as begrudging respect towards a talented foe and turns into a love that has them questioning what they are truly fighting for.  The novel’s poetic language and framing using the creatively hidden letters between the two frenemies will appeal to those outside the usual genre fans. 

Want more Time Travel Stories? You can check out other Time Travel Works I have blogged about including The Future of Another Timeline, The Time Machine, The Garden of Iden & To Say Nothing of the Dog.

Consider joining our monthly Science Fiction and Fantasy Group! You can join us for the film, book discussion, or both!  This month we will be discussing Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire and viewing a family friendly Nutcracker inspired holiday movie on Monday, December 20.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Information and Digital Services

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