Tag Archives: audiobooks

Two Delightful Digital Audiobook Mysteries narrated by Johanna Parker: Brownies & Broomsticks and Beaches, Bungalows, & Burglaries

11 May

Recently I enjoyed two fun mysteries narrated by the always enjoyable Johanna Parker who has a soothing voice with just a little twang and spunkiness added to it for her Southern protagonists.  Johanna Parker has won both an AudioFile Earphones Award and an Audie Award for her narrations.  Her most notable narration has been Sookie Stackhouse from Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries.

Brownies & Broomsticks
by Bailey Cates
Brownie & Broomsticks is the first of the Magical Bakery Mystery series.  Katie Lightfoot leaves her job in Ohio to open a new bakery in Savannah with her aunt and uncle.  If you love baking too, there are instructions at the beginning of the digital audiobook for how to get recipes from the story for Lightfoot’s Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies and Cheddar Sage Scones. But more than just recipes are brewing, Katie learns in the novel not only is her aunt a witch, but she is too!  Add in some potential love interests and if that wasn’t enough drama a customer is murdered and her uncle is the main suspect.  Parker only narrated the first in the series, with the also charming Amy Rubinate narrating the subsequent nine installments. The book is also available in print from BCCLS libraries. 

Beaches, Bungalows, & Burglaries
by Tonya Kappes
Part one of Tonya Kappes’s Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery series, Beaches Bungalows, & Burglaries is another enjoyable mystery narrated by Johanna Parker.  Mae West (no, not the Hollywood actress, but the wife of Paul West who was arrested for a Ponzi scheme) has been forced to downsize considerably from her big city NY lifestyle to living in a camper and trying to make a go running a tourist campground in Kentucky.  Things are tough enough with residents blaming her for her husband’s thievery, but then he escapes from jail and turns up dead.  Parker’s fans will be pleased that she narrates all 20 books in the series including the most recent Blossoms, Barbeque, & Blackmail.

Do you love mysteries? Consider joining us for the Hoboken Public Library Mystery Book Club!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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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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