Tag Archives: hoopla digital

Gotta Catch’em All: Check Out these items at the Hoboken Public Library for Pokémon Trainers

13 Jul

If you are out catching Pokémon at the Poké Stop in Church Square Park and need to get a break from the heat we hope you stop in to cool off at our library across the street. There is a water fountain on the second floor for those needing a quick drink, a charging station for your phone or tablet, and we have a variety of fun Pokémon related videos, books, and more for you to check out if you can’t get enough Pokémon.  If you aren’t familiar with 90’s franchise that spawned the Pokémon Go phenomena, this will give you the opportunity to learn the difference between a Charmander and a Clefairy.

Pokémon Cartoon Series

johto-journeys
When I was in graduate school my roommate (a fan of a Jigglypuff) and I always giggled about the fact that instead of going out to the clubs Friday evenings we sometimes enjoyed nothing more than getting a pint of fresh made ice cream from the store up the block and watching the adventures of Ash, Misty, and Brock and other Pokémon trainers.  I’m having fun introducing my son to the cartoon series.  We have a variety of DVDs to choose from including The Johto Journeys, Adventures in Orange Islands, and many more.  Plus for those who have a favorite type check out the Pokémon Elements series with volumes concentrating on episodes highlighting everything from Grass types, Electric types, and my personal favorites the Ghost types.  Plus you can check out movies like Hoopa and the Clash of Ages and Genesect and the Legend Awakened.

Pokémon Games

pokepark2
My son and husband have been having a lot of fun playing Pokémon Go in the parks near our home (Go Team Instinct!), but if it is a rainy day and you don’t feel like leaving the house we have some fun Pokémon games for those with Wiis or Wii Us, you can borrow here at the library including PokéPark 2, Wonders Beyond for the Wii, Pokken Tournament for the Wii U, and Pokémon Battle Revolution for Wii.

Pokémon Books

pokedex
The Hoboken Public Library has Pokémon XY by Hidenori Kusaka; the graphic novels tells the story of a shy but talented young prodigy and Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal.  We also have his Pokémon Adventures. Black & White and Pokémon Adventures. Emerald for you to check out.  Plus you can borrow from various other BCCLS libraries various editions of Pokedexes (a listing of Pokémons and their abilities) from Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: The official national Pokédex to Pokédex all 482+8 Pokémon & Post-Story Guide.  If you are a Hoboken resident, you can request the books be sent to you through interlibrary loan to the Hoboken Public Library, though many libraries are Poke Stops and Gyms so it may be the perfect opportunity to take a trip around North Jersey and see what all the terrific BCCLS libraries have to offer in person.

Pokémon Music

pokemon 2ba
If you are looking for some fun music to listen to while searching for Pokémon than check out the choices you have from Hoopla including the soundtrack to the first film Pokémon The Movie, Pokémon – 2.B.A. Master – Music From The Hit Tv Series, and Pokémon – Totally Pokémon – Music From The Hit Tv Series.  Plus for when Christmas time comes around, who can resist Pokémon Christmas Bash featuring the song “I’m Giving Santa a Pickachu This Christmas”? There is even a Karaoke version on the album!

Let us know your favorite Pokémon in the comments section and happy hunting!

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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Inspired By: The Dixie Chicks

22 Jun

Last week I saw the Dixie Chicks at Madison Square Garden. This was a concert I have been waiting to see for more than a decade!

The show was excellent and I was thrilled to hear and sing along to my favorite Dixie Chicks songs. I left the show humming “Cowboy Take Me Away”, and carrying a souvenir tote bag printed with a line from the song “Not Ready To Make Nice”.

I also left inspired to write about my favorite tracks from the Dixie Chicks’ catalog, as well as some other related music inspired by the concert.

Fly

How did a girl born and raised in Hudson County where “Wide Open Spaces” are a foreign concept come to love the Dixie Chicks? MTV, of course! The year was 1999 and I saw the music video for “Goodbye Earl” from the Chicks’ sophomore album Fly (available on CD and streaming in Freegal).

fly

Mary Ann and Wanda getting the ultimate revenge on the Wanda’s abusive* ex-husband Earl appealed to me as a baby feminist.

You can watch the video on YouTube of course and Freegal, sans commercials. Dear reader, please don’t try anything from the video at home–poisoning people is never a good idea.

Some other choice tracks from Fly:

  • “Cowboy Take Me Away”
  • “Cold Day In July”
  • “Hole In My Head”
  • “Sin Wagon”
  • “If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me”–my very favorite. I had hoped to hear this at the concert, but sadly it wasn’t on the set list. 😦

Wide Open Spaces

wide-open-spaces

The Dixie Chicks’ first album was Wide Open Spaces, released in 1998. (CD and Freegal) The title track of this record is now an anthem for women who want to spread their wings and leave home, but I am partial to “There’s Your Trouble”.

Home

home

The album Home (CD and Freegal) came out in 2002, and includes a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. There are some sadder, more introspective songs on this record, such as “Traveling Soldier” and “Top of the World”, but “White Trash Wedding” brings levity. I think that the brash “Truth No. 2” was a precursor to the music the Dixie Chicks would make on Taking the Long Way.

Shut Up & Sing

shut-up-sing

The Dixie Chicks found controversy in 2004 when lead singer Natalie Maines made a negative statement about then President George W. Bush, which brought intense criticism and backlash from the country music community. The documentary Shut Up & Sing covers this period of the Chicks’ history.

Taking the Long Way

taking-long-way

From that turmoil came the Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way (CD and Freegal). This album was a game changer, and it is my favorite. This is a rare album I can listen to all the way through without skipping around.

Excellent tracks:

  • “Not Ready To Make Nice”
  • “Taking the Long Way”
  • “Easy Silence”
  • “Baby Hold On”
  • “Everybody Knows”

Sing “Lullaby” to your loved one, your baby, your teenager, your bae, your pet, or whomever you please.

Whenever anyone asks me, “Kerry, why haven’t you [insert milestone that others think I should have reached by now] yet?” I answer that I’m “Taking the Long Way”. Thank you, Dixie Chicks, for helping me answer that nosy but usually well meaning question!

Dixie Chicks Miscellany

If you want to dive deeper into the Dixie Chicks’ music, I recommend borrowing on DVD their VH1 Storytellers episode, where they tell the origin stories of some of their songs. I love to hear about artists’ inspirations for their work. Check out Top of the World Live (CD and Freegal) if you want to experience the Chicks in concert.

This New York Times piece about the Dixie Chicks and Kacey Musgraves as “Country Rebels” prompted me to borrow Kacey Musgraves’s recent release Pageant Material (CD and Hoopla) and savor the title track, “Late to the Party”, and “Biscuits”.

With the line “…mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy…”, “Biscuits” can serve as a good response to any nosy yet usually well meaning questions.

Are you going to any concerts this summer? Do you use song lyrics to respond to questions you’d rather not answer?

-Written by Kerry Weinstein, Reference Librarian

*Click here for resources on domestic violence.

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