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
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 