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Monday, March 18, 2024

Hot This Week: March 18

Check out this week's lists!

Video
  1. Wonka (Blu-ray | 4K)
  2. Migration (Blu-ray | 4K)
  3. Dune (Blu-ray | 4K)
  4. Anyone but You (Blu-ray)
  5. Poor Things (Blu-ray)
  6. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Blu-ray | 4K)
  7. Oppenheimer (Blu-ray | 4K)
  8. Barbie (Blu-ray | 4K)
  9. Priscilla (Blu-ray)
  10. Wish (Blu-ray)
Music
  1. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
  2. Noah Kahan, Stick Season
  3. SZA, SOS
  4. Taylor Swift, 1989
  5. Taylor Swift, Lover
  6. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
  7. Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album
  8. 21 Savage, American Dream
  9. Taylor Swift, Midnights
  10. Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
Fiction
  1. The Women, Kristin Hannah (PAABP | eB24M)
  2. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  3. Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  4. Never Too Late, Danielle Steel (ABP | eB12M | eB24M)
  5. The Hunter, Tana French (PAABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  6. A Fate Inked in Blood, Danielle L. Jensen (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  7. Three-Inch Teeth, C.J. Box (ABP | eB12M | eB24M)
  8. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  9. First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  10. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (PA | ABP | eB26C)
Nonfiction
  1. The House of Hidden Meanings, RuPaul (PA | ABP | eB26C)
  2. Blood Money, Peter Schweizer (ABP)
  3. The Wager, David Grann (PA | ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  4. Outlive, Peter Attia, MD, and Bill Gifford (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  5. Oath and Honor, Liz Cheney (AB24M | eB24M)
  6. Burn Book, Kara Swisher (AB24M | eB24M)
  7. Bad Therapy, Abigail Shrier (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  8. Attack from Within, Barbara McQuade (ABP | eBP)*
  9. White Rural Rage, Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  10. Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson (AB24M | eB24M)
Fiction/Nonfiction Format Key:
PA = Playaway (physical)
ABP = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, perpetual license
AB12M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 12-month license
AB24M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 24-month license
eB12M = hoopla Flex eBook, 12-month license
eB24M = hoopla Flex eBook, 24-month license
eB26C = hoopla Flex eBook, 26-circulation license
* = CD audiobook currently unavailable

Contact your sales rep for more information about hoopla Flex.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Classic Artists Back in the Spotlight

Written by Jon Williams

Occasionally some new music surfaces that is a pleasant surprise coming from an artist that hasn’t been heard from in a long time. Recently there have been two such examples from beloved icons that have brought their names back to the forefront of pop culture conversation.

On February 1, Billy Joel dropped a new single, “Turn the Lights Back On.” Other than a couple of singles and a collection of classical piano pieces, this is the first new pop music from Joel since 1993’s River of Dreams, which he intended as his final album—the last song, “Famous Last Words,” includes the lyrics “These are the last words I have to say / Before another age goes by.” While it’s just a single for now, Joel has not closed the door on another album being on the horizon.
 
Joel released 11 albums prior to River of Dreams, starting his solo career with Cold Spring Harbor in 1971. While the album was not particularly successful, at least in part due to a mastering error (which has since been rectified with a remaster), it did include the classic Joel hit “She’s Got a Way.”  He followed it up with 1973’s Piano Man, the album (and title track) that would inspire his lifelong nickname. He won the first of his five Grammy Awards for the hit single “Just the Way You Are” off of 1975’s The Stranger, and he won Album of the Year for 1978’s 52nd Street. SmartBrowse his name on our website for all of his studio albums, live performances on both CD and video, and compilations showcasing his wealth of hits.
 
One of Joel’s earliest and strongest influences was the music of the Beatles, who have also recently released a new track. Released on November 2, “Now and Then” is hailed as the last Beatles song. Like “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” it started life as a demo recording made by John Lennon, to which Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr added parts to in order to fill out as a Beatles song. While working on updating these songs for the Anthology release, the remaining Beatles abandoned “Now and Then” as the original recording was too hard to use at the time. But the fact that they had started working on it meant, fortunately, that George Harrison had put together some guitar parts they could add when technological advancements made the recording viable at long last.
 
“Now and Then” is included on the updated 1967-1970 compilation, which, along with its counterpart, 1962-1966, has been rereleased with additional tracks and several incredible remasters. These collections are a great way to sample or revisit the Beatles’ classic catalog, and of course their full albums (like Please Please Me, A Hard Day’s Night, Revolver, the White Album, and Abbey Road) are always popular with library patrons. Those looking for an even deeper dive may be interested in the individual members’ solo albums, such as John’s Imagine and George’s Cloud Nine. The surviving members continue to write and record to this day—Paul’s latest album is McCartney III from 2020, while Ringo just put out the EP Rewind Forward in October 2023.
 
These classic artists have been hugely popular for decades, and these new tracks will help to introduce their music to yet another generation of listeners. Make sure your collections are complete with their albums, compilations, videos, and more.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Hot This Week: March 11

Check out this week's lists!

Video
  1. Wonka (Blu-ray | 4K)
  2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Blu-ray | 4K)
  3. Dune (Blu-ray | 4K)
  4. Oppenheimer (Blu-ray | 4K)
  5. Thanksgiving (Blu-ray)
  6. The Marvels (Blu-ray | 4K)
  7. Barbie (Blu-ray | 4K)
  8. Trolls Band Together (Blu-ray | 4K)
  9. Priscilla (Blu-ray)
  10. The Holdovers (Blu-ray)
Music
  1. Twice, With You-th
  2. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
  3. Noah Kahan, Stick Season
  4. SZA, SOS
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Taylor Swift, Lover
  7. 21 Savage, American Dream
  8. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
  9. Taylor Swift, Midnights
  10. Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
Fiction
  1. The Women, Kristin Hannah (PAABP | eB24M)
  2. Three-Inch Teeth, C.J. Box (ABP | eB12M | eB24M)
  3. A Fate Inked in Blood, Danielle L. Jensen (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  4. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  5. Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  6. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  7. Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange (PAABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  8. First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  9. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  10. After Annie, Anna Quindlen (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
Nonfiction
  1. Blood Money, Peter Schweizer (ABP)
  2. Burn Book, Kara Swisher (AB24M | eB24M)
  3. Attack from Within, Barbara McQuade (ABP | eBP)*
  4. The Wager, David Grann (PA | ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  5. Outlive, Peter Attia, MD, and Bill Gifford (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  6. Grief Is for People, Sloane Crosley (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  7. White Rural Rage, Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  8. Oath and Honor, Liz Cheney (AB24M | eB24M)
  9. Why We Remember, Charan Ranganath (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  10. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, Tim Alberta (ABP | eB26C)
Fiction/Nonfiction Format Key:
PA = Playaway (physical)
ABP = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, perpetual license
AB12M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 12-month license
AB24M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 24-month license
eB12M = hoopla Flex eBook, 12-month license
eB24M = hoopla Flex eBook, 24-month license
eB26C = hoopla Flex eBook, 26-circulation license
* = CD audiobook currently unavailable

Contact your sales rep for more information about hoopla Flex.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Hot This Week: March 4

Check out this week's lists!

Video
  1. Wonka (Blu-ray | 4K)
  2. Trolls Band Together (Blu-ray | 4K)
  3. Oppenheimer (Blu-ray | 4K)
  4. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Blu-ray | 4K)
  5. Migration (Blu-ray | 4K)
  6. The Holdovers (Blu-ray)
  7. The Marvels (Blu-ray | 4K)
  8. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Blu-ray | 4K)
  9. Priscilla (Blu-ray)
  10. Barbie (Blu-ray | 4K)
Music
  1. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
  2. Noah Kahan, Stick Season
  3. SZA, SOS
  4. Taylor Swift, 1989
  5. Taylor Swift, Lover
  6. Taylor Swift, Midnights
  7. 21 Savage, American Dream
  8. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
  9. The Weeknd, The Highlights
  10. Taylor Swift, Folklore
Fiction
  1. The Women, Kristin Hannah (PAABP | eB24M)
  2. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  3. Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  5. First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  6. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  7. Crosshairs, James Patterson and James O. Born (AB24M | eB24M)*
  8. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (PA | ABP | eB26C)
  9. The Fury, Alex Michaelides (PA | ABP | eB24M)
  10. The Atlas Maneuver, Steve Berry (AB24M | eB24M)*
Nonfiction
  1. The Wager, David Grann (PA | ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  2. Outlive, Peter Attia, MD, and Bill Gifford (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  3. Oath and Honor, Liz Cheney (AB24M | eB24M)
  4. Medgar & Myrlie, Joy-Ann Reid (ABP | eB26C)
  5. Why We Remember, Charan Ranganath (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  6. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry (PA | ABP | eB24M)
  7. Splinters, Leslie Jamison (AB24M | eB24M)*
  8. Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson (AB24M | eB24M)
  9. This American Ex-Wife, Lyz Lenz (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  10. I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy (AB24M | eB24M)
Fiction/Nonfiction Format Key:
PA = Playaway (physical)
ABP = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, perpetual license
AB12M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 12-month license
AB24M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 24-month license
eB12M = hoopla Flex eBook, 12-month license
eB24M = hoopla Flex eBook, 24-month license
eB26C = hoopla Flex eBook, 26-circulation license
* = CD audiobook currently unavailable

Contact your sales rep for more information about hoopla Flex.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Hot This Week: February 26

Check out this week's lists!

Video
  1. Oppenheimer (Blu-ray | 4K)
  2. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Blu-ray | 4K)
  3. The Holdovers (Blu-ray)
  4. Trolls Band Together (Blu-ray | 4K)
  5. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Blu-ray | 4K)
  6. Priscilla (Blu-ray)
  7. Barbie (Blu-ray | 4K)
  8. Thanksgiving (Blu-ray)
  9. Silent Night (Blu-ray)
  10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Blu-ray | 4K)
Music
  1. Usher, Coming Home
  2. Noah Kahan, Stick Season
  3. Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
  4. SZA, SOS
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Taylor Swift, Lover
  7. Taylor Swift, Midnights
  8. Toby Keith, 35 Biggest Hits
  9. 21 Savage, American Dream
  10. Zach Bryan, Zach Bryan
Fiction
  1. The Women, Kristin Hannah (PAABP | eB24M)
  2. Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  3. Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros (PA | ABP | eB24M)*
  4. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  5. First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  6. Crosshairs, James Patterson and James O. Born (AB24M | eB24M)*
  7. Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  8. What Feasts at Night, T. Kingfisher (ABP | eB24M)*
  9. Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (PA | ABP | eB26C)
  10. The Fury, Alex Michaelides (PAABP | eB24M)
Nonfiction
  1. The Wager, David Grann (PA | ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  2. Outlive, Peter Attia, MD, and Bill Gifford (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)*
  3. Medgar & Myrlie, Joy-Ann Reid (ABP | eB26C)
  4. Oath and Honor, Liz Cheney (AB24M | eB24M)
  5. What Have We Here?, Billy Dee Williams (ABP | AB12M | eB12M | eB24M)
  6. The Woman in Me, Britney Spears (AB24M | eB24M)
  7. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry (PA | ABP | eB24M)
  8. I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy (AB24M | eB24M)
  9. Life After Power, Jared Cohen (AB24M | eB24M)
  10. Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson (AB24M | eB24M)
Fiction/Nonfiction Format Key:
PA = Playaway (physical)
ABP = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, perpetual license
AB12M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 12-month license
AB24M = hoopla Flex digital audiobook, 24-month license
eB12M = hoopla Flex eBook, 12-month license
eB24M = hoopla Flex eBook, 24-month license
eB26C = hoopla Flex eBook, 26-circulation license
* = CD audiobook currently unavailable

Contact your sales rep for more information about hoopla Flex.