For the Love of Reading: Audible, Hoopla, & Lecrae’s, Unashamed

For those who ask, “How do you have time to read?” I can simply say, I don’t know.

Well, sort of.

I couldn’t give you a specific time or place in which it happens, but somehow it does in the chaos of our home. I squeeze it in here and there.

When there are the few moments of quiet, I slip away and try to find a comfortable place of solitude to crack open a book. Lately, I’ve been choosing to read or write over watching television, which surprisingly has been more relaxing on most occasions (I know, I’m weird). It gives my mind time to breathe, think, relax, and unwind in ways which television doesn’t seem to do.

When our television is on, it’s usually “The Office” reruns on Netflix. My husband and I have seen this show so many times that we continually quote it without even looking at the television. For some reason, I always get overwhelmed when trying to look for a new show to watch. Therefore, I’ll resort back to watching “The Office” because it never lets me down as a comedic relief.

But, lately, I find I’m looking for the next book to read, rather than the next television show to watch.

 

My husband loves audiobooks. He’s a huge fan of Audible. I usually end up getting him one of the subscription packages for holidays or on his birthday. He always says he loves receiving this gift because he can then choose what books he’d like to download. (Who are we kidding, he’s always downloading the latest Star Wars novel. ?)

Sometimes, there are promotions with Audible that will allow a subscriber to download a book for free. Audiobooks are a great resource for my husband because it allows him to listen to a book while he’s doing other things around our house or driving to work. He’s not a huge fan of “reading a book”, so this is a great alternative for him.

Being the nerd that I am, I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks simply because I love to highlight, underline, and feel the pages of a book in my hands. I write down quotes, take notes, and I love going back and referring to a specific page just by flipping through the paper. Even my e-reader drives me crazy on occasion because I have to type in the search rather than just flipping to the page. I guess I’m just a little old school, but I can’t get over my love of pen and paper.

BUT, the most amazing reading and video resource I’ve found recently is through our local library. It is called Hoopla. If you haven’t heard of Hoopla, it’s a FREE online resource that allows public library members to have access to audiobooks, videos, e-books, and music. There’s a wide array of books, music, and videos for people of all ages.

I just started using Hoopla this month because my library didn’t have a book on file that I wanted to read, so I decided to check out the Hoopla site to see if it was available there. And Wa-La! It was there in an audiobook format. All I had to do was log into my Hoopla account, download the audiobook onto my device, and start listening.

After the book is downloaded, I can listen to it WITHOUT WiFi; this allows me to listen to the book while I’m on a walk. AND it automatically returns the rental after 3 weeks without me having to physically go to the library. How cool is that? No more late fees after forgetting to return those books on time! Wahoo!

If you’re interested in a Hoopla account, you will first need to have an account with your local library. You can then access Hoopla based on your library account number. This is a great resource, and it’s so easy to set up.

 

Summer Book Recommendation:

Unashamed, by Lecrae is a book that surprisingly had me crying almost every chapter (If you’re a crier, I’m warning you now ?). This memoir is a beautiful story of Lecrae’s life. He is authentic and transparent in the re-telling of his battle with people-pleasing instead of looking to God for affirmation.

His life story includes his struggle with drugs, alcohol, childhood sexual and physical abuse, an abortion, violence, attempted suicide, and rehab. Lecrae is a brilliant young mind who is changing the music industry. His faith is what continually drives him, and he stands for the Truth above all else.

What I loved is that I could relate to his struggles in trying to please people instead of trying to please my Creator. He is down-to-earth and tells it how it is. Unashamed is a coming to faith story that is worth reading. As quoted from LeCrae’s book & music, “If you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection.”

 

What do you think? Do you have a summer book or books that you’d recommend reading?

Thanks for stopping by the Fish Full Life 🙂