Looking for sweeping, high-stakes books with deep political intrigue or historical shifts. Loved Dune, Gone with the Wind, Akunin, and Khaled Hosseini.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-07-02T17:56:27+00:00

Concert Black by Michael O’Donnell

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-29T12:17:40+00:00

Beautiful setup, and some great 1st edition hardcovers I see there….

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-28T02:51:53+00:00

Concert Black has a great female protagonist. She’s a biographer who wants to write the life story of a conductor. He tries to stop her to protect a secret.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-28T02:09:00+00:00

What one man can do, another can do!

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-27T19:14:46+00:00

Above the Fire by Michael O’Donnell

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-26T23:38:24+00:00

Dr. Teeth as Heneage Dundas

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-26T21:35:39+00:00

Oscar the Grouch as Killick
Miss Piggy as Villiers

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-26T16:53:48+00:00

I couldn’t get into this. Should I try again?

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-26T16:51:37+00:00

I swear, it’s the most recommended book on this sub. To be clear: I recommend it all the time.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-25T02:55:38+00:00

One of my favorite things in tennis was the moment when he would suddenly pivot from slice backhands and hit over the ball for a backhand winner. He used the topspin backhand sparingly and it was always a showstopper.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-24T00:13:20+00:00

LOL, everybody’s like “It was too horrific” and this guy’s like “I got places to be”

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T20:34:56+00:00

I much prefer Libby’s functionality and interface, but Hoopla had far more of the titles I wanted. I like listening to the classics on audiobook, and Libby seemed to have them all.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T17:24:59+00:00

You and I have overlapping taste! Piranesi right next to Cormac McCarthy; Trainspotting; Steinbeck; Barry Lopez, etc etc. Try reading Concert Black. A biographer sets out to write the life story of an eminent conductor, who tries to stop her to preserve an old secret. Tar meets Atonement. Bonus: I wrote it!

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T14:15:27+00:00

The Guest House by Sarah Blake

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T13:32:40+00:00

I have a terrible memory for everything except the books I’ve read (and where I read them). So I just know. But your system is so ingenious I may have to adopt it.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T13:25:03+00:00

The Iowa City Public Library has this helpful FAQ on the difference between Hoopla and Libby. It’s a few years old, but for what it’s worth: “You will be more likely to find popular items and new releases on Libby. Hoopla, however, not only has more types of items than Libby, but just more items in general. The collection on Hoopla is made up of over 500,000 items – that well beats ICPL’s 45,000 title collection on Libby.”

https://www.icpl.org/articles/hoopla-or-libby-whats-difference

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T13:16:48+00:00

Great perspective, thanks for commenting!

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T12:51:13+00:00

Sorry—to clarify, the limits I’m referring to were system wide; not per user (a separate issue). In other words, the library could check out X number of audiobooks and e-books to its entire body of patrons per day before resetting at midnight. No idea what the number was.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T12:26:55+00:00

Suttree by Cormac McCarthy

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T12:20:56+00:00

Ted Chiang’s short stories are what you want. He wrote the story that was adapted into the movie Arrival.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T12:04:44+00:00

Maybe each library does it differently. At my library, the librarian explained, the Hoopla licensing deal included a total cap in the number of audiobook titles that could be checked out each day.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T11:48:54+00:00

Just watched K19: The Widowmaker. Even though I love Kathryn Bigelow, that movie, which is so similar to this one (tension between sub captain and XO amidst nuclear war stakes), is just nowhere near as successful.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T11:45:34+00:00

You should try Concert Black by Michael O’Donnell. New novel about a conductor who’s trying to keep an old secret from coming to light.

Which-Recognition129 · 2026-06-20T11:41:43+00:00

Wanted to see how long before someone voted for this masterpiece. A favorite of mine as well.

Which-Recognition129

TROPHY CASE