Welcome to the hoopla Book Club Hub

hoopla Book Club Hub, BC-SplashImage-700x-ppl.jpg
  • Quarterly Picks & Resources
    Each quarter, we will release a new Spotlight Selection title, along with materials including a discussion guide and exclusive author interview to help you get the most out of your book club. We will also curate an additional eight recommended titles to meet the diverse interests of any group. Your next great book club pick is here!
  • No Holds. No Waiting. No Kidding!
    With every title on hoopla available instantly, with no holds, no waiting, and no late fees, book clubs of all sizes will love being able to access their title on hoopla all at the same time. Everyone can start reading or listening right away, simultaneously, with their choice of eBook or audiobook!
  • Join the Conversation
    Whether you’re in a book club with friends, you’re a librarian orchestrating a large event, or you’re reading along independently, the Book Club Hub has something for you. Follow us @hoopladigital and let us know what you think using #hooplabookclub and #discoverreadshare.

Our Spotlight Selection

The Gown preview image

The Gown

Author: Read by: Marisa Calin Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: HarperCollins Release Year: 2018 Length: 400 pages / 11h 38m

From internationally bestselling author Jennifer Robson comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century--Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown--and the fascinating women who made it.

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation's recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan's connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.

"...Jennifer Robson illuminates with her signature meticulous historical detail and sure voice the story behind Queen Elizabeth’s wedding dress...an unforgettable story of friendship, hardship and hope...personal and universal, timely and timeless."

Pam Jenoff | bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale

"For fans of 'The Crown,' looking for history served up as intimate drama, and those seeking another angle on royal lives, 'The Gown' seems likely to dazzle and delight."

Washington Post

Meet the Author

An Evening in Conversation with Stephanie Wittels Wachs

Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful author Stephanie Wittels Wachs met hoopla Book Club readers at the Pearland Library of the Brazoria County Library System, located in Texas. Check out the video of this event to enjoy a discussion on hoopla's Fall 2018 Book Club Spotlight title.

Share the Love

#hooplabookclub & Read With Us!

We want to know what the buzz in your book club is all about. Tag #hooplabookclub to share what you're loving about our Spotlight title and additional picks. While you're at it? Follow @hoopladigital on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram too!