Hoopla Book Club Pick: The Bear by Andrew Krivak
To celebrate National Book Lover’s Day, I partnered with hoopla Book Club to read their quarterly spotlight selection, The Bear by Andrew Krivak. As a longtime user of hoopla (and arguably #1 fan?!) I’m so excited to share this literary resource with all of my bookish pals.
Reading is such a big part of my life, and as much as I love traditional paperbacks, incorporating audiobooks on my morning walks (trying to get my 10k steps in), while cooking dinner, meal prepping, folding laundry and on road trips has been an absolute game-changer in my daily life and my ability to read more books per month while making mundane tasks more enjoyable. The narrators’ voices are so soothing, almost meditative and it’s a great way to get through your TBR list!
What is hoopla Book Club?
hoopla Book Club is an all-in-one digital hub for book clubs large and small—a digital community with always available new titles, club discussion guides and exclusive access to authors and topical content related to each spotlight selection!
QUARTERLY PICKS & RESOURCES
Each quarter, hoopla releases 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 reading experience. In addition to the spotlight selection, hoopla curates an additional eight recommended titles each quarter to meet the diverse interests of any group. Though hoopla picks their most highly-recommended titles for quarterly spotlight selections, the model also empowers clubs to select their own titles from hoopla’s catalogue of 850,000+ titles.
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 are able to access their title on hoopla all at the same time, through their preferred format. Everyone can start reading or listening right away, simultaneously, with their choice of eBook or audiobook!
Synopsis of The Spotlight Selection
The Bear by Andrew Krivak
In an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen. A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature's dominion.
Book Review
My Thoughts on The Bear
I’m a sucker for a gorgeous cover and a sharp synopsis, so The Bear immediately spoke to my love of nature, coupled with being a coming-of-age story about a female protagonist. The prose is sparse, melodic and poetic—an absolute treat for the ears in audiobook form.
It’s on the shorter end of the spectrum, a four hour listen (or 4 hour-long walks in my case) and with only a few characters (who are never named beyond “the girl,” “the father,” and “the bear”) I was worried I might not be able to relate to them, but I was drawn into their relationships and especially interested in the girl’s survivalist upbringing and watching her growth as she matures.
My favourite part about this book were the delicious descriptions of nature: from the mountains to the seascapes and how the elements, seasons, animals and humankind ebb and flow in harmonious synchronicity.
On the surface, the story may seem simplistic, but by the end you start to feel and understand the deeper meaning.
After reading (re: listening), I LOVED scouring all of the book club resources on hoopla book club to learn more about the author, the writing process and TRULY understand the depth of this beautiful story in the Discussion Guide, Why We Love The Bear PDF and 13 Questions with Andrew Krivak, Author of The Bear. If you are in a book club, this is seriously a NO BRAINER — hoopla provides a Meeting Planner for Book Clubs! Such helpful, easy-to-use resources that all of your book club members can access at the same time and takes the pressure off of one person to create questions and facilitate discussion — everything is already provided for you!
7 Other Reasons Why I LOVE hoopla
Hooks up to my library card (aka FREE!)
Super easy to navigate website and user-friendly, modern mobile app (the best I’ve seen when it comes to literary apps)
No holds or waiting to get the audiobook or eBook! (After The Bear, I’m now listening to the audiobook, Writers & Lovers, which is a NEW release and has a long waitlist at my local library)
My book club and I can all borrow the SAME book at the same time (seriously, so great)
The resources they provide from Q&A with Authors to Discussion Guides to Meeting Planners to Recommended Next Reads
I can download the audiobooks on WiFi and listen without using data my phone (on walks, in the car, when flying is thing again etc.)
The movies, TV series and music available! Through hoopla I’ve downloaded yoga and pilates classes, listened to Taylor Swift’s new album, watched old Audrey Hepburn movies, Lady Macbeth with Florence Pugh (from Little Women) and Call Me By Your Name!
hoopla Book Club Club!
Save The Date
Join Andrew Krivak, the Author of The Bear, on Facebook Live @hoopladigital September 15, 2020 at 7pm EDT!