Loving Libby!

If you were to look at my Goodreads account, you would see that I am currently reading 3 books. A friend asked me how I could do that. I’m not sure why this seems odd to folks, but I am.

The first book I am reading, is my slowest read. That one usually sits on the night stand next to my bed. It is usually a book that is a “compilation” type book with many short stories or bits of information that I can read a page or two before bed. It is my “don’t have to think much” book. I usually fall asleep while reading it.

The second book is a true book, usually from the library, that I bring with me to work or two the doctor. If the book is good enough, then I will usually read a chapter or two once the kids are in bed.

The last book I am “reading” is an audio book that I play in the car on my way to and from work. With an hour drive both ways, it helps to pass the time and is a good way to get through my “to read” stack!

I have been keeping the library fairly busy lately with my book requests. They have been equally books and books on tape. Recently, I thought my reading was going to slow down because of my new car.

This is the first car that I have ever owned that does not have a CD player in it. Because of this, my usually stack of music CDs will now have to be transferred to a digital format and I’ll have to keep a thumb drive or external drive with my tunes on it in the car. This isn’t too big of a deal, as much of my music is already digital from when I was DJing.

However, the audio books I was getting from the library were all on CD. I walked into the library a day or two after I got my new car and returned three audio books. The librarian, who knows me from always being in there, commented that I must have listened to them all in one day. I explained that the new vehicle has no CD player. That’s when she told me about Libby.

Libby is an app that allows you to listen to audio books, ebooks, magazines and even videos! I can “borrow” an audio book for up to 21 days. My car connects with my Android Auto on my phone and the audio books play through the car radio. I had no idea this app even existed. My librarian told me that if there was ever something I couldn’t find on Libby, there was another app I could try called Hoopla.

What Libby doesn’t have – Hoopla probably does! All you need is your library card.

I have never liked to read digital books on a Kindle or a Nook. I love the feel of a book in my hand and I love turning actual pages. Listening to an audio book can be just as nice and I love that I can listen to them even when I am not in the car.

The Innocent Man

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I love to read. Finding the time to read is always a challenge. My stack of physical books to read is large. Many of my friends have posted pictures of their “summer reading” lists on Facebook. Of those friends, many are teachers who have the summer off and spend it reading. I don’t have that luxury.

It has become hard for me to find the time to read physical books as of late, unless I am driving. Don’t misunderstand, I mean books on tape/CD. I picked up a few audio books at the used book store recently and have been listening to them in the car on my hour drive to work. The one I just finished was John Grisham’s The Innocent Man.

Grisham is a very good author and has written some amazing books including A Time To Kill, The Firm, The Runaway Jury, and The Pelican Brief (just to name a few). What intrigued me about The Innocent Man, was that this book was non-fiction. It was a true story.

To be honest, I was unfamiliar with the story. I guess it was pretty big news at the time. It takes place in Ada, Oklahoma. It tells the story of a former minor league baseball player who is wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman in 1988. He is sentenced to death and was on Death Row for 11 years. (SPOILER) With the advent of DNA evidence and the help of an organization called The Innocence Project, he is eventually freed.

I found the book to be a very interesting read. I was amazed at the incompetence and mishandling of things by the police and authorities. There was so much weak circumstantial evidence and unreliable witnesses involved in the case, I found it hard to believe that he was found guilty. There were times that I just shook my head at the things that were NOT done and the things that were overlooked or not even considered. If you enjoy legal stories, courtroom dramas, or true crime stories, I think you will enjoy this book.

I have always enjoyed listening to old radio shows and watching movies where the plot involved someone who was framed for a crime. They often gave you all the proof that the suspect was INDEED innocent, and you had to listen or watch in hopes that the truth would come out. The TV show (and later movie) The Fugitive used that premise for their entire series! This book feels like one of those shows – except it’s a true story!

I was telling a friend about this book, and he told me that there was actually a 6-part Netflix series based on the book. That will be something I need to check out. I will be interested to see just how true to the book the series is.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Any other true crime books/stories I should look into??

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