Covid 19 Survival: Getting Books

Hi! I hope you are well during this pandemic. I’d make a crack about working from home in my yoga pants, but that’s the norm here already. I wanted help during this crisis and the only thing I have is books. (I didn’t even hoard the tp!) And no, this won’t be a plead for anyone to buy my books, but some resources for everyone to get books and other things to do during this prolonged stay-cation.

Where are the books?

Library cards

I know many libraries are closed. My library is trying as hard as they can to still give services to patrons. If you don’t have a card or your card isn’t working, call. They might not get back to you right away, but I bet someone will answer your call. My local library is even offering to give out new cards through the mail. If you are a New York State resident, you can apply for a New York City library card and have access to all their e-content!

https://www.nypl.org/books-music-movies/ebookcentral/simplye

Libby and Overdrive

Once you have your card, Libby and Overdrive offer e-books and e-audiobooks through your library. Both are apps to load onto your phone or tablet. Libby (as you can see) is part of Overdrive but much cuter. The catalog is not huge, but hopefully, something will spark your interest.

https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/

https://www.overdrive.com/

Magazines

Check your library for downloadable issues of magazines. My local library is subscribed to RB Digital. It’s another app where you can download the latest magazines to read on your device.

https://www.recordedbooks.com/rbdigital-marketing

Audible

Audible is offering some titles for free through their Stories program. Most titles are for children, but there’s a great classics section.

https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Book Bub, The Fussy Librarian, and Book Gorilla

These services offer great discounts and free books through author promotion. You can sign up to receive emails (or just visit their site) about deep discounts and free books. These are not pirate sites! Authors work with them to offer deals to readers. You can also follow authors (me included) and get notifications about their sale books or when they have a new book come out.

https://www.bookbub.com/welcome

https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/

https://www.bookgorilla.com/

Manga

My daughter found an article suggesting some Manga publishers will offer free books. Here’s a link to the article. Apparently, you must go to the publisher's site to find the material. Not as helpful, but something.

https://bit.ly/3bkXnBW

There are many more free services out there, available digitally. This list is just to get you started. I hope you will be well. We are all in this together. The best part, spring is almost here and outside isn’t closed. 
Love, Ginny