#borrow books from the library

[harmonyhealinghub]

How I Spent January 2024: Exploring the World Through Free Audiobooks on the Libby App

Shaina Tranquilino

February 7, 2024

As we kick off another year, many of us find ourselves seeking new forms of entertainment that are engaging, enriching, and easily accessible. In January 2024, I embarked on a personal challenge to listen to one audiobook each day using the Libby app connected to my local library. Little did I know that this simple decision would lead me down an incredible path of free entertainment, clutter-free living space, and a wealth of information.

1. The Power of Audiobooks:

Audiobooks have been gaining popularity in recent years, offering a convenient alternative to traditional reading. With busy schedules and limited time for leisure activities, listening to books has become increasingly appealing. By utilizing the Libby app, which connects users with their local library's vast collection of digital content, I discovered an extensive catalog of audiobooks waiting to be explored.

2. Free Entertainment at My Fingertips:

One of the most significant advantages of utilizing the Libby app was the cost-effectiveness it offered. Unlike buying physical copies or subscribing to audiobook platforms, borrowing from the library through Libby allowed me to enjoy countless hours of captivating storytelling without spending a single penny. This not only saved me money but also opened up doors to genres and authors I may not have otherwise considered.

3. No Clutter, No Problem:

Another unexpected benefit I experienced during my month-long journey was the absence of physical clutter caused by accumulating books at home. As someone who appreciates minimalism and values a tidy living space, relying on digital copies eliminated any concerns about storage limitations or adding unnecessary bulk to my shelves. It was liberating to indulge in diverse literature without worrying about where to store it all afterward.

4. Gaining Information and Expanding Horizons:

Beyond mere entertainment value, my audiobook challenge allowed me to gain knowledge and broaden my horizons. Each day, I delved into various subjects, genres, and perspectives, ranging from biographies to self-help books, historical fiction to science fiction. My understanding of the world grew exponentially as I absorbed insights from different cultures, eras, and ideologies – all while going about my daily routine.

5. Developing a Daily Ritual:

Listening to an audiobook each day became more than just a challenge; it turned into a cherished ritual that enhanced my overall well-being. Whether accompanying me during mundane tasks or providing solace during long commutes, these narrated tales transformed formerly monotonous activities into moments of inspiration and intellectual stimulation.

My January 2024 journey spent listening to one audiobook per day through the Libby app connected to my local library was nothing short of transformative. Not only did I uncover a vast array of free entertainment options but also found myself immersed in captivating stories that expanded my understanding of the world. Moreover, by embracing digital copies instead of physical clutter, I maintained a clean living space without sacrificing literary exploration.

If you're looking for an accessible way to enjoy an abundance of literature while minimizing expenses and decluttering your home, I highly recommend exploring the wonders offered by your local library's partnership with apps like Libby, or even Audible, Spotify, and YouTube! Embrace this modern form of reading and embark on your own adventure through the power of audiobooks!

[itslookingback]

omg i need to sleep but the starless sea.... what..... this is like. one of the best fantasy books i have read. every single story that you th ought was just a standalone is interwoven in the world and the worldbuilding is just beautiful. it is a book about stories and bees and honey and exploring and doors and spaces outside of time and feeling untethered and dying and being saved and protection and immortality and owls and so much jqnuary snow and libraries and ruins and cocktails and fate and the sea and love and i really should not finish it tonight because i have an alarm set but oh my god. this book

[springs-hurts]

Meanwhile me to those thick classic novels—

[characters-at-the-library]

Redoing this poll with more options based on the tags

Had a lot of people talking about donating their books in the tags of the previous version of this post, and I cannot go back and edit it, so I’m dropping a new poll

[tinystepsforward]

latest shenanigans from my parents include

father:

ignored specific instructions that i would pick something up from their house to rock up to mine with it, then freak out bc i was weightlifting in my garage in a sports bra and therefore showing like 1.5" of midriff, and leave it on my driveway and run away. not super surprising from a man who stopped hugging me when my weird hormone sitch meant i started puberty at 6ish but what

mother:

ignored specific instructions that i would pick something else up from their house to rock up to mine with it, then get very surprised/cowed by my wife answering the door bc she's still pretending i'm not married

a variety of 60-year-old-fundie-woman-on-fb shenanigans, including:

sending me and her other adhd child clickbait about how cashews are better than prozac and b vitamins reverse adhd

sharing yet more posts from conversion therapy organisations for "suffering parents of wayward children" saying that this easter we need to remember that it is sooooo hard to love betrayers like judas but jesus did it anyway

making a huge post about how this one plant in her garden looked promising but bore no fruit and the fig tree in the bible and maybe her life is like that, secretly rotten under the surface. really makes you think

anyway my therapist was like "you always talk about 'my mother' or 'my parents' but not really about your father on his own and i'd like you to think about that" and. i Guess remembering that he's a fucking fundie dickhead about girls and women existing has opened a few old cans of worms to bring to her next week

[fictionadventurer]

There's nothing quite like the euphoria of finding a book at exactly the right time. A book that you might mildly enjoy or even dislike at another time, but you happen to come across it in just the right mood or mindset, or at just the right age or just the right time of year, so it fits perfectly into your heart and it's elevated into something spectacular.

[swampthingking]

the thought of cracking the spine of a book makes kevin nauseous. he like opens it just enough to see the words and holds the book at such uncomfortable angles to read— anything to keep the book pristine and intact. he does not let people borrow his books because he is a control freak (as a term of endearment) and does not trust them to take care of them the way he does.

and andrew is the complete opposite, cracking the spine as soon as he opens it. he annotates in pen. he dog ears the pages because who the fuck has time to find a bookmark. he throws books out of anger. he throws them at aaron for fun. he lets them get smashed and torn in his bag. he always keeps them, he just prefers them to look like they’ve been read.

[amarrymeinbostonwriter]

Looking for a good read about or by sapphic women or gay/bi men?

Look no further! I gave all these books 4 or 5 stars when I read them. 

Lesbian and bisexual women (subject and author): 

Two or three things I know for sure by Dorothy Allison (lesbian memoir)

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata (graphic novel, lesbian memoir)

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donahue (historic fiction, bisexual woman and lesbian wlw relationship)

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabi Rivera (ya contemporary, lesbian mc)

Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (historic fiction, butch/femme wlw)

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden (ya lesbian classic)

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (historic fiction, lesbian classic)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (historic fiction, bisexual woman and lesbian wlw relationship)

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney (graphic novel, memoir- even though it’s mainly about bipolar disorder mostly she is bisexual and it’s mentioned in the novel)

Lesbian or Bisexual Woman author (not necessarily an LGBT subject): 

Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and A Room of One’s Own all by Virginia Woolf (bisexual author)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (bisexual author)

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (lesbian author)

The Yellow Wallpaper (and other stories) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (bisexual author)

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn (bisexual author)

Passing by Nella Larsen (bisexual author)

Transgender Topics: 

Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion (LGBT history- only concerns relationships between historic AFAB couples and AFAB people who lived as men for many reasons- wider career opportunities and being able to marry a woman were the two most common reasons cited across all stories chronicled) 

Gay Men and Bisexual Men (subject and/or author): 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (historic fiction, Greek Myths)

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (gay author, essays on race in America)

Boy meets Boy by David Leviathan (ya contemporary mlm romance)

If We were Villains by M. L. Rio  (ya, dark academia, mystery)

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (historic fiction, bisexual mlm, ya) The two sequels also have more lgbt characters. 

[navramanan]

Lowkey makes me sad that libraries have those automated trackers to lend books & there are no little cards inside the books with the names of the people who've all borrowed it & when

[untilyouremember]

Yona of the Dawn

Available digitally

Available in print

[echoesofadream]

so many books on my tbr and also so many books i have started but not finished and im thinking about reading dostojevskij instead

[26labrd]

these photos of jean-pierre talbot from his autobiography feel so ‘older tintin as editor-in-chief’

[thefatfemme]

does anyone know if the Unsolicited Fatties Talk Back podcast is coming back, or did it end? It's been months since they posted but I can't find anything saying if they're just on break or if they're not coming back. I caught up on the episodes and it's the best fat lib podcast I've found so far!

[tardis-technician]

I've been posting a ton of stuff from doctor who books and I've seen a few people interesting in reading them, so quick PSA:

Internet Archive has a free and legal open library of print books that have been digitized! You can make a free account, with no personal info other than your email, and check out any book you want for an hour at a time. It'll save where you are in the book and you can renew the book any time. Supporting your local library is great! But if you're unable to get something from there you really really want (such as every BBC New Adventure Series Doctor Who book) you can look them up on the archive!

In the Blood and Beautiful Chaos are my two favorites right now, but I'm thinking of putting together a bigger rec list.

Happy reading!

[heedra]

im on a public library kick recently bc i started really using them intently again after a long time not doing that and it genuinely feels like exercising a muscle i forgot was there

[ecle-c-tic]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH