Edinburgh’s City Read

This week is Book Week Scotland and we’d like you to join in by downloading our Edinburgh’s City Read ebook title! Specially picked with our readers in mind, A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone is a tense, shocking and darkly funny thriller set in Edinburgh. Download it through the Libby app or OverDrive website and read for free.

Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a funeral-home business…and private investigators. When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined. As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything…

Unlimited downloads are available from 16 – 29 November, all you need is library membership so you can login with your library card and PIN. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

Instant access to ebooks & audiobooks

To kick off Book Week Scotland 2020 we are running a fantastic promotion for non-library users offering them free instant access to ebooks and audiobooks on OverDrive without the need for a library card. If you read this blog you are probably already a member of the library, but do you know someone who isn’t, but would love free ebook and audiobook downloads? Please spread the word to your friends, family and work colleagues!

Anyone over 13 years old with an EH postcode home, work or study address can sign up for instant access in seconds. All you need is a mobile phone number and the access code – Library2go. Thousands of best-selling books for adults, teens and children are available through OverDrive’s website or the Libby app. It’s a fantastic resource to access from home and on the go.

This promotion gives you access to OverDrive for three months.  However, its easy for people to keep on using the service for free by joining the library and receiving a permanent membership card.

To find out how to get started go to  www.edinburgh.gov.uk/IDC This access option will be available from 16 November – 16 December 2020.

Edinburgh’s City Read

This week is Book Week Scotland and we’d like you to join in by downloading our Edinburgh Reads ebook title! Specially picked with our readers in mind, See Them Run by Marion Todd, is a fantastic new crime novel set in Scotland. Download it through the Libby app or OverDrive website and read for free.

In St Andrews someone is bent on murder – but why? On the night of a wedding, one guest meets a grisly end when he’s killed in a hit-and-run. A card bearing the number ‘5’ has been placed on the victim’s chest. The following night number ‘4’ is also struck down. DI Clare Mackay and her team realise they’re against the clock to find a killer stalking the streets of the picturesque Scottish town and bent on carrying out three more murders.

Unlimited downloads are available from 18 November – 1 December, all you need is library membership so you can login with your library card and PIN. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

 

Meet the author event: Ambrose Parry

On the 16th October we will be hosting a special author event in the historic Central Library. Come along to the Reference Library to hear Ambrose Parry (Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman), discussing their new novel The Art of Dying. This is the second collaboration from this husband and wife team, following the hugely successful The Way of All Flesh. Their collaboration has created truly addictive historical crime novels, filled with period detail recreating a real feel of Victorian Edinburgh.

Ambrose Parry (AKA Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman)

Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels, including Black Widow, winner of both the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this novel was based.

The Art of Dying is set in 1840’s Edinburgh, which was at the forefront of modern medicine, thanks in part to Dr James Simpson’s discovery of chloroform. However, when one of Simpson’s patients is found dead in mysterious circumstances, the medical elite, wary of his growing fame, point to Simpson’s reckless use of chloroform as the cause. With their friend’s reputation in peril, Simpson’s protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher team up to discover the unthinkable truth behind the dead patient as they try to clear Simpson’s name.

Reference Library

This is a late addition to our Libraries Week programme, the theme of which is “Celebrating libraries in a digital world”. We wanted to feature an author who was hugely popular on our ebook and audiobook platforms and Ambrose Parry fitted the bill perfectly! Their first book The Way of All Flesh is available for unlimited downloads in ebook format through OverDrive and audiobook format on RBdigital and has been downloaded over 400 times by our readers. The Art of Dying is now also available as an ebook on OverDrive and in audio format on BorrowBox.

This free event will run from 7-8.20pm on Wednesday 16th October. Booking is essential. Tickets can be booked at EventBrite and the talk from will be followed by a book signing.

This summer’s Big Library Read

Travel through history along with millions of readers during Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club! From 17th June – 1st July, book-lovers can borrow LP Fergusson’s harrowing wartime love story, A Dangerous Act of Kindness, from Edinburgh Libraries OverDrive service as an ebook with no waitlists or holds.

A Dangerous Act of Kindness is a beautiful, harrowing love story, perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Santa Montefiore. It tells the story of widow Millie Sanger, who finds injured enemy pilot Lukas Schiller on her farm during World War II. Compassionate Millie knows Lukas will be killed if discovered and makes the dangerous decision to offer him shelter from the storm. On opposite sides of the inescapable conflict, the two strangers forge an unexpected and passionate bond. But as the snow thaws, the relentless fury of World War II forces them apart, leaving only the haunting memories of what they shared, and an understanding that their secret must never see light.

The ebook will be available on the home page of Libby/OverDrive apps and the OverDrive website from the 17th June and with unlimited downloads is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can also join an online conversation about the book at BigLibraryRead.com and if you use #biglibraryread on social media you’ll be entered into a draw to win a Kobo Aura H20 ebook reader! All you need is library membership so you can login with your library card and PIN. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

Downloadable travel guides

Are you planning your summer holiday? Why not check out one of our great downloadable ebook travel guides on OverDrive. You’ll find a great range of Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Fodor’s guides to choose from:

Close to home

 

 

 

 

City Breaks

 

 

 

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

Further afield

 

 

 

 

Trip of a lifetime

 

 

 

 

 

You can use OverDrive on your tablet, phone or computer and just login with your library barcode and PIN. Full user instructions can be found on our Your Library website. Once you’ve decided where you’re going remember and select your books from OverDrive for holiday reading – nothing packs lighter than 10 ebooks or audiobooks!

Big Library Read – Digital Book Group

We’ll be having another Big Library Read from 1^st-15^th April on OverDrive! Unlimited people can download the ebook version of this very topical autobiography called  Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung. Read the story of Abu Bakr who along with his family left their home in Iraq in hope of a safer life, but they moved to Syria – just before the Syrian civil war broke out. Homes is the remarkable true story of how a young boy emerged from a war zone – and eventually found safety in Canada.

The ebook will be available on the home page of the OverDrive website and Libby/OverDrive apps from the 1^st April and with unlimited downloads is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can join an online conversation about the book at BigLibraryRead.com. All you need is library membership so you can login with your library card and PIN. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

A serial addiction

There’s only one thing better than a good book and that’s a series of good books!! Who can resist the addictive quality of finding out more about your favourite character and their further adventures. We have some truly fantastic series to follow from our downloadable Library2go services. Here’s just a few to whet your apetite!

The Chronicles of St.Mary’s by Jodi Taylor

A rip roaring ride through time – meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document – to try and find the answers to many of History’s unanswered questions…and not to die in the process. eBooks available on OverDrive.

 

Shetland Island Series by Ann Cleeves

Who would have thought Shetland was such a dangerous place to live! This bestselling series of crime novel features Detective Jimmy Perez  investigating a series of grisly murders. Audiobooks available on uLIBRARY and eBooks on OverDrive.

 

The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer

Read Jeffrey Archer’s tales following the rising fortunes and crises of the Clifton family through the 20th Century.
Audiobooks available on uLIBRARY and eBooks on OverDrive.

 

 

Jack Reacher Series by Lee Child

This hugely popular series features Jack Reacher, a former major in the US Army Military Police, who roams the United States investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations.
Audiobooks available on BorrowBox and further audiobooks and eBooks on OverDrive.

 

Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall, is whisked through time from the 1940s to 18th century Scotland and finds adventure and romance.
Audiobooks available on RBdigital and eBooks on OverDrive.

 

 

Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series by Jacqueline Winspear

In 1929 London,  Maisie Dobbs starts her own business as a psychologist and investigator. Get hooked with this unique and gripping historical mystery series.
Audiobooks available on RBdigital and eBooks on OverDrive.

 

 

Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

The Seven Sisters is a saga of love and loss based on the legends of the Seven Sisters star constellation. After their adoptive father dies each sister is handed a clue to their true heritage, each book tells one of the sister’s stories.
Audiobooks available on RBdigital and  eBooks on OverDrive.

 

DI Helen Grace by MJ Arlidge

Read about Helen Grace, woman with a hefty caseload. A Detective Inspector, she runs the Major Incident Team and grapples with murders, rapes, trafficking and more besides.
Audiobooks available on uLIBRARY and  eBooks on OverDrive.

Just mad about Harry

Harry Potter’s having an amazing year, not only is the first book 20 years old, but the British Library have been joining in the celebration with their Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition. We’ve got our own display in the Central Library featuring specially designed panels, showing images of rare books, manuscripts and magical objects featured in the British Library’s exhibition, as well as images of material from J.K. Rowling’s own collection. Best part is the selfie opportunities though – its not every day you get to dress up in a robe and get your photo taken with Professor Snape!

 

If you want to find out more about the British Library’s exhibition why not checkout Harry Potter: A History of Magic: The Enhanced eBook of the Exhibition and Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic. These two ebooks are now available through our OverDrive  service and form part of our extensive collection of Harry Potter ebooks and audiobooks.

All seven Harry Potter books are available on our OverDrive site in both ebook and audiobook format. You’ll also find spin-off titles such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Hogwarts Library Collection and The Hogwarts Collection. So why not re-read these special books or get hooked on Harry for the first time!

Big Library Read – digital book club

What Happened to Lizzie Lovett?  That’s the mystery that you can unravel by participating in the world’s largest digital reading club Big Library Read! The book this time is Chelsea Sedoti’s young adult debut novel, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, and unlimited people will be able to read it from our OverDrive site at the same time from 12th till 26th October. Not only will the ebook be available, but also the audiobook so you can choose whatever format you fancy.

Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Sedoti challenges readers to distinguish the line between reality and fiction. Popular girl Lizzie Lovett’s disappearance is the one fascinating mystery her sleepy town has ever had. Classmate and teenage misfit, Hawthorn Creely has her own theory for Lizzie’s disappearance. And what better way to collect evidence than to immerse herself in Lizzie’s life? Like getting a job at the diner where Lizzie worked and hanging out with Lizzie’s boyfriend. After all, it’s not as if he killed her-or did he?

Author Chelsea Sedoti says “The protagonist of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett is no stranger to reading; she knows all about using books as an escape. Seventeen-year-old misfit Hawthorn Creely is dissatisfied with the real world. She’d rather lose herself in fiction, where everything is bigger, better, and more magical. But when Hawthorn applies this mindset to the disappearance of her former classmate, Lizzie Lovett, life goes awry.”

Readers can join an online conversation about the book at BigLibraryRead.com. All you need is library membership so you can login with your library card and PIN. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

 

Why we love ebooks!

Here are some reasons why OverDrive, our ebook service, is so popular with our library members:

1. eBooks are portable

One of the most frequently trumpeted advantage of ebooks is that they are more portable than printed books. Perfect for travelling and commuting.

 

2. eBooks offer more choice to people who have problems with their vision

Lots of people who borrow ebooks do so because they have sight problems that prevent them from being able to read your average paperback. OverDrive has made a real difference to their reading life as you can alter fonts and background colours.

3. eBooks offer more choice 

The 10 ebooks you can borrow for three weeks comes on top of the 12 item limit for physical books. That’s 22 books every three weeks – more than enough reading for anyone (surely?!).

4. eBooks mean you’re never far from the library

Whether you’re holidaying in Troon or Tenerife, or stuck in the doctor’s waiting room as long as you’ve got internet access you’ve got the library with you. You can return and borrow books to your heart’s content!

5. Nobody needs to know what you’re reading

And we’re not just talking about keeping your Fifty Shades of Grey addiction a secret from your fellow bus passengers. OverDrive offers free access to lots of self-help books covering sensitive issues that many readers would rather not broadcast to people around them.

That’s five reasons, can you think of any others?

 

Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

It’s hard to believe, but its 20 years since the first Harry Potter book was published. On 26 June 2017 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone celebrates its 20th anniversary, having sold over 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages. We would like you to join us in celebrating this special occasion!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone eBook will be available for unlimited access through our OverDrive ebook service between 26 June and 9 July. Everyone will be able to borrow the title simultaneously during this period with no reservations required.

All seven Harry Potter books are available on our OverDrive site in both ebook and audiobook format. You’ll also find spin-off titles such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Hogwarts Collection. So why not re-read these special books or get hooked on Harry for the first time!

The Other Einstein

The titles we get for our OverDrive Big Library Read club just keep getting better and better! Hot on the heels of the brilliant DC Daley (our May ebook read) we now meet an amazing woman in the form of Mileva Marić, the woman behind one of the most famous men of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein.

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict offers a window into the fascinating story of Einstein’s first wife. A brilliant physicist in her own right, her contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight. This historical fiction book, offers readers a window into a brilliant woman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow.

Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric, 1912

“The moment I first learned about Mileva, I discovered that she was fascinating in her own right and I felt compelled to tell her tale,” said Marie Benedict, author of The Other Einstein. “The more I researched Mileva and came to know her through her letters, I realized that her story was powerful and important in itself, and instrumental in understanding our own history and the role of women in it.”

This Big Library Read will be available on our OverDrive site with unlimited downloads from the 12 – 26 June. All you need is a library card to take part. So if you are going away on holiday, this is the first thing to download and put in your suitcase! Why not encourage friends and family to read it too, it’s the perfect excuse to get together and have your own book group. Or join in online with the conversation about the book at BigLibraryRead.com.

 

 

Be the next Mary Berry!

No baking class needed, just a library card! Join in with our latest OverDrive Big Library Read event, the world’s largest global ebook reading club. From the 16th – 30th March there will be unlimited access to ebook Art of the Pie by Kate McDermott.

This is the first time a cookery book has been chosen for the Big Library Read and looks like they’ve selected a good one with hundreds of five star ratings online. One reviewer stated:

“This is a wonderful book, inspirational in every way. The writing is an unexpected joy, evocative and moving. Perfect for those of us who really do read cookbooks as well as cook from them. But the recipes themselves will become an important part of your repertoire. Partly because Kate encourages you to think flexibly about what you are doing – which crust, which filling, how to combine them. And the instructions are clear and empowering. You can tell that I like this book! It is well worth a place on your shelf and may even change your life”

To get involved  just go to our OverDrive website or app between the 16th-30th March and you’ll find Art of the Pie waiting to be checked out near the top of the homepage. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library site.

So why not host a reading group with a difference where everyone brings along a pie they’ve made! There’s a fantastic range of sweet and savoury recipes to choose from.

To eBook or not eBook that is the question

The subject of ebooks can illicit very strong opinions in some readers! With many people stating that they like paper and don’t want to read online. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be one or the other, you can do both. eBooks can be very handy all of a sudden when you’re stuck in the house with nothing to read or you’ve read everything you’ve taken on holiday.

Edinburgh Libraries has a fantastic ebook service for adults, teens and children. We are getting access to increasing numbers of bestselling titles now – as soon as they come out in hardback we’ve got them available as an ebook. Our OverDrive service now has over 9,000 ebooks so there is plenty to choose from.

Reasons to love ebooks –

1. eBooks offer more choice
The 10 ebooks you can borrow for three weeks comes on top of the 12 item limit for physical books. That’s 22 books every three weeks – more than enough reading for anyone (surely?!). And you can access them 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

2. eBooks help people who have vision problems or dyslexia
eBooks are great if you have sight problems that prevent them from being able to read your average paperback.You can change the font, text size and background colour all to make it easier for you to read. The OverDrive app allows you to use the Dyslexie Font too which helps if you are dyslexic.

3. eBooks are portable
One of the most frequently trumpeted advantage of ebooks is that they are more portable than printed books – 10 books that fit in your pocket or handbag.  Great for commuting, journeys or holidays.

4. eBooks mean you’re never far from the library
Whether you’re holidaying in Troon or Tenerife, as long as you’ve got internet access you’ve got the library with you, so you can return and borrow books to your heart’s content.

5. Nobody needs to know what you’re reading
And we’re not just talking about keeping your 50 Shades of Grey addiction a secret from your fellow bus passengers. Overdrive offers free access to lots of self-help books covering sensitive issues that many readers would rather not broadcast to people around them.

That’s five reasons, can you think of any others?

Join in with the Big Library Read

The next OverDrive Big Library Read is kicking off on 13th October, and its a Young Adult title this time – the #1 New York Times bestseller This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. There will be unlimited access to this ebook from 13th – 27th October so get online and download it!

The story features an American high school shooting told from four perspectives over the course of 54 harrowing minutes. The students of a fictional high school struggle to both survive and understand why one boy started shooting at 10:00 am. The author provides a unique look into what it’s like to experience a school shooting through the eyes of students. It confronts this subject realistically but without graphic depictions of the violence the students experience.

There is a discussion board available for readers to post their thoughts and there will also be a podcast with the author. Instruction sheets are available online to help you get started with OverDrive. Why not encourage your friends and family to download it too and host your own book club evening.

Happy Read an eBook Day!

Today is the third annual International Read an eBook Day and you’re all invited to take part!  Read an eBook Day is a yearly celebration of modern story telling. It’s a day dedicated to promoting the convenience, capability and excitement that digital reading provides.

OverDrive, our eBook supplier, are encouraging people to use the hashtag #eBookLove today on social media to be entered into the  chance of winning a free tablet.

Visit the Read an eBook Day website for more information. There you’ll find reading recommendations, links to social media posts, a place to share what you’re reading and even interviews with authors who are participating in Read an eBook Day.

Show your #eBookLove all day long and join us in celebrating the ability to read anytime, anywhere!

Join the Big Library Read!

Want to read a great autobiography that highlights the power of books in people’s lives? Then join in with this year’s Big Library Read!

Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates will be available on our OverDrive site from 17-31 March for any library member to download. Read it on your own; read it with your friends; or host your own Big Library Read book group!

The book follows English professor and prison volunteer Laura Bates as she took the bard behind bars to a solitary confinement  prison. One of the inmates however was trying to break out of prison, whilst Laura was trying to  get Shakespeare in! Witness the beginning of an unlikely friendship bonded by Shakespeare and lasting years – a friendship that, in the end, would save more than one life.

If you are new to OverDrive there are full user instructions available to get you started so you too can join in with the Big Library Read.

E-book surgeries

Happy new year!

Did you get an ebook reader, tablet or smartphone for Christmas? Or are you thinking of getting one?

Either way, look out for e-book surgeries at a library near you over the next few weeks.

We’ll help you get set up with Overdrive, Oneclickdigital and Zinio.

We’ll also have all manner of gadgets for you to try out if you’re thinking of treating yourself to a new device.

Dates scheduled so far:

Leith Library: Monday 6th January, 10am – 12noon

Oxgangs Library: Monday 13th January, 10am – 12 noon and Friday 31st January, 2.00 – 4.00pm

Currie Library: Thursday 23rd January, 2.00 – 4.00pm

Morningside Library: Monday 17th February, 2.00 – 4.00pm

Central Library: Every Tuesday from 2.00 – 3.30pm in the entrance hall