The inside scoop on eaudiobooks!

Did you know that at Edinburgh Libraries we have three different downloadable audiobook services? Want to know why and the reasons you need to check them all?!

• We have eaudiobooks on Libby, BorrowBox and uLIBRARY. You can listen to these on your mobile phone, tablet or computer. We have 7380 titles and 121,497 copies!
• We have three because we can’t get all the titles available from one supplier. This way we can offer as wide a range as possible with each service having a different selection of authors and titles. Each service has its own app and website.
• Libby has books for adults, teens and children. BorrowBox and uLIBRARY just have adult stock (uLIBRARY does have a monthly children’s book club title too though!).
• Not all publishers will sell downloadable audiobooks to libraries. Hence why some best-selling authors and titles might be missing from our collections.
• Titles from a series of books might appear on a couple of different services. This is because publishers sell the rights to produce audiobooks and different producers win the rights to books in the same series. i.e. you’ll find audiobooks from Lin Anderson’s Rhona MacLeod books and Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series on Libby and BorrowBox and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series appears on both Libby and uLIBRARY. Check all of our services when looking for a series!
• eAudiobooks do appear on our library catalogue so you can check here for what services specific titles might be found on. But…the library catalogue is not always up-to-date regarding eaudiobooks as there will be a delay in adding the record for new stock and in removing the record for titles we no longer have. There is also no direct link to the app version from the catalogue (just the web site) so you need to open the app and search for the title anyway if you are wanting to use the app. So… the catalogue can be a guide to what we have, but you do need to check with the audiobook platforms to be completely sure.

Bottom line is check all our audiobook services if you are looking for audiobooks! If you have any questions about our audiobook services please get in touch at informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk

Spread the news – instant access to free ebooks, audiobooks & magazines

Do you know someone who would benefit from free access to ebooks, audiobooks and magazines, but who are not a member of the library? This New Year you can get free instant access to Edinburgh Libraries Libby service without a library card. Thousands of best-selling titles for adults, teens and children are available to read on your phone, tablet or computer. It’s a fantastic way to make the most of your electronic Christmas presents and to save money. Please spread the word to relatives and friends!

No library card? No problem! From the 16 January – 15 February 2024 if you are over 16 years old you can sign up for an Instant Digital Card in seconds. All you need is a mobile phone number and the access code – Library2go. To find out how to get started go to http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/IDC.

The Instant Digital Card gives you access to Libby for three months. However, you can keep on using the service for free by joining the library and receiving a permanent membership card. Join online through http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/joinourlibrary

Contact informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk if you have any questions about our downloadable services.

We wish you a Libby Christmas!

Yes, it is a bit early to be talking about Christmas! But just in case you are one of those people who likes to get into the seasonal spirit by reading lots of wintery tales in the run-up to festivities or like to make your own Christmas presents, we’re flagging up some fabulous reads available now on Libby!

Libby is our brilliant free ebook, audiobook and magazine platform. Full instructions for installing and using it can be found on our Your Library website.

Christmas Crafts & Food

Get making and baking with a brilliant range of craft magazines and cook books/ magazines. Lots of delicious recipes to get the tastebuds going as well as craft inspiration with crochet, cross stitch, sewing and covering everything that moves in glitter!

Winter Reads

Ease in gently to the Christmas feeling with winter-themed reading – covers featuring snow covered cottages and even some winter crime chillers!

Christmas Crackers
We’ve got a brilliant range of Christmas fiction – perfect for cozying up on the sofa with a hot chocolate or mulled wine.

Childrens & Teens Christmas Reads
Lovely books to read to the wee ones (as if they weren’t excited enough about Santa coming!) as well as some wintery reads for teens.

 

Together We Read 2023

We are holding another UK Together We Read digital book club, giving unlimited access to a popular ebook and audiobook until 24 October. Access it through the Libby app or Libby website.

This year’s brilliant title is the no.1 Sunday Times bestseller Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. In Yellowface, authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

The ebook and audiobook can be accessed on tablet, smartphone or computer and full instructions can be found on our Libby help pages. Why not encourage your friends and family to read it too and host your own book group get-together!

For further information contact informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk

Get the Big Library Read!

Join millions of others around the world in reading a fantastic family drama during the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 13-27 July, readers can borrow and read the ebook and audiobook versions of A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey on  Libby. Borrow this title with no waiting lists on the Libby app or by visiting our Libby website.

All families are messy. Some are disasters. Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison over 15 years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn’t spoken to anyone in her family since. Now, on the same day her boyfriend steals her dream job out from under her, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family’s historic Santa Cruz house to her. Sort of. The only way for Natalie and her siblings to inherit is for all three adult children to come back and claim it—together. Written with delightfully dark humor and characters you can’t help but cheer for, A Very Typical Family is an uplifting family drama that will have you reveling in the power of second chances.

The book is available on the home page of the Libby app and the Libby website with unlimited downloads so is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can even discuss the book online or use #biglibraryread on social media from the 13-27 July for a chance to win a BLR prize pack including a pair of Beats Studio Buds, a copy of A Very Typical Family and a cool Libby mug! Full instructions for using Libby can be found on our Your Library website.

 

The Big Library Read!

Join millions of others around the world in reading a fantastic biography during the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 3-17 May, readers can borrow and read the ebook and audiobook versions of Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho on  Libby. Borrow this award-winning book with no waiting lists on the Libby app or by visiting our Libby website.

Grace M. Cho grew up as the daughter of a white American merchant marine and the Korean bar hostess he met abroad. They were one of few immigrants in a xenophobic small town during the Cold War, where identity was politicized by everyday details—language, cultural references, memories, and food. When Grace was fifteen, her dynamic mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia, a condition that would continue and evolve for the rest of her life.

Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is about a daughter’s search for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia. In her mother’s final years, Grace learned to cook dishes from her parent’s childhood in order to invite the past into the present, and to hold space for her mother’s multiple voices at the table. And through careful listening over these shared meals, Grace discovered not only the things that broke the brilliant, complicated woman who raised her—but also the things that kept her alive.

The book is available on the home page of the Libby app and the Libby website with unlimited downloads so is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can even discuss the book online or use #biglibraryread on social media from the 3-17 May for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite tablet, Libby goodies and signed books by the author. Full instructions for using Libby can be found on our Your Library website.

 

What are you reading?!

We’ve recently refreshed the “Popular Magazines” collection on Libby. Previously this was made up of the magazines that we had on our RBdigital service, but we’ve now updated it to feature the top 150 magazines that our readers use on Libby.

So what are our reader’s top ten favourite magazines?:

1. HELLO! magazine
2.Good Housekeeping
3. New Scientist
4. BBC Good Food Magazine
5. Woman’s Weekly
6. The New Yorker
7. Radio Times
8. The Week
9. Woman
10. Woman & Home

HELLO! remains your most popular read, but perhaps a bit of a surprise appearance from The New Yorker! The Economist had also until recently featured at no.3, but has had to be removed from Libby due to the publisher’s new access rules. You can however still read The Economist on our PressReader service.

The most popular genre that people like to read is House & Garden, followed by Women’s titles and Crafts.

Interesting too, to find four foreign language titles in our top 150 –
Paris Match (French), El Jueves (Spanish), Elle France (French), L’Express (French). But theres also a rash of Scottish related titles that are really popular – Scotland Magazine, History Scotland and Homes & Interiors Scotland.

There are almost 3,000 magazines available through Libby. As well as our Popular Magazines collection you can browse through our great range of collections – Women’s & Men’s Lifestyle; Home & Garden; Arts & Crafts; Motoring; Health, Sport & Fitness; Cooking, Food & Drinks; Computing & Technology; Science & Nature; Travel & Hobbies; History & Literature and Non-English Language titles.

Get an Instant Digital Card

Do you know someone who would benefit from free access to ebooks, audiobooks and magazines, but who are not a member of the library? This New Year you can get free instant access to Edinburgh Libraries Libby service without a library card. Thousands of best-selling titles for adults, teens and children are available to read on your phone, tablet or computer. It’s a fantastic way to make the most of your electronic Christmas presents and to save money. Please spread the word to relatives and friends!

No library card? No problem! From the 10 January – 9 February 2023 if you are over 16 years old you can sign up for an Instant Digital Card in seconds. All you need is a mobile phone number and the access code – Library2go. To find out how to get started go to http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/IDC.

The Instant Digital Card gives you access to Libby for three months. However, you can keep on using the service for free by joining the library and receiving a permanent membership card. Join online through http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/joinourlibrary

Contact informationdigital@edinburgh.gov.uk if you have any questions about our downloadable services.

A thrilling Big Library Read!

Read a fantastic new thriller during the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 28 June -12 July, readers can borrow The Quiet Girl by S.F. Kosa, a tightly-woven book that inspires questions about trauma, memory, and how well we ever know the people we love. Borrow it for free from our OverDrive service with no waiting list on the Libby app or by visiting our OverDrive website. 

Good girls keep quiet. But quiet girls can’t stay silent forever—and the consequences are sure to make some noise. When Alex arrives home to patch things up with his new wife, Mina, he finds an empty wine glass in the sink, her wedding ring on the desk, and a string of questions in her wake. The police believe that Mina simply left, their marriage crumbling before it truly began. But what Alex finds in their empty cottage points him toward a different reality: Mina has always carried a secret. And now she’s disappeared.

The book will be available on the home page of the Libby/OverDrive apps and the OverDrive website from the 28 June and with unlimited downloads is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can even discuss the book online or by using #biglibraryread on social media you’ll be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet and book signed by the author!

Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

A stress-free Big Library Read!

Join millions of others around the world in reading a timely book about dealing with stress during the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 5-19 April, readers can borrow and read Dr Brian King’s ebook The Art of Taking it Easy from our OverDrive service with no waiting list. Find out how to cope with bears, traffic and the rest of life’s stressors with the Libby app or by visiting our OverDrive website. 

Psychologist and stand-up comedian Dr Brian King gives us a practical, yet laugh-out-loud guide to embracing humour to reduce stress and live a happier, fuller life. In this brilliant guide he presents hands-on techniques for managing stress by rewiring our brains to approach potentially difficult situations through a lens of positivity. Exploring what stress is, where it comes from, and what it does to our bodies and brains, he delves deep into how to address everyday stress—as well as anxiety, insecurities, repression, and negativity—and gives insight into resulting ailments such as anxiety disorders, depression, hypertension, obesity, substance abuse disorders, and more.

The book will be available on the home page of the Libby/OverDrive apps and the OverDrive website from the 5 April and with unlimited downloads is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. You can even discuss the book online or by using #biglibraryread on social media you’ll be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet and book signed by the author!

Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

 

A fantastical Big Library Read

Join millions of others around the world in reading a fantastic young adult fantasy novel during the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 2-16 November, readers can borrow and read Tim Ryan La Sala’s wildly imaginative ebook or audiobook  Reverie from our OverDrive service. Travel to other worlds with your library card and no waiting lists, with the Libby app or by visiting our OverDrive website. You can even discuss the book online.

Find out what happens when the secret worlds people hide within themselves come to light. All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember anything since an accident robbed him of his memories a few weeks ago. And the world feels different—reality itself seems different.

So when three of his classmates claim to be his friends and the only people who can tell him what’s truly going on, he doesn’t know what to believe or who he can trust. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere, Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident, and only he can stop their world from unraveling.

The book will be available on the home page of the Libby/OverDrive apps and the OverDrive website from the 2 November and with unlimited downloads is perfect for discussing with your friends and family. Full instructions for using OverDrive can be found on our Your Library website.

Maths Week Scotland

Here at Edinburgh Libraries our Children and Young People’s facebook page will be celebrating all things mathematical next week as they help celebrate Maths Week Scotland which runs from the 28^th September until the 4^th of October.

Join us throughout the week on our facebook page for all our usual activities but with a number or counting theme!

Maths week Scotland have kindly funded our new digital maths ebook collection for children which you can borrow using your Edinburgh Libraries card. Simply install the Libby app on your tablet or smartphone or go to the OverDrive website on your computer and login with your Edinburgh Libraries membership card and PIN.

Maths Week Scotland have a fantastic range of events and activities over on their website  – www.mathsweek.scot/ and you can follow the news on twitter with #Mathsweekscot.

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.

 

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.

Top Ten eBooks

Ever wondered just what people read on our OverDrive eBook service? Well here’s the current top ten most popular online books with our readers –

Becoming by Michelle Obama

The biography from the former American First Lady is top of our charts.Looking like this is going to be our most popular ebook ever! Is also the most popular audiobook too (available through RBdigital).

 

Past Tense by Lee Child

Find out about Jack Reacher’s latest escapades. Our readers can’t get enough of Lee Child novels, which is why you’ll find 66 of his ebooks and audiobooks available on OverDrive. Also available on BorrowBox as audiobook.

 

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Winning prizes all over the place, this is the book of the moment. Follow the story of Connell and Marianne who grow up in a small town in rural Ireland and how their relationship effects their lives as they move in to adulthood. Audiobook also available on RBdigital.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

THE book of 2018 – if you’ve not read it yet, then why?! Meet Eleanor who has learned how to survive – but not how to live and follow her as life comes knocking on her door. Also available on RBdigital as audiobook.

 

Mythos by Stephen Fry

A surprising, but enchanting hit in both ebook and audiobook format – Stephen Fry vividly retells the tales of the Greek Gods in an entertaining and enthusiastic manner.

 

 

This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

This will make you laugh, it will also make you cry, but perhaps most importantly it will make you think. This diary of a junior doctor opens a window into the NHS from the other side and you’ll never think about it the same way again. Also available as audiobook on BorrowBox.

 

Milkman by Anna Burns

Another highly acclaimed novel, that tackles the Northern Ireland conflict from the perspective of an 18-year-old girl with no interest in the troubles, who’s aim is to stay as invisible as possible. As available on RBdigital as audiobook.

 

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Another bestselling novel from one of Scotland’s top writers. In 1940, Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into MI5. After the war she presumes the events of those years are over, but soon learns that there are no actions without consequences. Also available on BorrowBox as audiobook.

 

The Little Cafe in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin

Glad to see our readers like a little light-hearted romance too!  Described as “Danish happiness and hygge in one un-put-down-able story” this is the perfect read for a chilly night.

 

 

The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Well last in our line up is a self-help book with a difference (hence the title!). It’s a much-needed grab you by the shoulders and look you in the eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humour. Available on OverDrive as ebook and audiobook..

 

So surprised at our top ten? Or hopefully impressed by the great choice of acclaimed and popular titles available now to download! Access these titles from our Libby or OverDrive apps or the OverDrive website. Full instructions for using our ebook service can be found at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/overdrive.