Did you know that you can get free eBooks on loan from your local library? Here in the state of Connecticut, we use a tool called OverDrive, which is available both as a website and a mobile app. While I have been using this service for a couple years already, it’s especially convenient during this seemingly endless COVID-19 pandemic.
I Love to Read
I’m an avid reader – often reading more than one book at a time. I love books and love to read. For as long as I can remember, I have both bought books as well as borrowed them – from the library, or from friends. I do love the feel of a book in my hands, but I’ve also grown to love my Kindle and the (free) Kindle app on my phone. My Kindle eBook library has been growing over the past few years. At first I was hesitant, but now I read more eBooks than physical books. I can store a giant ‘stack’ of Kindle books on my phone, instantly available wherever I am, whenever I want to read. Some books I buy; others I borrow.
Free eBooks on OverDrive
To complement my purchased collection, I often borrow books from our state’s library system’s collection of eBooks. With the OverDrive app, I can borrow a book (usually in the Kindle format), request a hold on a book (i.e., waitlist), add a book to my wishlist, or recommend a book to be added to the library’s collection. The loans are generally 2 weeks.
One of the benefits of borrowing free eBooks in the Kindle format is that I can add highlights and notes in the Kindle app. As far as I know, these remain – in other words, if I borrow or buy the Kindle book later, I think my highlights and notes are retained.
Another useful tool is the ability to export your highlights and notes from Kindle. Obviously you can’t highlight the entire book, but if you can a ‘reasonable’ amount of highlighted text, the export feature is available.