Big Library Read: October 7 – 21, 2015

Offered several times throughout the year, Big Library Read provides participating OverDrive libraries such as East Central Regional Library free simultaneous access to a selected title that any reader with a library card can instantly start reading without holds or waitlists.

For the first time ever, Big Library Read is offering two titles! Read a sample of the tween and teen novels below, and check them out via ECRL's Digital Library.

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley

Ensorcelled princesses . . . a frog that speaks . . .a magical hind—Newbery Medal winner Robin McKinley opens a door into an enchanted world in this collection of original and retold fairy tales.

Suitable for ages 10 and up.  Click here for discussion questions for The Door in the Hedge.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

Suitable for ages 14 and up. Note: Contains mature themes/language. Click here for discussion questions for In the Shadow of Blackbirds.

Big Library Read is the first-ever “global eBook club,” connecting readers around the world who read the same eBook at the same time. Since the first Big Library Read in 2013, thousands of libraries and millions of people around the world have joined the fun.  You should too!

To learn more about the authors, join the discussion, or find read-alike books, go to biglibraryread.com.  Happy eReading!


Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Digital Summer Reading (June 9 – 23, 2015)

June marks the official beginning of summer, which means long hours spent soaking up sun beside the pool, cutting the grass on warm evenings, and going on road trips to wondrous destinations. Why not spend these nostalgic summer activities enjoying a great read from the Digital Library?  

Big Library Read is back from June 9-23, 2015 with a suspense novel by Kate White,  Eyes on You. Big Library Read connects readers around the world who read the same eBook and eAudiobook at the same time. During the last Big Library Read in March, 54 East Central Regional Library users checked out the eBook How Shakespeare Saved My Life in a two-week span! 

From June 9-23, 2015, Eyes on You is available for checkout through ECRL's Digital Library. It’s available in eBook and eAudiobook (don't forget that June is Audiobook Month which celebrates a love of listening!), free, and there’s never a waiting list during the program. All you need is your library card and password.

Eyes on You by Kate White

A breathless psychological thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end

After a painful divorce and losing her on-air job two years ago, Robin Trainer has fought hard to regain her career. Now, as the popular cohost of a nightly entertainment show and the author of a hot new bestseller, she’s being dubbed a media double threat. In a business full of rivals eager to see you fail, making a comeback was tough, and Robin isn’t about to do anything that could jeopardize her newfound success.

But suddenly things begin going wrong. A few small but nasty incidents shake her confidence: a vicious note tucked into her purse at her book signing; the photo on her book jacket slashed in her office… Soon the meanness turns threatening. Someone has eyes on Robin, an adversary with a dark agenda who wants to hurt her and see her fall, and the clues point to someone she works with every day.

As she frantically tries to put the pieces together and unmask an enemy hiding in the shadows all too close to her, it becomes terrifyingly clear that the person responsible isn’t going to stop until Robin loses everything that matters to her . . . including her life.

Read the eBook

Listen to the Audiobook

Meet Kate White

Kate White, the former editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, is the New York Times bestselling author of the stand-alone novels Hush, The Sixes, and Eyes on You, as well as the Bailey Weggins mystery series. She is editor of The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. She is also the author of popular career books for women, including I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve. You can contact her or learn more about her at katewhite.com.

 

USA Today says, “Kate White keeps up the pace by adding a little more suspense and a little more danger from beginning to end.” What do you think?  Come back after you've read and share your thoughts or join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #BigLibraryRead.

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

The eBook everyone is enjoying

Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates

For the 6th time, East Central Regional Library is excited to participate in Big Library Read.  Big Library Read is the international program which makes a popular eBook available to all users whose libraries have an OverDrive-powered Digital Library during the program dates, creating a virtual, global eBook club.   

This time, users will be able to borrow the eBook Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates using an East Central Regional Library card and read on all major computers and devices, without worrying about wait lists or holds, from March 17 -April 1st by visiting ECRL's Digital Library.

About the book

Shakespeare professor and prison volunteer Laura Bates thought she had seen it all. That is, until she decided to teach Shakespeare in a place the bard had never been before — supermax solitary confinement. In this unwelcoming place, surrounded by inmates known as the worst of the worst, is Larry Newton. A convicted murderer with several escape attempts under his belt and a brilliantly agile mind on his shoulders, Larry was trying to break out of prison at the same time Laura was fighting to get her program started behind bars.

Thus begins the most unlikely of friendships, one bonded by Shakespeare and lasting years—a friendship that, in the end, would save more than one life.

Subject: Biography & Autobiography, Nonfiction

Formats: eBook in Kindle, EPUB, OverDrive Read, & PDF

Read a sample of “Shakespeare Saved My Life“

  

About the author

Laura Bates has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Comparative Literature, with a focus on Shakespeare studies. She is Professor of English at Indiana State University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Shakespeare. For more than 25 years she has also taught in prison. She created the world’s first Shakespeare program in supermax—the long-term solitary confinement unit. Her work has been featured in local and national media, including two segments on MSNBC-TV’s Lock Up.

Follow Laura

To get even more engaged, download the Discussion Guide PDF.

Big Library Read program is made possible through a partnership between OverDrive and Sourcebooks, publisher of Laura Bates’ autobiography. To borrow the eBook version of Shakespeare Saved My Life as part of Big Library Read, visit ECRL's Digital Library.

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian 

Big Library Read: 5th ed.

OverDrive asked, you answered!  Thousands of readers across the globe cast their vote to choose the titles for this fall's Big Library Read. The title that topped them all? Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes! 

Subjects: Teen Fiction, Romance

Description: In this Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower tale, narrator Anika Dragomir is the third most popular girl at Pound High School. But inside, she knows she’s a freak; she can’t stop thinking about former loner Logan McDonough, who showed up on the first day of tenth grade hotter, bolder, and more mysterious than ever. Logan is fascinating, troubled and off-limits. The Pound High queen bee will make Anika’s life hell if she’s seen with him. So Anika must choose–ignore her feelings and keep her social status? Or follow her heart and risk becoming a pariah. Which will she pick? And what will she think of her choice when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, changing her forever? An absolutely original new voice in YA in a story that will start important conversations–and tear at your heart.

What is Big Library Read?
A worldwide digital version of a local book club, and an opportunity for us to introduce (or maybe re-introduce) our digital library to users just like yourself! Libraries, including East Central Regional Library, have already enjoyed great success engaging thousands of new and current users with Big Library Read. 

This time Big Library Read is even MORE exciting, because you can be among the first to read a title JUST released on September 2!  Check it out.

When is the next Big Library Read?

October 13 – October 28, 2014.

How can I participate?

For the duration of the program, the eBook & eAudiobook will be available at East Central Regional Library's Digital Library, available for all users at the same time.  No holds list! Read the title in your browser immediately through OverDrive Read, or download the EPUB, Kindle, or MP3 format to your favorite device.

PLUS, connect with the author during the Big Library Read:

http://andreaportes.wordpress.com/about

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/278993.Andrea_Portes

https://twitter.com/andrea_portes

https://www.facebook.com/andreaportes

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

June is going digital! OverDrive Challenge, Big Library Read, and Audiobook Month

A recent Pew Research study showed that about 28% of Americans read an eBook last year. Of those 28%, only half know they can check out an eBook from their local library. We want to change that, and we need your help! 

OverDrive Challenge
For the month of June, OverDrive, East Central Regional Library's Digital Library vendor, is launching a promotional challenge to help raise awareness of library eBook lending across the world.  Our mission from June 1st-June 30th is to beat our previous record for monthly eBook and eAudiobook checkouts.

ECRL's best month on record?  The number to beat?  Our current monthly record is 5,031 digital library checkouts (March 2014).

Your Goal: checkout as many eBooks and eAudiobooks in June as you can!

Our Goal:

• Increase checkouts by 25% from March 2014 (6,289 checkouts) to earn $1,500 credit to purchase new digital library titles

• Increase checkouts by 50% from March 2014 (7,547 checkouts)  to earn $2,500 credit to purchase new digital library titles
• Be the participating library with the highest percentage increase to receive a grand prize Gadget Jackpot!

For the month of June, every eBook and eAudiobook you check out counts toward our goal!  Get started now!

Big Library Read

You've joined us in 3 previous Big Library Reads.   Now, it's time to join us for the 4th Big Library Read with Laurien Berenson’s murder-mystery A Pedigree to Die For.  

Big Library Read creates a "global book club" connecting readers around the world who read the same eBook at the same time.  From June 3-18, 2014, thousands of libraries are able to lend A Pedigree to Die For eBook to millions of users simultaneously for free.    

To borrow A Pedigree to Die For, simply log in to ECRL’s Digital Library. You’ll see the title on the home page ready to checkout.  For the two weeks of the program, there's never a waiting list!

Get involved even more! 

• Join the Big Library Read discussion forum to share your thoughts.
• Like Laurien Berenson on Facebook.
• Follow @ecrlib and @OverDriveLibs on Twitter and use the hashtag #BigLibraryRead.
• Check out Laurien's Good Reads Fan Page and her personal website.

Audiobook Month
Still need some inspiration to get started with ECRL's Digital Library?  June is Audiobook Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the joys of audiobook listening and promoting the value of audiobooks as a beneficial learning tool supporting literacy and education.  Get started listening by taking a look at our newest eAudiobooks.

Help us---help you!  Let’s work together to get the word out about East Central Regional Library's digital collection in our communities.

Sarah Hawkins, Resource Librarian

Big Library Read is back again!

In 2013, the Big Library Read program brought us Michael Malone’s Four Corners of the Sky and Jane O’Connor’s Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth.   Now, East Central Regional Library is participating in the third Big Library Read and you are invited to join us!  

This time we are going on a culinary adventure, with Keys to the Kitchen, by Food Network and Cooking Channel star Aida Mollenkamp.   Big Library Read kicked off yesterday, February 17^th, and runs through March 5^th.  

Big Library Read creates a "global book club" which allows users to join readers across the world in reading the same book at the same time!  Over 5,800 libraries worldwide are able to lend Keys to the Kitchen eBook to millions of users simultaneously for free.  The program demonstrates the valuable role libraries play in connecting readers with books and authors.  

Keys to the Kitchen is a cookbook by definition, but it’s also much more than that.  For members of the tech-savvy new generation who can't cook but want to, this essential reference guide is an ideal starting place. For those already at ease in the kitchen it's full of "who knew" moments for expanding your repertoire of great recipes. It doesn’t just provide ideas on what to cook, but also walks the reader through how to cook.  Keys to theKitchen is an invaluable foundation for cooking with more than 300 recipes, color photographs, informative illustrations, a substantial technique primer, and helpful how-to information on subjects as wide-ranging as rust removal, throwing a cocktail party, and knife skills.  What amateur chef doesn’t need that kind of info?  I know I do! 

To borrow Keys to the Kitchen, simply log in to ECRL’s Digital Library. You’ll see the title on the home page ready to checkout.

Remember, the especially unique aspect about Big Library Read is that, for the duration of the program, the eBook will not follow the traditional one copy/one user model but will simultaneously be available  to all ECRL eBook users to borrow via our Digital Library.  No wait lists!  The eBook is available in the OverDrive Read, Kindle, Adobe EPUB, and Adobe PDF formats. 

Get involved even more! 

• Join the Big Library Read discussion forum to share your thoughts and favorite recipes!
• Like Aida on Facebook, and join the Facebook chat on Wednesday February 26th at 7 pm.  Ask her your burning cooking questions and thank her for offering her book free to libraries for the Big Library Read program.
• Follow @ecrlib, @OverDriveLibs, and @aidamollenkamp on Twitter or use the hashtag #BigLibraryRead.
• Follow Aida on Instagram.
• Check out her weekly web series In the Pantry on Yahoo! Shine.

 Join the global movement of passionate readers and library patrons who support the access of eBooks through your local library.   Read Keys to the Kitchen as part of the Big Library Read.

Sarah Hawkins, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library

2nd Big Library Read

East Central Regional Library is participating in the second Big Library Read and you are invited to join us!  Join the global movement of passionate readers and library patrons who support the access of eBooks and eAudiobooks through your local library. 

With the success of the first Big Library Read, OverDrive, HarperCollins Publishers, and author Jane O’Connor, have partnered up to present the next Big Library Read, this time with a juvenile title.  More than 6,500 libraries worldwide are participating!   Kids and fans who grew up with Jane O’Connor’s Fancy Nancy picture books will be especially thrilled.  They can spend some more quality time with their BFF: Nancy Clancy is now starring in her own chapter books!

The Big Library Read title, Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth, is the first in the Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy juvenile chapter book series and is available in both eBook and eAudiobook!

"Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth brings us back to the glamorous world of our favorite fancy girl. Nancy may be a bit older and more sophisticated, but she hasn’t lost her love for fancy words, outrageous fashion and dramatic flair. She and her best friend Bree have everything they need to solve a mystery, from their totally professional trench coats to their top-secret code. But when crime strikes in their classroom, will these super sleuths be able to crack the case?"

Jane O’Connor’s Nancy Clancy titles are great for young readers who are learning how to read and developing a love of literature.  Her use of advanced vocabulary, while explaining what the words mean, helps children grow as readers.  Checking out the eBook and eAudiobook together will enable children and parents to listen to the title as they follow along with the text.

Remember, the especially unique aspect about Big Library Read is that, for the duration of the program, September 16th-September 30th, 2013, the eBook and eAudiobook will not follow the traditional one copy/one user model but will simultaneously be available to all ECRL eBook & eAudio users to borrow via our Digital Library.  No wait lists!  The eBook is available in the OverDrive Read, Kindle, and Adobe EPUB formats.  The eAudiobook is available in MP3 and WMA formats.  Being available in all major formats also guarantees Nancy Clancy: Super Sleuth will be accessible for every Digital Library user on all major devices.

Big Library Read creates a "global book club" which allows parents and children to read together and join thousands of other users in reading the same book at the same time!  To borrow Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth, simply log in to ECRL’s Digital Library. You’ll see the title on the home page ready to checkout.

In addition to creating a global “library book club,” Big Library Read demonstrates the positive exposure and sales influence library eBooks provide to authors and publishers.   The proof is in the numbers!  For less than 3 weeks in May 2013, during the first Big Library Read, 63 East Central Regional Library patrons checked out and downloaded The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone via our Digital Library.  Globally, users checked out Four Corners of the Sky more than 44,000 times during that same time.  Additionally, Malone’s other titles experienced a sales increase, and checkout rate growth of more than 100%. 

If you’d like to be an even more active Big Library Read participant, join a Facebook chat with Jane O’Connor on Tuesday, Sept 24th at 8 pm (CT).  You’ll be able to ask Jane anything burning questions about her writing process, Nancy Clancy, or what she has in store next.  You can also join the conversation on Twitter during this event by following @ecrlib and/or using the hashtag  #BigLibraryRead.

Sarah Hawkins, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library

Big Library Read

East Central Regional Library is participating in the Big Library Read and you are invited to join us!

You’ve heard of community wide reading programs.  How about a worldwide reading program?  Join millions of eBook readers around the world participating in the first ever Big Library Read of an eBook.

Big Library Read is a pilot program sponsored by OverDrive (ECRL’s eBook vendor) and Sourcebooks (the leading independent publisher) as an opportunity to unite readers and loyal library supporters all over the world in reading a single eBook at the same time: The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone. 

The Four Corners of the Sky is master storyteller Michael Malone’s novel of love, secrets, and the mysterious bonds of families.  Malone brings characters to life as only he can, exploring the questions that defy easy answers: Is love a choice or a calling? Why do the ties of family bind so tightly? And is forgiveness a gift to others...or a gift we give ourselves? (Adult Fiction)

The especially unique aspect about the Big Library Read is that, for the duration of the program, May 15-June 1, 2013, the eBook will not follow the traditional one copy/one user model but will simultaneously be available to all ECRL eBook users to borrow via our Digital Library.  The eBook will be available in the following formats: OverDrive Read, Kindle, Adobe EPUB, and Adobe PDF, thus also guaranteeing it will be accessible for every eBook user on all major devices.

In addition to creating a global “library book club,” Big Library Read is designed to demonstrate the positive exposure and sales influence library eBook catalogs provide to authors and publishers.   So join us in reading the eBook The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone via our Digital Library from May 15-June 1, 2013.

Sarah Biro, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library