When I was in elementary school, summer vacation was...long. While most kids would blink and feel like their summer break was over, mine seemed to drag, slowly and quietly. There were many factors that contributed to this feeling; I lived in an extremely small, sleepy town, population 2,000. On top of that, I didn’t actually live in said small town, but 9 miles outside of it, what was deemed “upriver”. To put it bluntly, out in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t just walk outside and meet my friend down the block. I could walk outside and see a bear, an elk or a deer. And that, my friends, is why I’m now, a city gal.

The highlight of my young summers was the reading program hosted by the local library. The library would have us set a summer reading goal and I would always shoot for some ungodly amount. Way more than any other kid. I am not an athletically competitive person. If you want to race, go ahead, I’ll be back here still tying my shoe. But, I am competitive in the brain department. Now that I think about it, that must've been the start of my 0-100, all-or-nothing mentality, which is really fun as an adult who is now paralyzed by perfectionism, but that’s another story for another day. Back to being a 7 year old nerd. I would check out hoards of books in one library visit, and devour them all before the next meet up. Those books transported me to exciting worlds without having to leave my bedroom. And when I was reading, I wasn’t alone.

As I morphed into adulthood (booo), my zest for reading dimmed. Between the BS I had to read to get that very expensive piece of paper entitled “college degree” and just figuring out how to correctly do my laundry, I lost the morsels of time I once had to sit down and become engulfed in a new story. That leads me to my NOW YOU NOE recommendation: the Libby app.

When I decided to focus on getting back into reading, I absolutely could not, would not, give Jeff Bezos any more money than I already did, just so I could become reacquainted with my love of reading (or listening to) books. That meant Audible was out and Kindle? See ya never. I knew the library had e-books, but the last time I had tried to check out an e-book the process was very archaic and confusing and I never ended up actually getting the e-book into my digital possession. I decided to research it again since we were now in an era where a package could show up to my house in 2 days and I didn’t have to tempt fate by almost choking myself with my wired headphones at the gym anymore.

Behold the Libby app.

You can download it on your phone or your tablet (or both!) and check out library books (audio included), digitally. Just search “Libby” wherever you download apps. You can hold books for a later date and reschedule their delivery if they become available while you're in the middle of another read. You can tag books with certain labels (I like to tag ones I want to read but don’t want to put on hold right that instant).

Plus, no late fees! When the book is due it gets returned automatically. Which is great, aside from the fact I am now waiting on a book to come back into my possession as it got yanked from my eyes right in the middle of the plot, as it was due. Fair, but still. You do have the option to renew, but in some cases, like this one, other folks were also waiting on the book, so I had to pass it off. But honestly, in a world where instant gratification is the norm, I think it’s a good thing to have to practice the skill of waiting. Particularly me because I am Impatient Irene.

For me, nothing will replace a good old fashioned paper book, but having to constantly retrieve books from the library and make sure I returned them on time was not working out as seamlessly as one would hope. Libby is also great because when you finish a book, you can instantly start perusing the digital shelves to find another one. You don’t have to ever stop reading. What a time to be alive.

So, give Libby a try. It’s free and easy to navigate, and we’re not giving Jeffrey Bezos any more money than we already are. By no means am I the Libby Liason, but if you have any questions I’m happy to try and help. Of course, you will need a local library card to get started. But they are very easy to obtain. The library is truly a gem (also you pay for it with your tax dollars so why not take advantage?).

Let me know if you start Libby-ing La Vida Loca!

SOME RECOMMENDED READS/LISTENS:

The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (I listened to the audiobook and this was the *best* audiobook I’ve ever listened to. Different voices for characters, it was like I was listening to a play.)

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Dolly Parton, Songteller (the audiobook is great as Dolly herself is telling the stories!)

If you enjoy e-books, audiobooks, free things and utilizing your library- this is the app for you