Learn About Downloadable Books at Our OverDrive Clinics

overdriveclinicHave you checked out our OverDrive collection recently?  We’ve been busy adding downloadable ebooks and audiobooks – including current bestsellers Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, The Widow by Fiona Barton, Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg and perennial favorites by authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Bill Bryson and John Irving, and classics by Jane Austen and Bram Stoker.

Simply click into OverDrive to view our Newest Additions or to browse the ebook and audiobook collections by genre or check out the Getting Started Guide.

If you haven’t already set-up your laptop, Kindle, iPad, NOOK, smartphone or other device, we’d love to help you get started. We are holding two drop-in clinics this week to answer questions about Overdrive:

OverDrive Downloadable Books Clinics

Tuesday, April 12
2:30PM – 3:30PM
and
Thursday, April 14
4:30PM – 5:30PM

No RSVP is required – just come to our classroom (lower level, room 11) and we’ll be there to lend you a helping hand! If you bring your device with you, we can help you with the initial set-up or troubleshoot any problems you’ve been having. We hope to see you there.

New Bestsellers, Books, DVDs & Audiobooks Added in March

More than 400 new books, DVDs, audiobooks and OverDrive digital books were added to the library’s collection in March. Visit the New Books & DVDs page to browse all of the new titles.  When you see something you want, use the “request it” link to place a hold on an item.

 

Access the new acquisitions lists.
Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.

If you prefer to do your reading and listening on a mobile device or computer, visit OverDrive, the library’s downloadable books collection. For help using OverDrive, access their Getting Started page or contact the Reference Desk for personal assistance.

Access OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks.
Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.

What We’re Reading and Watching

Inquiring minds want to know – what are library staff reading and watching?  

I asked my colleagues to share what they have been reading and watching recently.  Here are a few of their responses….

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Dominque, Reference Department

I have been reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Very good! –Dom

Jaimie, Project Archivist

Here are two books that I really love – I checked both out from the Bentley Library but soon found that I wanted to buy my own copies so I could keep them on my bookshelves forever.

The first is Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog – a light sci-fi/fantasy time travel mystery novel! This was published in 1998 but the wit, plot, and tone are as relevant as ever. If you like Doctor Who, Douglas Adams, or mysteries by the likes of Dorothy Sayers, give this a shot. One of the few books I’ve read in recent memory to make me laugh out loud. Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle (Note: this book is not available in the library’s collection, but it can be requested via Interlibrary Loan).

The second, which was released last year, is Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle (also known as the singer/songwriter for the Mountain Goats). orphan-blackWhile this is *not* sci-fi/fantasy, it’s perhaps an even trippier read. The story moves back and forth between a young man who has suffered a horrible injury, and the people playing a text-based game he created. Powerful, haunting writing is about all I can say without spoiling anything.

(As an added bonus, if you have even a vague interest in either of these reads you should absolutely watch BBC America’s Orphan Black – one of the best shows on television if you like action, science, futurism, feminism, mystery, or comedy. The new season starts soon but you still have time to binge-watch!)  –Jaimie

Lisa, Reference Department

Orphan Train by Christina Baker KlineLast month my book club read The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, which intertwines the stories of two women from different eras, each persevering through extremely difficult circumstances. Although I found the outcome of the story a bit predictable, I enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing and it was fascinating to learn about the orphan trains of the 1900s.

I also recently completed The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon and I am almost finished with Michael Koryta’s Last Words.  I would describe both as psychological mystery/suspense with shades of the supernatural. Neither book blew me away, but both are entertaining and held my interest until the end.

I am looking forward to reading the YA novel Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman and Bonnie Jo Campbell’s collection of short stories, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters. –Lisa

Kim, Reference Department

Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen audiobook

We are listening to the Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My 11 year old and I are listening to it in the car. We are both getting a huge kick out of it. It is the original radio program and it is performed not just read so sometimes the performer fades out and it can be hard to understand what when he is mumbling, but it is a different experience than most of the audiobooks we’ve listened to lately. We are on the last disc so it will be coming back to the library’s collection soon. We will continue our adventure with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes which we can borrow and listen to through the Overdrive app on my iPhone.

I also listened to Unstoppable by Bill Nye recently and enjoyed that for different reasons entirely, but would recommend it as another family-friendly and thought-provoking, although sometimes alarming, audiobook to listen to. –Kim

Do you have a book or DVD recommendation?  Share it with us in the comments!  If you would like to suggest that the library purchase a title for our collection, please submit a request via the Suggest a Purchase form.

February Acquisitions: New Books, DVDs and Audiobooks

Visit the New Books & DVDs page to browse the new books, DVDs, audiobooks and OverDrive downloadable books added to the library’s collection in February.  When you see something you want, use the “request it” link to place a hold on an item.

Access the new acquisitions lists.
Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.

If you prefer to do your reading and listening on a mobile device or computer, visit OverDrive, the library’s downloadable books collection. For help using OverDrive, access their Getting Started page or contact the Reference Desk for personal assistance.

Access OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks.
Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.

Books, DVDs & Audiobooks Acquired in January

The new acquisitions lists for January have been posted! More than 250 new books, movies, TV shows and audiobooks were added to the library’s collection last month. Go to the  New Books & DVDs page to browse. When you see something you want, click the “Request” button to place a hold on it.

Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.
Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.

If you prefer to do your reading and listening on a mobile device or computer, visit OverDrive, the library’s downloadable books collection. For help using OverDrive view their Getting Started page or visit the Reference Desk for personal assistance.

Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.
Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.

On Display: The Best Books of 2015

blue ribbonHappy New Year and welcome to the library’s 7th annual best books display! This year we have combed through eighteen* year-end “best books” lists to bring you the Best Books of 2015.

The display features fiction and nonfiction titles that have spent weeks on the bestseller lists, and also highlights critically claimed books that have not garnered as much mainstream attention. Intrigued? Stop by the library’s lobby to browse the selections or click here to view a list of the titles on displayMany of these books are also available as downloadable and streaming eBooks and audiobooks via the library’s OverDrive digital collection.A few selections from the Best Books of 2015 display

More than 150 books and audiobooks are currently on display. More titles being added as they are acquired and returned, so keep checking back!

Please visit the Reference Desk if you need help finding a book or would like to learn more about downloading eBooks and audiobooks from OverDrive.

*Sources consulted: Amazon.com; Bloomberg; Booklist; The Boston Globe; CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries; The Economist; Entertainment Weekly; Financial TimesForbes; Inc. Magazine; Kirkus Reviews; Library Journal; The New York Times; NPR; Publishers Weekly; strategy+business; The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

New Acquisitions: Books, DVDs & Audiobooks Added in December

The new acquisitions lists for December have been posted! Go to the New Books & DVDs page to browse the books, movies, TV shows, and audiobooks added to the library’s collection last month. When you see something you want, click the “Request” button to place a hold on it.

Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.
Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.

If you prefer to do your reading and listening on a mobile device or computer, visit OverDrive, the library’s downloadable books collection. For help using OverDrive view their Getting Started page or visit the Reference Desk for personal assistance.

Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.
Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.

New Books, DVDs & Audiobooks Added in November

Go to the New Books & DVDs page to browse the new books, DVDs, audiobooks and OverDrive downloadable books added to the library’s collection in November.  When you see something you want, click the “Request” button to place a hold on it.

Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.
Click to browse the new acquisitions lists.

If you prefer to do your reading and listening on a mobile device or computer, visit OverDrive, the library’s downloadable books collection. For help using OverDrive view their Getting Started page or visit the Reference Desk for personal assistance.

Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.
Click to browse OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks to download or stream online.