Auditioning books for your personal library
 

I used to purchase books I'd seen advertised online or previewed on Amazon. Many times, when the books I thought would be helpful fell short of my expectations. I have begun searching for books through my local library system and via Overdrive/Libby. I do find more titles available through our library system. It has both local and state-wide options. (Some libraries in other states have interlibrary loans between regions too.)


I live in a small community and our local holdings aren't as large as those in metropolitan areas. The state-wide option has been very useful. A valid library card through my local library is required. I'll request a title through online access (in MI it is called MelCat) and the local library lets me know when the book arrives for local pick up. This method has saved me quite a bit of money as some books highly recommended are not for me.


I hope you find this helpful.

I miss my old hometown library. I could spend an afternoon there browsing and reading magazines. The city we moved to has the modern library feel. No cozy feel at all and no comfy setting areas, more like a waiting room. I use the Overdrive method to find books to download. One perk is not having to make a trip to return the book.

I had the same experience when ordering books and have recently adopted the same method of ordering from our state library or via ebooks a program called Hoopla. Both have saved me money. I didn't think to post about it, so thank you for thinking to do that to help some one else.

I have also gone to ebooks. I had so many books and got rid of them last year at my garage sale. They took up valuable space. I love the audio books while sewing. I also have Libby (2 wk loan) and Hoopla (3 wk loan). This saves money and space.

On Amazon, under the picture of the book, you can click "read sample" and read the first part of a book. It's a long enough sample that you should be able to tell if it's something you would like.