Why didn’t I know this before?
My mother-in-law is a bookaholic! She introduced me to Goodreads.com many years ago and from here you can set an annual reading challenge. Unlike my mother-in-law who read 126 books last year, I scraped through with just 24. As we were chatting over the Christmas turkey I casually mentioned that I rarely sit and read a “proper” book as I like to consume audiobooks when out walking, or driving. I continued by explaining that I often finish a book early in the month, but then have a few weeks spare before I get my next credit on Audible. Audiobooks on Audible or iTunes are not cheap, and if I am not strict with my pennies then I can easily spend a fortune on books. It also means that I am super careful as to how I spend my precious credits. I rarely venture outside of my regular authors or recommended reads as I don’t want to experience buyers remorse.
Trina mentioned to me that she gets all her books from the local library, including ebooks and audiobooks. In my naivety, I thought that the audiobooks were CD format. I shrugged and explained that I did not have a CD player. Yep, no CD in the car, nor on my Mac. Everything that I listened too was downloaded onto my phone.
Have you not heard of BorrowBox?
For the next ten minutes or so, Trina explained about the new(ish) app called BorrowBox, which was linked to the local library. You can borrow ebooks and audiobooks which download to the app and have an expiry date. I assumed that they would just be outdated books, but no, there are hundreds of new releases each week and the library is vast. My eyes were now open to a whole new world! Why on earth had I never heard of this before? It’s pure genius!
How does it work?
Step one – download the BorrowBox app.
Step two – join your local library (which you can do through the app / online).
Step three – your local library will send you a pin number which you enter into the app.
Step four – Start reading books!
- Search for books which you would like to borrow.
- The books have an expiry date and you are allowed to borrow up to five books at any one time.
- I love that you can also reserve a book
- Renew a book if you have not finished it before the expiry date.
- The library will have a limited number of licences for each book, hence the reason for the loan.
The bad bits
- If you are accustomed to using iTunes or Audible, then you may find that the way BorrowBox downloads in sections is a bit frustrating, but you soon become accustomed to it.
- There are limited categories, although I am now fed book choices as the app is learning what sort of books I like to read.
Summary
If you are currently spending a small fortune on audiobooks or ebooks, then this app may be perfect for you. Thanks to my mother-in-law for introducing me to BorrowBox. I love it.
