Borrow Kindle books, from the library!

I’ve had a kindle for quite a while now. I read a lot when I first got it, but then the reading the slowed down. That is, until I loaned the kindle to some friends. Then I realized how I read much more on a kindle.

I rarely buy books now, mostly because I have no room for any more. And I never buy eBooks or books on Kindle either. I borrow them from the library. Yes, I borrow eBooks from the library. Most of my friends are surprised when I tell them about that. If you’re paying taxes, might as well get your money’s worth, right? Plus, I never liked borrowing actual books from the library because they’re pretty nasty. By borrowing and reading on my kindle, I can read in bed and not be grossed out.

How to borrow from the library

It’s pretty awesome. You have 24/7 access to a digital library catalog of thousands of titles or books. It’s like going to the library in the middle of the night, but not really. You can search for the nearest library at www.overdrive.com. I go through the San Francisco Public Library’s site at http://sfpl.lib.overdrive.com/. From there, you can search for Audiobooks  eBooks, Music, and even Video. And you don’t even need a kindle. Any eBook reader will do or you can use their app that works on most devices or just read in your browser using overdrive read.

If the title you’re looking for is available, you can start reading immediately. I’ve found there’s usually a long wait list for popular books. I guess the library has limited “copies” of each title. You can place a hold on the books that you want, but sometimes it takes weeks before you actually get to start reading.

Limited lending period

Apparently, the lending period is determined by your library and can be for a period of 7, 14, or 21 days. At the end of the lending period, titles will automatically “expire” and return to the collection. At least you don’t have to worry about paying fees for overdue books. Sadly though, titles cannot be renewed, but you can check them out again if they are available. Which means, you have to place another hold and wait a few more weeks before reading the book again. And that’s a problem for me because I feel like I’m a slow reader. Of course, some books I finish faster than others, but I guess it depends on the book. I have several books on my goodreads that’s been in my “currently reading” list for a looong time because it was automatically returned and I had no patience to get on the wait list again.

Hack for longer lending period

BUUUUUT!!!! I think I’ve found a loop hole, or hack, if you will, that will allow you to keep your borrowed titles for longer than the maximum loan period of 3 weeks. When you “borrow” a book, it’s downloaded to your device. Technically, your device knows that your book is “overdue” when and IF it has access to the internet, right? So here’s how I tested my theory. Before my book’s “due date” last week, I put my kindle on airplane mode (no data connection) and I’ve been reading the book all this week! It’s a loooong book, so it’ll take me a while to finish. I wonder if anyone else has done this. Is this bad? I just need more time!

Talk to me, Goose.

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