by Bethany Jett, @BetJett

I’m obsessed with reading lately. It comes in spurts and dry spells, but this last week especially, I’ve inhaled one after another. As Stephen King says, to be a good writer, you have to do two things: read a lot and write a lot. Ergo, reading = working. 😊 Thanks to the OverDrive application, I’m able to satisfy this thirst for great writing quickly…and for free.

How Does OverDrive Work?

OverDrive allows you to check out ebooks and audio books. If your library participates, all you have to do is find your library, sign in with your library card number, and search for books. When you find a book you want, you can download the e-book or audio version. The e-book can be downloaded via Amazon’s kindle app or through their own browser.

Full disclosure: I’ve always used the Get Kindle Version option and only used the app. I did try to download an audio book once but I couldn’t figure out how to access it! I’ve been using Amazon’s Whispersync or Audible instead.

You can use the OverDrive website as well as the OverDrive application.

Sooooo…what to do with the app?

Read. For. Free.

Find Books to Add to OverDrive

I tend not to buy a lot of novels or any kind of fiction because I go through them so quickly and rarely reread them. The exception to this is when I go to writers conferences and can get the authors to sign the books. I love watching my bookshelf grow with signed copies (another reason to attend conferences!).

To keep from going through reading withdrawals, I use a couple different sources to find my next book.

Amazon

Enter a book title on Amazon search then scroll down to the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” and “Products Related to this Item” section. Typically other books listed in those two sections are in the same genre.

I also scroll to the Product Details to check the Bestseller’s Rank.

In this example, you can click on the category “Literary” to go to the bestsellers to find other books. The more sub-genres listed in the ranking, the closer you are to finding the particular kind of book you like. For instance, the Suspense category is broad but Psychological Thrillers is more specific to what you’re looking for.

Also, reviews on Amazon are important…we know this as authors and I appreciate them as a reader as well.

Goodreads

The other place I’ve found some great books is on Goodreads. {Be my friend!} Each year readers vote on their favorite books in different categories for Choice Awards. Sometimes the winners take first place by a large margin and those are books I’m definitely interested to read in my preferred genre.

You can check out the 2015 Choice Awards here, as well as go back a few years to find other top-voted books.

Another way to find awesome books on Goodreads is to check out what your friends have on their virtual bookshelves. Friends can recommend books as well.

Once you find a few great titles, head back to your OverDrive app or the OverDrive site and see if the book is available.

Happy reading!

[reminder]Do you have a fun way to get free books?[/reminder]

Bethany Jett is an award-winning author of The Cinderella Rule, speaker, ghostwriter, and founder of JETTsetter Ink, a consulting and editing company. She has written for numerous publications, created the My Moments Planner, Serious Writer Companion, and is the founder of Serious Writer Academy and the Build Your Brand Program. Her newest work, Through the Eyes of Hope releases January 2017.

Bethany is a military wife and all-boys-mama who is addicted to suspense novels and all things girly. She writes on living a brilliant life at BethanyJett.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest,  Instagram (new profile), and Twitter.