Big Library Read – The Girl with the Red Balloon 1-15 October

No Holds, No Waitlist for Historical Fantasy eBook as Christchurch City Libraries Joins Largest Digital Book Club

You can enjoy Katherine Locke’s The Girl with the Red Balloon eBook for two weeks with no waitlist.

Christchurch City Libraries’ members can join thousands of readers worldwide in the largest global digital book club, Big Library Read. From Monday 1 October to Monday 15 October, booklovers can borrow, read and discuss award-winning author Katherine Locke’s The Girl with the Red Balloon eBook with no waitlists or holds by visiting http://christchurch.overdrive.com or downloading the Libby app. More than 19,000 libraries and schools around the world are participating.

Big Library Read is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading platform for eBooks, and eAudiobooks. It is available in more than 90 percent of public libraries in the U.S. and Canada. The Girl with the Red Balloon was chosen by a popular vote of readers and librarians.

“I grew up on family stories and to me, they were as powerful, transformative and magical as the fiction I read in books,” states Locke. “I hope you enjoy the story and, more importantly, I hope you swipe to the last page thinking about your family stories, the magic of your own story, and the magic of storytelling.”

The Girl with the Red Balloon tells the story of sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum who accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin and becomes caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall — but even to the balloon makers, Ellie’s time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything — including her only way home—to stop the process.

Big Library Read is an international reading program that simultaneously connects millions of readers around the world with an eBook through public libraries. The Girl with the Red Balloon is the 17^th selection of this program which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year. The free program runs for two weeks and all you need is a Christchurch City Libraries card to get started. The Girl with the Red Balloon can be read on all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

The Girl With The Red Balloon

To join the discussion, learn about past Big Library Read eBooks and download Libby, visit biglibraryread.com.

OverDrive Big Library Read – Cowboy Pride

OverDrive’s Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club, is back for July. This story has something for everyone – whether romance is your thing, or perhaps you like the Wild West, or even if you’re a Jane Austen fan. That’s right; we have a version of Jane Austen’s much loved Pride and Prejudice, set in Wild West Wyoming – Cowboy Pride by Lacy Williams.

From 9 to 23 July, Christchurch City Libraries users can borrow the eBook with no wait lists or holds. Join the Big Library Read by visiting Christchurch City Libraries OverDrive or by downloading the Libby app. Big Library Read is facilitated by OverDrive, our leading platform for eBooks and eAudiobooks.

“Everyone knows a rancher in possession of a large spread needs a wife.”

First impressions count. Liza Bennett has two missions in life: keep the family’s shop afloat, and ensure her shy sister finds love. Sparks fly when she meets rancher Rob Darcy at a town dance, but when she overhears him insult her, she vows to put the man out of her mind. Rob Darcy is instantly attracted to the vivacious Liza but a lack of social graces and the promise he’s keeping ruin his chances of winning her.

Once jilted, Janie Bennett is appropriately gun-shy of falling in love again. But she doesn’t seem to be able to help herself when she meets charming Nathan Bingley. Bingley desperately wants a wife and family of his own. Can he trust that Janie returns his feelings?

When Janie is injured in a spring storm, she and Liza are sequestered on Nathan’s ranch. Hearts and emotions get tangled, but will first impressions prove true, or false?

Big Library Read: Flat Broke with Two Goats

When life gets your goat, use your library card. Jennifer McGaha’s debut memoir, Flat Broke with Two Goats, is the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From 2 to 16 April, Christchurch City Library users can borrow the eBook or eAudiobook with no wait lists or holds.

Readers can take part in the two-week program by visiting Christchurch City Libraries OverDrive or by downloading the Libby app. Big Library Read is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading platform for eBooks and eAudiobooks from the library. Use #BigLibraryRead on social media for a chance to win a Kobo Aura ONE from OverDrive.

Flat Broke with Two Goats – Jennifer McGaha never expected to own a goat named Merle. Or to be setting Merle up on dates and naming his doeling Merlene. She didn’t expect to be buying organic yogurt for her chickens. She never thought she would be pulling camouflage carpet off her ceiling or rescuing opossums from her barn and calling it “date night.” Most importantly, Jennifer never thought she would only have $4.57 in her bank account.

When Jennifer discovered that she and her husband owed back taxes—a lot of back taxes—her world changed. Now desperate to save money, they foreclosed on their beloved suburban home and moved their family to a one-hundred-year-old cabin in a North Carolina holler. Soon enough, Jennifer’s life began to more closely resemble her Appalachian ancestors than her upper-middle-class upbringing. But what started as a last-ditch effort to settle debts became a journey that revealed both the joys and challenges of living close to the land.

Told with bold wit, unflinching honesty, and a firm foot in the traditions of Appalachia, Flat Broke with Two Goats blends stories of homesteading with the journey of two people rediscovering the true meaning of home.

Big Library Read – The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

What Happened to Lizzie Lovett?  A mystery that Christchurch City Libraries borrowers can unravel by participating in the world’s largest global eBook reading club Big Library Read from OverDrive.

Chelsea Sedoti’s debut young adult novel, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, has been selected as the featured title for millions of readers around the world to read at the same time beginning Thursday, October 12 and concluding October 26. This title is also available as an eAudiobook.

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

Popular girl Lizzie Lovett’s disappearance is the only fascinating mystery her sleepy town has ever had.

Hawthorn has her own theory about Lizzie’s disappearance. And what better way to collect evidence than to immerse herself in Lizzie’s life? Like getting a job at the diner where Lizzie worked and hanging out with Lizzie’s boyfriend. After all, it’s not as if he killed her – or did he?

Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Hawthorn’s quest for proof may uncover the greatest truth is within herself.

Big Library Read is back – Read The Other Einstein from 12 to 26 June

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict is this month’s Big Library Read. You can get this eBook on OverDrive right now – no holds, no queues, unlimited copies. Meet Mileva Marić, The Other Einstein. Learn all about this remarkable woman by participating in the world’s largest global eBook reading club through libraries, Big Library Read.

In the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein offers us a window into a brilliant, fascinating woman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow. This is the story of Einstein’s wife, a brilliant physicist in her own right, whose contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight.

Who ate all the pies? OverDrive Big Library Read – 16 to 30 March

Perhaps the question should be who made pie? Art of the Pie by pie-guru Kate McDermott is this month’s Big Library Read (March 16-30) on OverDrive, and quite frankly who doesn’t like pie? We can all take this Pie together right now – the Big Library Read means library customers around the world can simultaneously borrow an eBook.

I personally love a good pie and also appreciate Kate’s rules of pie making and life:

1. Keep everything chilled especially yourself
2. Keep your Boundaries
3. Vent.

This book is American so we are talking sweet – apple pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie and many more. We have pastry options including gluten free, vegan and no-bake and even tips for high altitude pie making.

What, no steak and cheese? Never fear there is a section on Meat Pies where you pick your own seasoning. Other international classics such as shepherd’s pie and English pork pie get a mention too.

Kate McDermott has taught the time-honoured craft of pie-making to thousands of people. Her pies have been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Real Simple, Oprah.com, NPR and more. In the Art of the Pie she shares her secrets to great crusts, fabulous fillings, and to living a good life. Kate provides dozens of recipes for all the pie combinations you can dream up with hints and tricks helpful to even the most experienced pie baker.

Check out Art of the Pie and remember always blow on the pie!

Find Art of the Pie in our collection.

More about the Big Library Read

Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects millions of readers around the world simultaneously with an eBook, using Overdrive one of our eBook platforms. Discussions about the cookbook, recipes and more can be found on BigLibraryRead.com. The free program runs for two weeks from March 16 to 30 2017 and to get started reading, all that is needed is a Christchurch City Libraries card and PIN/password

Big Library Read on until 27 October -This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is this month’s Big Library Read. You can get this eBook on OverDrive right now – no holds, no queues, unlimited copies. This is where it ends is a book for teens, and it’s a New York Times Bestseller.

Here’s a taster:

Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun.
10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.
10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.
10:03
The auditorium doors won’t open.
10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told from four perspectives over the span of 54 harrowing minutes, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

• Visit Biglibraryread.com to join the discussion.
• Listen to an interview with Marieke Nijkamp.
• Note: Contains mature themes/language.

Find This is where it ends in our collection.

More about the Big Library Read

Big Library Read (BLR), facilitated by OverDrive, is a reading program that connects millions of readers around the world with the same eBook at the same time without any wait lists or holds.

A Murder in Time – Join OverDrive’s latest global eBook club – 23 June to 7 July

Big Library Read is back in town. This time the title is a little less controversial than American Sniper. OverDrive’s latest for you eBook lovers is A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain. It involves time travel, murder, a clever FBI agent, and the quest for justice and truth.  Sounds brilliant, and a bit exhausting! Luckily you will have from 23 June to 7 July to access this eBook. Borrow now!

If you are not sure of what the Big Library Read is then it is basically OverDrive, one of our eBook providers, making an eBook title available (without limitations) globally on its platform. So people in Dublin, New York and Brisbane are participating in this global eBook club at the same time as you are!

Here’s a more complete summary of this Big Library Read title:

Kendra Donovan is a rising star at the FBI. Yet her path to professional success hits a speed bump during a disastrous raid where half her team is murdered, a mole in the FBI is uncovered and she herself is severely wounded. As soon as she recovers, she goes rogue and travels to England to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her teammates.

While fleeing from an unexpected assassin herself, Kendra escapes into a stairwell that promises sanctuary but when she stumbles out again, she is in the same place – Aldrich Castle – but in a different time: 1815, to be exact. Mistaken for a lady’s maid hired to help with weekend guests, Kendra is forced to quickly adapt to the time period until she can figure out how she got there; and, more importantly, how to get back home. However, after the body of a young girl is found on the extensive grounds of the county estate, she starts to feel there’s some purpose to her bizarre circumstances. Stripped of her twenty-first century tools, Kendra must use her wits alone in order to unmask a cunning madman.

If this eBook sounds like you, then pull up a comfy chair and download away – let yourself be filled with the joy of participating in the latest literary love-in.

• Explore the eBooks and eAudiobooks available through OverDrive
• Find out more on the Big Library Read page
• A Murder in Time reading guide

American Sniper is our Big Library Read – 17 to 31 March

OverDrive has made the title American Sniper its Big Library Read and it will be available in both eBook and eAudiobook format from 17 March until 31 March 2016. You can put your holds on the eBook or eAudiobook now, and you’ll be notified when it is available.

American Sniper was one of the bestselling books of 2015. The New York Times bestselling memoir of a U.S. Navy Seal was even the source for Clint Eastwood’s academy award nominated movie. This controversial title is considered to be ‘a first-rate military memoir’ by Booklist. It details the effects of modern warfare on the writer, his fellow soldiers and his family. The author Chris Kyle is considered the most lethal sniper in US history. His fellow soldiers during the Iraq War, called him “The Legend”; meanwhile, the enemy feared him so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head.

You can find out more on the Big Library Read page, where you can also listen to the Professional Book Nerds podcast interview with Taya Kyle, widow of American Sniper author Chris Kyle and the author of American Wife.

We have had a number of Big Library Read events here at Christchurch City Libraries. These events are sponsored by OverDrive (one of our main eBook and eAudiobook platform providers). Every few months they choose a title and make it accessible to absolutely everyone for a given period of time. The idea is to create one massive worldwide book club. As a librarian I love this concept!

If you haven’t taken part in what is basically a worldwide book club event then maybe this is the title that will change all that. See what you think …

• Find American Sniper in our collection
• Find American wife in our collection
• Explore the eBooks and eAudiobooks available through OverDrive
• Find out more on the Big Library Read page

Double the reading fun with the Big Library Read!

Ever wanted to join a book club or reading group but never got round to it? Here’s your opportunity! It’s quick, easy and doesn’t require venturing out in dismal weather.

I am talking about the OverDrive Big Library Read, which is coming back from 7 to 21 October. The Big Library Read is a global book club: during this period, millions of readers around the word have unlimited simultaneous access to the selected eBooks – no need for waitlists or holds.

And, this time, the Big Library Read offers not one but two titles to choose from. You can place a hold now and you’ll be notified when the eBook is available:

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
(Suitable for ages 10 and up)
Ensorcelled princesses … a frog that speaks … a magical hind — Newbery Medal winner Robin McKinley opens a door into an enchanted world in this collection of original and retold fairy tales.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
(Suitable for ages 14 and up)
Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

So get ready to join the global book club!