Books, Books, Books...+a super awesome app recommendation

A couple of month's ago I decided I wanted to finally catch up on a series of books I had been reading for a few years. I knew the next book would be coming out and I still had 10 books to catch up on. The problem with reading books in series is you wind up with a lot of clutter from buying the books, plus that gets expensive....especially when there are 20 books in a series! Usually I use my local library but many times the books weren't coming available and that was frustrating. Plus, I'd have to remember to take the books back and living in rainy, often cold places some days I simply did not want to go out. So, I decided to start searching through my library's website and see what I could turn up in way of finding books to check out through my iPad. I just knew with all the technology available today there had to be something out there....

This was when I found Overdrive Media Console. 

This app is freaking amazing. It is free to download and thousands of libraries in the US use it, a thousand some odd in Canada, plus quite a few other countries. Find out here if your library is included! On the left hand side you can click country and choose your country to then find your library.

I really can't say enough good things about this app. I love that I can browse through my libraries e-book library and audio book library and either borrow items, put them on a wish list, or put them on "hold". If I have to hold a book it saves it under "holds" and tells me what place I am in line and it updates as time goes on. When it is your turn to read a book they send you an email, you log into the app and borrow it. I then download it to my library instead of reading it in the browser so if i am somewhere without internet I won't have any problems reading. I imagine all libraries are different but I can borrow a book for 21 days....once the 21 days is up if there is no waiting list I can renew the book otherwise it forces me to "return" it, meaning they just cut off your access and send the file on to the next person. I love this system because it motivates you to read the books and when I'm waiting for a book I know I will get it in a fairly timely manner. The other bonus is I have cut down on so much clutter and saved a lot of money from not constantly buying books!

Now, as I said earlier this app allowed me to painlessly finish reading one of my all time favorite series....

The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich!

my stephanie-plum shelf:

How Ms. Evanovich manages to keep these books entertaining is beyond me. I found the series when my Grandmother lent me one after we had moved back to our hometown and I was looking for something new. I began devouring the books. I took a break after book 10 because I was working and moving and doing all kinds of other things. I then picked them back up about two years ago and slowly read through them so I could savor them. Around book 16-18 I did start to get a little miffed with Stephanie because it seemed like the same stupid mistakes were being repeated, but Evanovich managed to over come that in Notorious Nineteen and give the series some new life. These are always a quick read, within a week if I am busy but could easily knock one out a day if I neglected my responsibilities as I have been known to do from time to time on a lazy Saturday. These books are always good for a laugh too. I really do not like reading depressing novels so to get a book in my hands that will make me shed happy tears is something I will flock to.

Now that you know my favorite genre, what is yours? Leave me a comment so we can discuss!

September Blog Challenge: My Favorite Book

I always have a hard time choosing my favorite book. There are so many I love....but, I will say I remember the one book that made me excited to read, I couldn't get enough and had to then get every single book I could by this author....

Find it on Amazon

This book had been given to me by an older girl I worked with at the YMCA. At the time I was just a "volunteer" learning how to become a counselor. I followed this girl around and was her "assistant". I was 14 at the time and she was 16, we were going to be going to the same high school so she had sort of taken me under her wing, like a little sister. She said I had to read it, when I came home with it my mom was so excited for me to read it because it was one she had read and liked at one point as well. For me at the time I couldn't believe my mom was letting me read it because some of the content is quite scandalous, but it really opened up my world of reading. I had no idea books could be so engaging and didn't have to have surfing, bikinis, and a beach to be interesting! I literally gobbled up anything else by VC Andrews after that, sadly her books aren't what they used to be once a ghost writer took over after her death, but I will cherish the older books written by her and can't wait to introduce them to my own daughter once I feel she is old enough.

As a little side note, there is a website called Forever Young Adult. They have all kinds of hysterical articles on Young Adult Fiction, sometimes going a few chapters at a time through certain books and posting all kinds of hysterical content such as drinking games and whatnot. Go check it out, it is so funny!

What is your favorite book and why?