Together We Read Book Club Begins on Bridges

Image of the Together We Read logo and the cover of the book River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan.Booklovers in Iowa can now join readers from 16,000 public libraries and colleges across the United States enjoying this year’s Together We Read: US digital book club selection. From March 1 to 15, our library patrons can read award-winning Mexican-American and Indigenous author Jennifer Givhan’s book, River Woman, River Demon, as an ebook and audiobook for free. Readers can join hundreds of thousands of others accessing the digital book with no waitlists or holds by downloading the Libby app. Our library patrons with a valid library card can also borrow the book by visiting Bridges, and then participate in an online discussion.

For more information about Bridges check out our Bridges Page

The Together We Read: US digital book club connects readers through thousands of U.S. public libraries and colleges with the same ebook for two weeks and only requires a library card to get started. During the program, readers participate in engaging online discussions about the title. This free program is facilitated by the library and OverDrive.

About the Book
River Woman, River Demon tells the story of Eva Santos Moon, a burgeoning Chicana artist who practices the ancient, spiritual ways of brujería and curanderisma. She’s at one of her lowest points—suffering from disorienting blackouts, creative stagnation, and a feeling of disconnect from her magickal roots. When her husband is taken into custody for the shocking murder of their friend, Eva doesn’t know whom to trust—least of all, herself. She soon falls under suspicion as a potential suspect, and her past rises to the surface, dredging up the truth about an eerily similar death from her childhood. Struggling with fragmented memories and self-doubt, an increasingly terrified Eva fears that she might have been involved in both murders. As she fights to keep her family out of danger, Eva realizes she must use her magick as a bruja to protect herself and her loved ones, while confronting her own dark history.

River Woman, River Demon is published as an ebook and audiobook by Blackstone Publishing. The digital book can be borrowed from participating U.S. public libraries and colleges during Together We Read between March 1-15. The ebook and audiobook can be read on all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. Through Libby, readers can also “send to Kindle®” [U.S. libraries only]. The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.
Download Libby or visit https://bridges.overdrive.com to get started.

The Next Big Library Read Starts Today!

Held three times each year, the next Big Library Read starts today with the title A Snake Falls to Earth by Dr. Darcie Little Badger. A Snake Falls to Earth will be available in eBook and audiobook formats for simultaneous downloads on Bridges from November 2-16.

The Big Library Read is literally a global reading program.  It’s a worldwide digital version of a local book discussion club.  Sponsored by OverDrive, this program represents an opportunity to connect your local readers with book lovers around the world as they read and discuss the same book at the same time without wait lists or holds.

Learn more about Bridges, consortium for Iowa public libraries and how to access eBooks, audiobooks and more with your library card.  Also, check out the Big Library Read website for a discussion guide and discussion forum. 

Image:  Book Cover for A Snake Falls to Earth by Dr. Darcie Little BadgerAbout the Book

A Snake Falls to Earth draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling to weave a tale of monsters, magic, and family.  Published in 2021, it has won the Newbery Award Honor, the American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor, the National Book Award Longlist, Publisher’s Weekly Best of the Year, and Minneapolis Star Tribune Best of the Year, among other honors.

From the Big Library Read website, here’s more: “Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories. Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries. And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.”

Big Library Read

Image of The Girl in His Shadow book cover. Text An unforgettable historical fiction novel about one woman who believed in scientific medicine before the world believed her.Join the #BigLibraryRead digital book club! Borrow the ebook or audiobook of The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake from our digital collection with no waitlists or holds.

Our patrons can dive into a suspenseful USA Today bestselling novel during Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From July 13-27, readers will join over a hundred thousand others around the globe in enjoying Audrey Blake’s historical fiction The Girl in His Shadow from their public library. The Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled library card holders can borrow the ebook and audiobook for free without waiting on the Libby app or visiting Bridges: https://bridges.overdrive.com/

Readers can then discuss online at https://biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/.

This Big Library Read novel is available in more than 21,000 libraries around the world including and approximately 90 percent of public libraries in North America. During the program, readers participate in engaging online discussions about the title. The program is facilitated by OverDrive, digital reading platform for popular ebooks, audiobooks and magazines and creator of the Libby app.

The Girl in His Shadow takes place in London in 1845. Raised by surgeon Dr. Horace Croft after losing her parents, Nora Beady knows little about conventional life and much about suturing and anatomical illustrations of dissections. Women face dire consequences if caught practicing medicine, but in Croft’s private clinic Nora is his most trusted—and secret—assistant… until the new surgical resident Dr. Daniel Gibson arrives. To protect Dr. Croft and his practice Nora must learn to play a new and uncomfortable role—that of a proper young lady. When she makes a discovery that could change the field forever, Nora faces an impossible choice. Remain invisible and let the men around her take credit for her work, or step into the light—even if it means being destroyed by her own legacy.

Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects millions of readers around the world with an ebook through public libraries. The Girl in His Shadow is the 28th selection of this program which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year. Readers can join an online discussion about the book at https://biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/.

The Girl in His Shadow was published as an ebook by Sourcebooks and as an audiobook by Recorded Books. The title can be read on all major computers and devices through Libby or libbyapp.com, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. Through Libby, readers can also “send to Kindle®” [U.S. libraries only]. The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

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

Join the Big Library Read Discussion of ‘The Quiet Girl’

Join the Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club. From June 28-July 12, readers can solve a compelling mystery in S.F. Kosa’s debut thriller, The Quiet Girl, ebook from their public library. Our library patrons can borrow the ebook for free without waiting by visiting Bridges. Readers can then discuss online at https://biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/.

Our library is a member of Bridges and our patrons have access to eBooks, audiobooks, and streaming video available to download.  Digital content is borrowed for a set period of time and titles automatically expire at the end of the lending period- there are no late fees! Users can browse the library’s website, check out with a valid library card, and access borrowed titles via PC, Mac, and mobile devices with free desktop and mobile apps.  For more information check out our Bridges page.

The Quiet Girl begins with struggling entrepreneur Alex’s arrival in Provincetown to patch things up with his new wife, Mina. He finds an empty wine glass in the sink, her wedding ring on the desk, and a string of questions in her wake. The police believe that Mina, a successful romance author, simply left, their marriage crumbling before it truly began. But what Alex finds in their empty cottage points him toward a different reality: Mina has always carried a secret. And now she’s disappeared. In his hunt for the truth, Alex comes across Layla, a young woman with information to share, who may hold the key to everything his wife has kept hidden. To find his missing wife, Alex must face what Layla has forgotten.

Readers can then discuss online at https://biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/.

Ebooks, Audiobooks, and Video, Oh My!

The Iowa Library for Blind and Physically Handicapped is a part of a statewide consortium called Bridges.  Bridges gives Iowa Library for the Blind patrons access to ebooks, audiobooks, streaming video and more! The Bridges collection is an addition to the library’s collection of NLS and Iowa Library for the Blind produced books. Patrons can check out and download their own books from the Bridges site.  It is a very easy process. To check out items from Bridges follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Bridges site: https://bridges.overdrive.com
  2. Choose the Sign In button
  3. Choose the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped from the list of libraries
  4. Enter your library card number and hit Sign In. Your library card number is your patron ID number and starts with the letter P followed by five or six digits.  If you don’t know this number, call the library and we can tell you!
  5. Now you can search the collection!
  6. Once you find a book or other material you are interested in, select it and hit Borrow.
  7. Then you must select Borrow again.
  8. You will be given the opportunity to read it with a Kindle, read it in your browser or read it as an epub.

Things to keep in mind:

  • We share this collection with participating libraries throughout the state, so there may be a wait list for the book you are interested in.  Not all books will be available all the time.  You are able to put a hold on the book you want and you will then receive an email when the book is available.
  • The books or videos are borrowed for a set time and will automatically expire at end of the designated time (usually two weeks). 
  • There are no late fees!

If you have any questions about Bridges, please call the library at 515-281-1323.