How to read more books without buying them with Libby

There's a version of you that reads. You know this because you keep buying books. They show up, you read thirty pages, and then they sit on your nightstand collecting dust next to the other four you started this year. Or you browse Kindle deals at midnight, buy something on impulse, and forget about it by morning.

The books aren't the problem. The buying is. Twelve bucks for something you might not finish adds up fast, and after a while you just stop starting new ones because you've got a shelf full of reminders that you didn't follow through.

Libby fixed this for me in a way I feel stupid for not discovering sooner.

What it is

Libby is a free app that connects to your local public library. You borrow ebooks and audiobooks the same way you'd borrow a physical book, except you never leave your couch. The books show up on your phone or tablet, you read them, and they return themselves when the loan period ends.

No subscription, no fees, no late charges. You just need a library card, which you probably already have somewhere in a drawer. If you don't, most libraries will issue one online in about two minutes.

Getting started

Download Libby, search for your library by name or zip code, and enter your card number. That's it. The whole setup took me less time than ordering coffee.

The interface is clean. You can browse by genre, check what's popular, or search for something specific. If a book is available, you tap borrow. If it isn't, you place a hold and Libby tells you roughly how long the wait is.

The wait list thing

Here's the part that trips people up. Popular books have wait lists. You might wait two weeks for a recent bestseller, or two months for something everyone is reading at the same time. Libraries buy digital licenses the same way they buy physical copies, one at a time, and each copy can only go to one person at once.

This sounds like a dealbreaker, but I've come around on it. It might actually be the best part.

The wait list forces you to queue up books and then forget about them until they're ready. When one becomes available, you get a notification and 72 hours to grab it. It's like a gift from past you. You wanted to read this three weeks ago and now here it is, right when you have nothing else going on.

I have about eight holds running at any time. One or two show up each week. I always have something to read and I never had to decide what to read tonight, because past me already decided.

How borrowing works

You get a book for 14 or 21 days depending on your library. When the time is up, it just disappears from your device. No returns, no reminders, no late fees. If you didn't finish, you can borrow it again or place a new hold.

Most libraries let you have somewhere between 10 and 20 books checked out at once, which is more than enough unless you're doing something weird.

You can also send books to a Kindle if you prefer reading on that. Or read right in the app, which has adjustable fonts, a dark mode, and bookmarks that sync across your devices.

The audiobooks

I didn't plan on using the audiobooks. But they're included with the same library card and they cost the same amount of nothing. Full audiobooks with speed controls, a sleep timer, and chapter skip.

I started borrowing audiobooks for long drives and grocery runs. A couple months in, I'd finished more audiobooks than I'd read actual books in the previous year. Which felt a little embarrassing, but also, who cares. A book is a book.

What it actually changed

Before Libby, I read maybe four or five books a year and felt bad about it. Since I started using it, I've been averaging about two a month. I didn't get more disciplined. The cost just went to zero and the books started showing up on their own.

Removing the money part changes your relationship with reading. You'll start a book and abandon it fifty pages in because it's boring, and you won't feel guilty about it, because it was free. You'll try genres you wouldn't normally buy. I read a book about Antarctic exploration last month that I never would have paid for, and it turned out to be one of the best things I read all year.

The catch

Some libraries have smaller digital collections than others. If you live in a big city, you'll probably find most of what you want. Smaller systems might have gaps. But you can often get cards from multiple library systems (some allow non-residents to sign up for free or for a small annual fee) and Libby lets you link more than one card.

Also, the app occasionally has quirks. Search can be a little clunky. The browse categories aren't always organized the way you'd want. None of this matters enough to complain about, given that the entire service costs nothing.

Who this is for

Anyone who wants to read more but keeps stalling at the checkout screen. If you've got a stack of unfinished books making you feel bad, or a library card you haven't touched since college, this is the app. It takes the money out of reading and leaves you with just the books. For me, that was the only thing that needed to change.