Bridges Recap - Part 1 - Audiobooks
I listen to audiobooks and podcasts CONSTANTLY.
I used to record all of the books I read from around 4th grade to the start of college. Since then, my reading has gone out the window. The summer before student teaching, a friend of mine from high school told me about Overdrive/Bridges. We'd grown up talking about books, and she was working at a public library that summer. I was complaining about how little reading I had done, but my 'books to read' list kept growing. Audiobooks were the answer!
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Audiobook Apps
Overdrive/Bridges - On my iPhone, I downloaded the OverDrive app and used my public library card number to log into Bridges. Most library cards from public libraries in the United States will give you access, which means it is free! I'm not sure about the access for those outside of the United States. You check out books for two weeks as a time. If there aren't any copies, you place a 'Hold,' which is just a reservation. I check out mostly audiobooks, but you can also check out movies, magazines, and ebooks. Libby is considered the newer version of Bridges by OverDrive. According to my app, it will be discontinued at some point during early 2023. It syncs up with Libby, so I switched to Libby at the start of 2023.
Libby - Libby is considered the newer version of Bridges. The app is still fairly new to me, so I am still figuring out the setup. All of my holds and loans were carried over from Bridges, but I couldn't find my wishlist. It did take me a while to transfer all of my Bridges wishlist to my "Want To Read" Tag on Libby. I check out audiobooks and some magazines, but there are also ebooks available.
Audible - I had an Audible membership for a while in college before I knew about Bridges. I had gotten a discount code from a podcast I listened to, but it does cost money. Since I used the app, their library has expanded to include exclusive versions of audiobooks and other audio material. Amazon Prime members often have extra deals offered to them, since Audible is owned by audible.
Apple Books - Apple Books used to be known as iBooks. It comes automatically on Apple products. While many books cost money, I tend to only use it with free books. Many of the free books are classics that are in the public domain. Audiobooks and ebooks are both available.
Amazon Fire - Amazon Fire tablets are set up in a lot of ways to be mostly for reading ebooks through kindle. However, Kindle has Audible Narration where it reads the book to you. The tablets also let you download other apps. We tend to use the entertainment apps (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Music, etc.) and the book apps (Kindle, Etc.) on our Amazon Fire tablet the most.
How I Choose
How do I decide which books to listen to versus read the physical books? I had lists of books I wanted to read just floating around everywhere until I added them to my 'wish list' on Bridges. I also listen to books that I have physical copis of that I just haven't gotten around to physically reading. Anything that I don't visually like the physical copy of (cover design, size, etc.) I listen to on Bridges, since I won't read a physical book that isn't comfortable enough for me to physically read. Books that I have been bringing with me everywhere for the last 10 years, but haven't read have been donated and listened to on Bridges.
Instead of using that old notebook, which I think I still have somewhere, I am going to use this as my book log. As I post them, I'll link the recap of what I listen to each year below. Also, I have been using the library card I got that summer and haven't been to that library since the summer of 2015. I sometimes get emails or notifications that my library card is expiring, but it hasn't happened yet! (Knock on wood.). I do worry that all the history of what I have listened to will go away because of my library card or because of the app being discontinued this year!
Bridges Recap Series
*Each recap will contain links to the books in case you'd like to read the book. Sometimes I just click on links like these to see if I've read the book, but just can't remember the title! The book synopsis or cover often help me remember. The links for each book in the recap series will be through affiliate links with Bookshop.org.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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