Here at Plenty, we talk a lot about the benefits of reading actual books. We are so fortunate to live in a time where clinical research data can actually prove the improved state of our minds that accompanies reading books. But we recognize that there are times where eBooks and audiobooks are convenient, or possibly preferred by some readers, and we are not upset about it. Yes, readers will miss significant benefits that come with reading a physical book. But eBooks or audiobooks are better than no books, and absolutely still count as reading! Thanks to two incredible companies, you can read eBooks or listen to audiobooks and still support Plenty and our nonprofit mission.
Bookshop.org is an online site that serves as an online storefront to independent bookstores across the country. When you choose to support Plenty through Bookshop.org, we receive 30% of your purchase. Want to order books and have them delivered to your house? Bookshop.org can do that.
Want to read on your phone or tablet? Bookshop.org now has eBooks!
One of the nice things about eBooks is the ability to change the font size (and sometimes the font!) of the book you're reading. Technology can be great that way. I'm in my mid-forties, and a couple of years ago my eye doctor delivered the unfortunate news that I needed multifocal lenses on my glasses. Large-print books can be limited, and also unwieldy. Being able to bump the font up a size or two in an app is such a simple fix for me. I just tested this out on Emily Henry's Book Lovers, currently on sale for $2.99 at Bookshop.org as I write this (Note: This sale has since ended but there are more eBooks under $4.00 listed here!).
But if you want to talk about unwieldy books that sometimes just work better in a digital format? Stephen King's Under the Dome clocks in at almost 1100 pages as a hardcover and weighs 3.5 pounds! That book is a doorstop or a weapon in a pinch. As an eBook, it's the weight and size of your preferred device.
And just as there are different reasons to read eBooks, there are also a variety of reasons to listen to audiobooks. Fortunately, Libro.fm allows readers to get those audiobooks in a way that benefits independent bookstores like Plenty. And like a certain giant corporation's audiobook platform, they offer memberships at the same price, only part of that cost supports your favorite bookshop. (Plenty, right?)
This is the perfect time to join Libro.fm because not only can you get 3 audiobooks for the price of one with a new membership (use code FORTHELOVE) but there's also a promotion going on where if you listen to ten or more hours of audiobooks before Valentine's day, you can submit a simple form and get another credit for an extra book.
Audiobooks are great ways to read books for the vision-impaired, but also they can keep you company on a commute, or while you do the dishes or fold your laundry. Sometimes, a book is read by a large, entertaining cast. At other times, as is the case in Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth read by Moira Quirk, the narration adds to the story.
So whatever your reason for straying from books in print, know that we understand. And you don't have to choose between your preferred method of reading and supporting Plenty. We're grateful however you choose to support our mission to improve literacy and lift book culture in the Upper Cumberland.
Thank you! Sara Kruszka is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Plenty Downtown Bookshop. Her commute is too short for her to enjoy audiobooks on her way to work, but she enjoys them while walking around Cane Creek Park.
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