Books for free during the pandemic, non-fiction too

Libraries are closed. But we all need a good book now more than ever. Fortunately, there are ways you can get your literary fix for free even when you can't leave the house.

Your local library
Even though the physical buildings are closed, libraries are still letting patrons borrow e-books or audiobooks. You can borrow them for a few weeks, just like you would a physical book. Because libraries have limited copies of digital books, you likely will have to get on a waiting list for popular titles. Log on to your local library system website for more information. You'll need a library card, but many systems will let you sign up for one online if you don't already have one.

Free online libraries for older books
It's easier to find older books that are no longer under copyright. Project Gutenberg has a library of more than 60,000 free e-books. Most are older, literary works published before 1924. You can also search Google Books, which includes both excerpts and entire books online. To find entire books, make sure to choose "full view only" in the advanced search option. Then select "read" to download the book you want.

The National Emergency Library
The Internet Archive announced the creation of a National Emergency Library, which suspended waitlists for the 1.4 million books in the nonprofit's lending library. "The library system, because of our national emergency, is coming to aid those that are forced to learn at home. This was our dream for the original Internet coming to life: the Library at everyone's fingertips. The suspension will last through the end of June or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later.”

Sharing books
There are varying studies about how long coronaviruses can live on different surfaces. Researchers say you are much more likely to catch the infection through the air than through a surface. But to be safe, if you borrow a book, don't touch it for several days before reading it. Wash your hands well each time you stop reading it and keep your hands away from your face.

More info and hot links here:
https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/how-read-free-books-coronavirus-pandemic

Stay well