No time to read?  What about time to listen?  There are a variety of options available for people who want to listen to books.  In the LMC we offer two types of audio books: Playaways and CDs.  Playaways are digital audio players that hold an entire book.  Playaways come with earphones, so you just plug in your earphones, press the power button, and listen to your favorite book. You don’t need a CD player or any other device.  Just press the play button and listen.  They are compact so you can put them in your pocket and take them anywhere.  Once teens discover Playaways, the come back and check out some more.  The LMC has a variety of Playaway titles including the Twilight Saga, the Hunger Games Series, the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series, Alex Rider series, the Pretties series, and several in the Percy Jackson series.  Other notable selections include The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers, and City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.

How about listening to a book on your IPod, MP3 player, smart phone, or other digital device? This is easy to do with a public library card.  All the Lancaster County Library branches, including the one in New Holland (http://www.elancolibrary.org), offers audio books and e-books.  Audio books are ones that you can listen to.  If you prefer, you can download an e-book and read it on your favorite digital device.  Details on how to do this are available on the library websites. Basically, you need to download a free software program called Over Drive. Once you have this installed you can browse the catalog, and check out books that are compatible with your digital device.  The Public Libraries have a great selection to choose from.  You need your Public Library Card to check the books out, so if you don’t have one, you might want to get one!  I have listened to a number of books through this free service by downloading books to my IPod and it is great!

So if you are already a teen that likes to be “plugged in” to your digital device, why not get plugged into some audio books?  Whether you prefer Playaways, CD’s, or listening on your phone or IPod, there is an audio book for you!