Sunday Salon: Zinio for Libraries -- A source I keep forgetting about

Recently I was preparing for a relaxing getaway, and nowadays that means loading my iPad with entertainment options that don't require internet access. I usually make sure I have one or two e-books on my device, but there are times where I want to flip through a magazine while chatting with my husband. That's when I remembered that my library offers access to Zinio for Libraries. 

With Zinio for Libraries, I can download digital versions of the magazines that the library subscribes to and read them either on my laptop, my phone, or my tablet. Our house is a mix of Android, Windows, and iOS users, and we are all covered. The process to use the service is a little clunky. Basically you go to your library's website to see if they have a banner or link proclaiming that they subscribe to Zinio for Libraries. Once you click through to the library's collection of magazine offerings and pick one, you will be taken to Zinio's website to sign up for Zinio or log in to your existing account. Then you have to open the Zinio app on your chosen device and actually download the magazine. As I said, the process is a little convoluted, but some of the magazines I like are $50/year for a subscription so I think it is worth it. I don't know why I keep forgetting that I can do this!

TBR LIST 2014: This is the first full week of 2014, so I guess I should take a moment and look at how many books I have on my to-be-read list. I don't really have to do this since most of my books come from the library. It is not like they are taking up space in my house. Still I like to take stock from time to time.

My general TBR list increased from 275 titles in June 2013 to 391 books as of today, but that isn't the whole story. My list of books I want to read but that aren't at my library has 172 titles on it, and I went from 25 books in my Kindle app to 110 books. I have a bit of an addiction to download free books from Amazon :-). The majority of them are romances and I keep downloading them because once I get in the mood to read that genre, I zip through two a week. I'm trying to be more discerning about what I download, though, instead of just grabbing every free book I find.

UPCOMING: With my spring semester starting this week and a new job possibly starting next week, I don't know how much leisure reading time I will have this month. The kids also have exams coming up so they will only be concentrating on assigned reading. My goal to do more reading over the winter break fell victim to my other goals of knitting more and spending more time with the kids. Perhaps when summer rolls around I can crack a book that isn't for a class.