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How to Get FREE Climate Change Audiobooks and eBooks!

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Free, absolutely free! The latest and greatest audiobooks and ebooks on climate change (or any other topic!) available to you today, right now, this instant, for your listening and reading pleasure.

What could be more awesome than that?! Nothing of course, as that was a rhetorical question. It is the peak of awesomeness. Nerdvana. 😉

Listening to audiobooks is great when you are driving, working in the garden, working out, cleaning house, or anytime you have some time where your brain is free, but your hands or feet are otherwise occupied.

I used to buy audiobooks on Audible and Kindle or printed books all the time. Probably spending a few hundred dollars a year on that. But no more. Now I save my hard earned cash for something better, like expensive coffee and chocolate, or a fancy home weather station (affiliate).

If you to would like to save hundreds of dollars a year on audiobooks, ebooks and magazines, I’ll tell you the secret… come closer… make sure nobody is peeking over your shoulder. Ready??

Get a local library card!

What?! How can that be?

Many local libraries have joined the 21st century and have large electronic collections of audiobooks, ebooks and magazines to lend out… electronically!

This means you only have to go to the library one time — to get your library card. And in researching this article I found out that my local county library has online sign up now, so you don’t even have to go there to get a physical library card!

Which brings up a related point, be sure to visit your local library’s website. I just discovered a bunch of digital services they have that I was unaware of, like access to various research databases, the local newspaper, and more.


Once you get your library card you can download one of the many apps out there (I use the Libby app) to your phone or tablet, put your library card info in the app, then start borrowing to your heart’s content.

And if you have access to more than one library system, most apps accept multiple library cards, thus further expanding your borrowing opportunities! Pretty amazing really.

The Libby App! There are several other apps out there that can interface with your local library’s collection. Here’s two articles from College of the Mainland, and from the Kansas City Public Library about some other apps to consider.

Most libraries get the latest and the hottest titles, and sometimes they will have more than one copy. If an audiobook or ebook is especially in demand, you may have to wait a while, but not for long. I’ve never waited more than a couple of weeks to check out a newly published book. And if it’s something that’s already been out for a while I usually get it right away.

Screenshots in this post are all particular to the Libby app, but I am sure the other apps offer similar functionality.

And if you don’t feel a burning desire to listen or read something immediately when it comes out, you can always wait a few months for the demand to die down, then check it out at your leisure.

I have checked this out multiple times. It’s such long book and I can’t seem to finish it in 2 weeks. Almost done! LOL!

Of course, like the real library, you only get the item for a couple of weeks before you have to turn it in. If nobody is waiting you can just check it out again. And if you aren’t done with your current audio or ebook, you can delay delivery of your next one by a few days to weeks, and let the next person have it.

Some books have unlimited copies, so you can take your time listening or reading.

Another great thing to do… anytime you hear an interesting book mentioned on the radio, TV, podcast, YouTube, whatever… look for it on Amazon, then put it in a wish list or add it to your cart and hit the “save for later” button, which keeps it in your cart history, but not the actual cart.

Screenshot of my Amazon cart. Unfortunately, this particular book was not available through my library. Though it pays to check your library every so often, and brings up another point… many libraries are open to suggestion about what titles they should obtain!

I have promising books going back several years that I saved to my Amazon cart but never bought. Now when I want something to listen too, I just go back through my cart history or wish list to see the various book titles… then I go and search on my library app. Most of the time I find it there. Score! Free audiobook or ebook. I then check it out, or put it on hold, and delete it from my Amazon history.

Or… you can just search right away in your library app. Like the book below by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe about climate communication. I didn’t even know she had written a book until I was reading this excellent article about the creation of the group Science Moms.


Most of these apps also have a timeline feature. Sometimes you don’t get to listen or read a particular book in time before it is returned. So you can go back in your timeline and check it out again.

My very first Libby audiobook. Should I be embarrassed?? 🙂

Pro tip… you can listen to audiobooks at higher than normal speed. I usually listen at 1.25x speed. So much to listen too, not enough time!

This was long and a bit dry, but was very analytical and wonky in a Bill Gates kinda way. He’s a big proponent of nuclear power.

Here’s some examples of climate change related audiobooks I have listened too…

Michael Mann’s latest book, and one of his best so far. Calling out all the denier and industry tactics to delay action on climate change.
I actually bought the hard copy of this book, but never got around to reading it. It was however, an excellent listen. Mainly focused on the crazy real estate development along the Florida coast despite rising seas.
A VERY detailed history of the exploration and study of the Greenland ice sheet, and its pending demise. Was a bit long at the start on the history of exploration, but got better and better as it went along.

Some other great examples …


Now you too know the secret to get all the latest audiobooks and ebooks. Go forth and listen or read… for free!

If you have any suggestions for great climate change audiobooks or ebooks you have listened to or read, please leave a comment below.


For more excellent free audio resources…

Go here for a curated list of  "The Best Climate Change Podcasts" 
Go here for a curated list of  "The Best Energy Transition Podcasts"

Cover image by Tumisu from Pixabay 

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