Do you need some new recreational reading, watching, and listening to brighten your spring? Between Healey Library and the Boston Public Library, we’ve got you covered!

At Healey Library

Reading — We have some eBook and physical book options whether your recreational reading involves novels, biographies, or reading about any subject of interest to you. To find a book, type in the title of the book you’re looking for in Umbrella, and then, on the results page, select the filter for “book”. We also have quite a few eBooks. To search for those, type in the title of the book, and then, on the results page, select the filters for “book” and “Full Text Online”. You can also explore our Anti-Racism Guide, which has a few reading lists attached to give you ideas of something to read next. Whatever we don’t have, can most likely be found at the Boston Public Library. 

Watching — Kanopy Streaming Video has a ton of leisure viewing. You can click “browse” on the homepage to view groups of movies by genre. While Kanopy is definitely our most extensive source for streaming video, you can explore our database list of streaming video options for more. 

Listening — To search for online audiobooks and CDs in UMBrella, type in the title of the book or CD, and then, on the results page, select the filters for “Audio” Material Type and “Full Text Online” Availability. 

At Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library is an excellent source of recreational reading, watching, and listening. Did you know that all Massachusetts residents, including students, are eligible to register for an eCard from the Boston Public Library, the Library for the Commonwealth?

eCard holders have access to most of BPL’s online resources — here’s a flyer describing them all, called What BPL Can Do for You, and here are a few more links to help you get started:

Reading — BPL’s eBooks page has booklists with eBooks and plenty of eBook titles to browse. For a wide selection of national and international newspapers and magazines, start at the BPL Stream & Download page and scroll down a bit until you see Press Reader (for newspapers) and RB Digital (for magazines). 

Watching — If you aren’t familiar with Kanopy yet, the Most Watched Kanopy Films of 2020 is a great list to start with. Also, visit BPL’s Movies and TV page for links to Kanopy and Hoopla and lists of new purchases. 

Listening — BPL’s audiobooks page includes audio booklists and titles to browse. BPL’s music page lists new purchases in many genres.