Idea Exchange signs on for One eRead Canada digital book club

Readers from coast to coast to coast are joining together for the country’s largest bilingual digital book club, One eRead Canada, and the Cambridge Idea Exchange is participating.

Throughout the month of April over a thousand public libraries will participate in One eRead Canada, a nation-wide campaign offering access to one book for one month and with zero waitlists.

“Bringing programs like One eRead Canada to our members helps us to expand access to reading materials and connect our local community with book lovers across the nation”, Laura Knudsen, Queen’s Square Manager explained in a press release.

“All Idea Exchange members can access this featured title for free as an eBook or eAudiobook throughout the month of April with no waitlist. They are then welcome to join discussions and events led by One eRead Canada.”

This year’s One eRead selection, Tatouine by Quebec native Jean-Christophe Réhel, is expected to resonate with readers recovering from social isolation.

The novel’s main character feels disconnected from people and the world around him. The reader is brought along as he recounts his experience living with a genetic disease, his financial hardships as he cycles through a series of unfulfilling jobs, and the highs and lows of family and romantic relationships.

In response, he turns to Star Wars and other pop culture diversions to relate to and to escape from his surroundings. Tatouine is relatable and imaginative, capturing the struggles and small triumphs of the daily grind and modern existence with humour and a poetic rhythm.

One eRead Canada is initiated and supported by Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) to help Canadian public libraries promote digital reading awareness and issues. CULC reports that restrictive costs, licensing, and availability of content prevent public libraries from providing adequate access to the volume and variety of sought-after titles, including the diverse voices emerging across the literary landscape. One eRead Canada demonstrates what less restricted access could provide, including a shared experience and connection during difficult and isolating times, such as a pandemic.

If you live in Cambridge and don’t currently have an Idea Exchange membership, you can sign-up for a free online membership to borrow Tatouine by Jean-Christophe Réhel and start accessing other free online books, movies, magazines, courses, and more.