Bestsellers
Find out about the latest bestsellers from many well known resources.
ebooks Fiction Literature Bestsellers
Guides
Links
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Google Play
Enjoy millions of the latest Android apps, games, music, movies, TV, books, magazines & more, including the Overdrive Media Console and Hoopla apps. -
iTunes App Store
Browse and download apps to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch from the App Store, including the Overdrive Media Console and Hoopla apps. -
Kindle App Store
Instant access to thousands of the most popular free and best-selling apps and games, including the Overdrive Media Console and Hoopla apps. -
NOOK Store
Your one-stop-shop for all things NOOK.
New York Times - Bestselling Fiction by Bestsellers
Bestselling fiction titles, updated every week! This list includes bestselling fiction for the week of January 13, 2019.
New York Times - Children's Bestsellers (28 items)
Bestselling Children's titles, updated every week! This list includes bestselling children's fiction, children's series, and Children's Picture Books for the week of January 13, 2019.
New York Times - Bestselling Nonfiction (10 items)
Bestselling nonfiction titles, updated every week! This list includes bestselling nonfiction for the week of January 13 2019.
Poetry in Translation (6 items)
Take pleasure in reading poets from other languages and cultures.
Poetry - Novels in Verse (19 items)
Poetry with special appeal for tweens and teens.
Poetry - Great Contemporary Poetry (5 items)
Selections from the Literature Department.
Award Winners (20 items)
Award-winning Bestsellers, fiction and nonfiction
Library Reads: Favorite of Favorites 2016 (10 items)
Librarians across the country have chosen their ten favorite books published in 2016.
Oprah's Book Club (73 items)
Bestselling selections from Oprah's Book Club.
Electronic Resources
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Academic OneFile *
Find peer-reviewed, full-text articles from journals in the areas of the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, literature, and more. More than 18,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 9,200 in full text.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Artemis Literary Sources (includes Dictionary of Literary Biography, Literature Criticism Online, Literature Resource Center, and Something About the Author)
Search a selection of literary reference sources including the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Literature Criticism Online, Literature Resource Center, and Something About the Author)
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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BookFlix *
Bookflix pairs classic storybooks with related nonfiction books - all in streaming format - to build a love of reading and learning.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Books & Authors *
Books & Authors answers the question: What Do I Read Next? Explore authors, genres, books, and topics to discover books that match your interests. Search over 240,000 fiction and non-fiction librarian-recommended titles.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Contemporary Authors *
A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Dictionary of Literary Biography (via Artemis)
Search biographical information about writers and poets
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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eBooks from Overdrive
Available in a variety of formats including epub and pdf, here you will find the Library's Overdrive ebook collection.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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eBooks on EBSCOhost (formerly NetLibrary) *
Approximately 17,000 electronic books in all subject areas from careers to classics to Cliffs notes.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Freading
Downloadable ebooks for Free Library of Philadelphia library card holders.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Free Library Podcasts
The Free Library Podcast is an easy way to participate in the author events and lectures that take place at the Central Library. Visit Author Events for upcoming events and information.
Available To: Unrestricted, free web resource
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Gale Virtual Reference Library
Fully searchable database of over 260 reference titles developed by Gale and other publishers.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Hoopla
Stream movies, TV, music, and audiobooks directly to your computer or mobile device
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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InfoTrac Student Edition *
Content for high school students from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and rich media (images, audio, video) covering a range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political science, sports, and environmental studies.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Kids InfoBits *
Students in K-5th grade will find kid-friendly content covering topics such as animals, arts, geography, health, literature, people, social studies, technology, and more! Includes more than 16,600 images and over 600 high-quality educational videos.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Literature Criticism Online (via Artemis)
This extensive, curated compilation of literary commentary presents a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Literature Resource Center (via Artemis)
Access to biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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LitFinder *
Find the sonnets of Shakespeare, the poetry of Angelou, presidential speeches, and short stories by Poe. Discover full-text literature from more than 150,000 poems, 7,100 short stories & novels, 3,800 essays, 2,400 speeches, and 1,250 plays.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Overdrive Kid's eReading Room
Download ebooks and audiobooks for readers ages 0-12.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Project Gutenberg Ebooks
A curated collection of 34,000 downloadable ebooks in epub format. These classic titles are out –of-copyright. There are no checkout restrictions, waiting lists, or restrictions.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
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Research in Context *
Research In Context provides support to middle grade students for papers and projects on government, history, geography, literature, sciences, and social issues. Includes full-text magazine & news articles, multimedia, biographies, and primary sources.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.
Upcoming Events
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GWHS Tech Squad Help
Do you need help with your email, social media accounts (facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat), smartphone,… more details
Tue, January 22, 2019 11:10 AM
Bustleton Library
10199 Bustleton Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19116-3718
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Book Discussion: Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sit down at your local library to discuss this year’s One Book, One Philadelphia selection, a novel about… more details
Tue, January 22, 2019 6:30 PM
West Oak Lane Library
2000 E Washington Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19138-1344
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Dani Shapiro | Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
In conversation with Beth Kephart , the award-winning author of nineteen books, including Going Over , Handling the… more details
Tue, January 22, 2019 7:30 PM
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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Shakespeare in the World Lecture Series: Shakespeare and Love
Lecture will be held in Room 405. “What is love?” Feste sings in Twelfth Night. It is a question that… more details
Wed, January 23, 2019 6:00 PM
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Blog Posts
Not a Black Friday Shopper? We’ve Got You Covered!
If the idea of heading out into the world at some ungodly hour to fight crowds and spend money makes you queasy, and you’re choosing to celebrate today as Buy Nothing Day rather than Black Friday, fear not! The Free Library has…
databases ebooks Holidays languages reading digital media digital learning
Break Out Your Garlic Necklaces and Wooden Stakes for Bram Stoker's Bday!
by Michelle Sheffer Today marks Irish writer Bram Stoker ’s 171st birthday. Author of Dracula —the inspiration for many a nightmare and pop-culture meme over the past two centuries—Stoker compiled and wrote his iconic…
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Shakespeare In the World Lecture Series
The Fool in King Lear advised "Speak less than thou knowest" – but it's good the speakers at this year’s Shakespeare in the World lecture series aren’t following his advice. If you’re …
Shakespeare lecture series literature
Join The Rosenbach for a Marathon Reading of Moby-Dick!
If you’ve ever joined our friends at The Rosenbach for Bloomsday , you know how fun (and slightly surreal) it can be to hear a book read aloud over an extended period of time. Well, the next Bloomsday may be several months off…
Rosenbach literature
An American Author in Paris
"For two centuries," writes The New Yorker essayist Adam Gopnik in the preface of his 2004 collection Americans in Paris: A Literary Anthology , "Paris has been attached for Americans to an idea of happiness, of good…
podcasts recommendations nonfiction literary history literature
Our Summer Madness Blockbuster Reads Online Bracket Game Winner Is...
We started out with 32 blockbuster best-selling books from a variety of genres ... over 5 weeks, the books were voted upon by you, our faithful blog readers and library patrons... as each week passed, winners and losers were chosen by…
recommendations sci fi pop culture fiction online games
Two Shall Enter, One Shall Leave a.k.a. the 5th and Final Round of Summer Madness!
We're now into the fifth and final round of our Summer Madness blockbuster reads online bracket game! Amongst 32 titles vying for the prize, our finalists Life of Pi and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy rose to the top of…
recommendations fiction online games
5 Lazy Day Library Card Uses
One of my favorite comic collections of all time is the Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book . It reminds me that whenever possible, even if just for an hour, having a "lazy Sunday" is crucial. Or, in this case, a "lazy…
ebooks music television film digital media library resources
The Final Four Book Battle Is ON a.k.a. Round 4 of Summer Madness!
We're now into round 4 of our Summer Madness blockbuster reads online bracket game! The Final Four battle is ON! Here's some stats on each title to see how they match up against each other... The Devil Wears Prada Genre:…
recommendations fiction online games
The Great Eight Takes Shape a.k.a. Round 3 of Summer Madness is Under Way!
We're into round 3 of our Summer Madness blockbuster reads online bracket game! With only two weeks left, the Great Eight has arrived with devils and dolls, fly girls and tigers, hitchikers and immigrants, romantic rendezvouses both…
recommendations fiction online games
We're Turning Up the Heat with... Summer Madness!
We've gone a bit crazy from the heat over here at the Free Library. You might even say, we've got... SUMMER MADNESS ! This online bracket-style tournament matches blockbuster, best-selling books from a variety of genres in…
recommendations fiction online games
All About Audiobooks (and eBooks, Streaming Video, and More): Now Searchable Directly Through Our Online Catalog!
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that streaming movies from Kanopy , as well as digital audiobooks from Hoopla and RBDigital , now appear in the Free Library catalog . Audiobook junkies are surely weeping tears…
ebooks film digital media audiobooks
Dena's Favorite Books of 2017
Every year I read a lot of books. Out of the 339 that I read in 2017, I've picked out the 36 that I liked the best . 2017 was a hard year, and I found myself looking for books that were happy and not particularly difficult or…
LGBTQ romance Teens recommendations comics and graphic novels sci fi fiction nonfiction
"How Does This Thing Work?" Let the Free Library Help with Our Extended E-Gadget Helpdesk Holiday Hours!
Want to learn how to download some of the over 120,000 ebooks available from our catalog to your new Kindle or Nook? Looking to discover all the hidden features of your new iPad, e-reader, smartphone, or tablet? Can’t figure out…
digital collections ebooks Digital Literacy digital media audiobooks
Need a Last Minute Gift Idea? Check Out These 10 Popular Titles!
Looking for gift ideas for your favorite readers or for something to read yourself? Here’s a list from public libraries across the country of the 10 most popular books for adult readers in the past month. Mystery and suspense…
recommendations fiction nonfiction
Digital Audiobook Favorites for 2017 (so far)
So many great audiobooks, so little time. In fact, all three of our audiobook platforms are more popular than ever, So here's a few of our favorites to help you along. Visit our Digital Media Portal for more ebooks,…
ebooks digital media audiobooks
New Directions in Digital Audiobooks
The past few years have seen tremendous growth in the popularity of digital audiobooks . And why not? Audiobooks allow you to couple the imaginative, meditative aspects of reading with the relaxing, go-anywhere…
ebooks digital media
Take The Free Library Anywhere This Summer!
Summer is upon us, and you know what that means: road trips, vacations, relaxing afternoons on the beach, and maybe even a much-needed staycation on your couch. If you’ll be out of town and away from your nearest Free Library…
databases ebooks digital media neighborhood libraries
Pi(e) Day
I admit it: I’ve developed a slight obsession with baking pies. It all started last spring, when I took a hands-on pie class at the Free Library’s Culinary Literacy Center with Holly Riccardi, a baker who runs Magpie , South…
ebooks Holidays How-To One Book One Philadelphia culinary literacy Recipes