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Sonos can now stream free audiobooks from your local library

All you need is the Libby app and a valid library card to start listening.

Engadget / James Trew

Even if social distancing has helped you to achieve the nigh impossible task of watching your entire Netflix queue, there’s still a trove of media to consume. Sonos has teamed up with OverDrive -- makers of the audiobook lending app Libby -- to let customers stream books from their local libraries. Setup is pretty simple: Just download the app, register your library card and connect to your Sonos system. You can pick up where you left off, too, so you can switch from your Sonos system at home to your car stereo easily. Since the audiobooks are being lent by your local library, they’re free to listen to. The files expire at the end of the lending period, but just like a physical book, you should be able to borrow the same audiobook again until you’re done.

This is good news for Sonos users, of course, and the fact that Libby -- and the audiobooks -- are free makes it an even sweeter deal. According to OverDrive, the app works with 90 percent of libraries in North America, so most people will be covered. Your selection of audiobooks will be limited to what your library has on offer, though, so mileage may vary. If you can’t find anything that piques your interest, you could turn to Sonos’ new original content, which features genre-based music stations and artist-curated channels.