Looking for a new book to read and discuss? Look no further than your local library.

While library book clubs are nothing new, the Carbon Lehigh Downloadable Library is taking book clubs to a new level by joining the Big Library Read, a global e-book club. The program runs through Tuesday afternoon.The book club is part of a global reading experience sponsored by OverDrive, the company that hosts the Carbon Lehigh Downloadable Library, a group of public libraries in Carbon and Lehigh counties."The goal of Big Library Read is to provide a global e-book club through the library," said David Burleigh, an OverDrive representative. "We have a network of 2,000 public libraries around the world, and each time we've had this program more and more libraries have participated."The program was started in 2013 as a way to show publishers the power of public libraries and e-libraries, and to allow OverDrive readers to share a common reading experience and discussion. OverDrive has continued to offer Big Library Read selections three or four times per year.This month's selection is "Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard" by Laura Bates. It follows Bates, a Shakespeare professor and prison volunteer, as she fights to teach Shakespeare in her local prison's solitary confinement and forms an unlikely friendship.The book was downloaded more than 9,000 times in the first day it was available, and hundreds of readers have already commented at

www.biglibraryread.com. The book will remain available through the Carbon Lehigh Downloadable Library through midday tomorrow. Once checked out, readers will have access to the book for 14 days.Burleigh compared the downloads of "Shakespeare Saved My Life" to OverDrive's second-most popular book, "Gone Girl," which was downloaded approximately 1,000 times that same day.If you're familiar with the Carbon Lehigh Downloadable Library, it might sound odd to have a virtual book club. Books at the downloadable library are electronic, but typically share one trait with paper books: Only one person can check out a book at a time. During the Big Library Read, publishers provide a worldwide, unlimited use license at no charge to local libraries. This allows thousands of readers to read the same book together.It's a fun way for readers to join a community discussion or discover a new book. But it's also a powerful tool for authors and publishers hoping for more eyes on their book."One of the reasons we got this started was to really experiment and see what the impact would be on the publisher's retail sales," he said. "We were trying to show that libraries can be a valuable resource for readers to discover new titles and new authors. Libraries play an important role to help anybody discover what to read next, and to make recommendations. The library really is a key part of that process."In each of the previous Big Library Read programs, authors saw a substantial jump in sales in both their featured book and other available titles. At the same time the program exposed readers to lesser-known titles and authors they might not otherwise read."People are really excited about this program," said Burleigh. "People love to talk about what they're reading. This is certainly a product of the shift to digital. More people are used to having discussion forums and Facebook or Twitter, and people are just used to communicating and sharing ideas that way. There's always someone online and available to talk to, and to share their thoughts about the read."Books are chosen by a vote among library partners. While the next book club will likely take place in the middle of the year, Burleigh isn't sure what genre it will feature. So far the club has discussed adult fiction and nonfiction books, young adult titles, and a cookbook.When you're done with the book, don't worry about what to read next. If you liked "Shakespeare Saved My Life," there are more than a dozen recommendations for books with a similar genre or style of writing.To take part in the Big Library Read, you will need a library card and PIN from your home library in Carbon or Lehigh county. An e-reader or mobile device capable of reading downloadable books is helpful, but not required. Books can also be read on a computer using OverDrive Read or Adobe Digital Editions.You can download "Shakespeare Saved My Life" at

cldl.overdrive.com or by clicking the "OverDrive" icon on your library's website.