Library patrons can read deeply moving “Hotline” as an ebook and digital audiobook for free and discuss with readers across the nation

 

 

TORONTO – August 30, 2023 – Readers across Canada can join tens of thousands of others throughout the country by participating in the annual Together We Read Canada digital book club. From August 30-September 13, Montreal author Dimitri Nasrallah’s emotional novel Hotline will be available as an ebook and audiobook for free from public libraries. Readers can access Hotline with no waitlists or holds by downloading the Libby reading app. An online discussion will also be available for readers across the country.

The Together We Read Canada digital book club connects readers through Canadian public libraries with the same ebook for two weeks and only requires a valid public library card to get started. During the program, participants can engage in online discussions about the title. This free program is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for ebooks, audiobooks and magazines and creator of the award-winning Libby app.

“I’m thrilled to have Hotline be part of the Together We Read Canada,” said author Dimitri Nasrallah. “I believe Muna’s story of immigrating to Canada will resonate with so many Canadians, most of whom have their own story of immigration to this country somewhere down the line. I’m excited to see the discussion the novel will bring about.”

Hotline is Lebanese Canadian author Dimitri Nasrallah’s fourth book and was nominated for the CBC Canada Reads program as well as longlisted for the Giller Prize. The story takes place in 1986 after Muna Heddad and her son have moved to Montreal, leaving behind a civil war filled with bad memories in Lebanon. She had plans to find work as a French teacher, but no one in Quebec trusts her to teach the language. The only work Muna can find is at a weight-loss center as a hotline operator. All day, she takes calls from people responding to ads seen in magazines or on TV. On the phone, she’s Mona, and she’s quite good at listening. These strangers all have so much to say once someone shows interest in their lives–marriages gone bad, parents dying, isolation, personal inadequacies. Even as her daily life in Canada is filled with invisible barriers at every turn, at the office Muna is privy to her clients’ deepest secrets. It’s an endearing portrait of struggle, perseverance and bonding.

Hotline is published by Montreal’s Véhicule Press and can be borrowed as an ebook and audiobook from participating public libraries in Canada during Together We Read between August 30-September 13. The ebook can be read on all major computers and devices, including Kobo® tablets and eReaders, iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets, Amazon Fire™ and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

Download Libby or visit a local library branch to get started.

Find more information about Together We Read Canada.

 

About OverDrive

OverDrive is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive serves more than 91,000 libraries and schools in 113 countries with the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, video and other content. OverDrive empowers libraries and schools by expanding access for all through tireless industry advocacy and consistent innovation. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading app, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com

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