Mystery, crime and thrillers are leading the way when it comes to reading habits over the past few weeks.

Online borrowers are particularly enjoying contemporary fiction, mystery and crime/thriller genres. The most popular book for adults has been ‘Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.

To help make it easier for people to read during the lock-down Tauranga City Libraries is promoting a free digital-only membership that allows people to apply online and start borrowing from its e-resources collection straight away.

People don't have to be a current library card holder to do it.

Content team leader Michelle Sims says the service includes access to e-audio stories which is handy for parents who might need to provide some distraction for the small people in their bubbles.

The library's online range includes much more than just e-books and audio stories though.

Newspapers and magazines from around the world can be viewed through Pressreader; new skills learnt with Lynda.com; and family history researched with genealogy databases, says Michelle.

Library e-resources can also assist with general research which will be particularly handy for students learning at home, says Michelle.

'Many people might not know, but it's possible to change the font size on an e-book” she says.

'This provides more options for our borrowers who traditionally use our large print books as not all books are published in that format.”

'Our BorrowBox app has also recently made available the option of a dyslexic-friendly font, which we're really excited about” says Michelle.

'Aside from the fact that you have the library literally at your fingertips, the great thing about online e-books is that they return themselves when your two week loan is up.”

'If you're reading a book and you're not finished with it, you can renew it (borrow it again) just as you can with a print book.”

'If the book you want to read is out though, you can click on the button to place a hold on it as you can do with our regular print books”, says Michelle.

The most popular books overall since lockdown began?

For adults, ‘Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.

For children, ‘The Newest Princess' by Melody Mews, and for teens it's ‘Frankly in Love' by David Yoon.

The most loaned book by a New Zealand author during lockdown to date has been ‘Moonlight Sonata' by Eileen Merriman.

Information on getting started with an e-book is available on the library website at library.tauranga.govt.nz.

'But if anyone would like some extra help getting started we encourage them to get in touch by emailing library@tauranga.govt.nz , says Michelle.