This Monsoon You Are Booked!

Online libraries in Delhi, NCR

Books take you to places you might never get to explore. They let you step into the mind of people you will never meet.

This monsoon season, we at Zorba Books bring you a list of some of the best Online Libraries or online book clubs, in the NCR. We hope you can enjoy the pitter patter of Monsoon rain, the gentle breeze in the air, in the comfort of your home with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a gripping book in the other, sprawled on a couch. The catch is, getting the book in your hands without getting wet or spending time traveling to a library.

Online libraries or online book clubs are an empowering concept for the reader. Online libraries provide rental services for physical books –(one you can touch and smell), in the comfort of your home for a nominal fee! At a time when bookstores and libraries are slowly disappearing, and require an effort and time to reach, online libraries give a glimmer of hope to all book lovers!

In an effort to familiarize the readers with online libraries in the NCR region and encourage you to go back to “actually” holding and reading a book, we bring you 6 online libraries in the NCR you can’t afford to miss!

1. PUSTAK KOSH

USP: Providing rental services, for educational books in the area of Engineering, MCA, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Management and more.
Price Plan: Textbook rentals which save up to 65-70% of the user’s money. No additional membership fees required!
Delivery: 1-2 days

Founded in the year 2011 by Shachin, MS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois with over fifteen years of management experience in various MNC’s and Ruchi who is an MBA from Amity University.

“Our rental books are cheaper than getting a book photostatted,”says Shachin.
Along with the “Bid bye to book buy” motto, Pustak Kosh has a five and a half years of operational experience and an impressive user base of 100,000 customers!

2. ILOVEREAD.IN

USP: No penalties or late charges on books!
Price Plan: The user can choose from a wide range of subscription plans ranging from Rs.400 per month to Rs. 5,000 annually.
Delivery : Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, Indirapuram, Gaziabad

Delivery to your doorstep, library. Iloveread.in is a chain of online libraries, providing book rental services in the comfort of your home! Shefali Malhotra, an engineer turned entrepreneur heads the library in the NCR region.
“Sheer love for books” says Shefali, when asked what made her start Iloveread.in.

Iloveread.in is a library for kids and adults, with books categorized according to age for children and special lists for Adults.
The online library also organizes events almost every week focusing on storytelling, creative writing, author meets, literature festivals and other literary events.

3. FARAD BOOKS

USP: The “I want to keep this book” option allows its members to buy books they had borrowed and now they wish to keep!
Price Plan: The user can choose from various membership plans, all between Rs.279 to Rs.1,139. One has the option of creating their own plan according to their specific needs.
Delivery: Delhi/NCR within 48 hours of placing the order

Farad Books is a one of a kind online library with doorstep delivery and pickup. They offer a vast collection of books that can be borrowed. And they credit this vast collection to the suggestions and feedback made by their members!

Founders Ayush Poddar and Md Zeeshan Ali, two young graduates from Delhi Technological University are doing a commendable job for all the bibliophiles out there!

Zeeshan describes why they named the online company – Farad Books “Farad Books is a tribute to the legendary scientist Michael Faraday who began as an apprentice to a bookseller. He started his apprenticeship at the age of 14 giving him an opportunity to read an endless number of books for the next seven years!”

4. BOOKER’S CAFE

USP: One can donate your old books and get a discount on membership!
Price Plan: With a nominal registration fee of Rs.100, one can choose from various membership plans ranging from Rs.250 to a yearly of Rs. 2450.
Delivery: Delhi/NCR

Booker’s cafe is a Vaishali, Ghaziabad -based online library which provides book rental services in the comfort of your home!
This online library has tie-ups with various libraries and corporate houses as well.
It is the brainchild of husband and wife duo Peeyush Trivedi, a computer application graduate and his wife Anushree, a Master’s in Education, who adores teaching.

5. TREASURE TROVE

USP: A library exclusively dedicated to kids. Toy rental services also available
Delivery: In Gurgaon
Price Plan: Quarterly rental charges start up from Rs. 1,400 – Rs. 3,200 annually.,

Founded by Arvinda Bhatia, an engineer by profession. Treasure Trove started in the year 2010. It was the first “kids only” private library in North India. Arvinda also points out “we tend to read books issued from a library or when they are borrowed because it is only then we understand that we have limited time to finish reading the book and it has to be returned. Otherwise, they may remain unread on our bookshelves forever. This is human psychology. Libraries motivate everyone to read the book and gain some knowledge.”

6. BOOKS-A-BUDDY

Price Plan: Rental charges start from Rs.750 and go on till Rs. 5,200 annually
Delivery: In and around Gurgaon
Books-A-Buddy started as a bookstore in Omaxe Mall, Sohna Road, Gurgaon in the year 2010 by Anupama Verma, a media research expert. It got converted into a full-fledged online library in the year 2014.

Writing this post on online libraries reminds me of Hermione and her love for books.
When ever Hermione was in doubt she would go to a library. But YOU can call one home!

Explore the Sunday second hand book market at Daryaganj, join a book club. The options for a book lover is endless.