When it comes to the holidays, I find that the easiest way for me to accomplish my tasks, whether it’s decorating, cooking, cleaning, online shopping, or wrapping, is to hunker down in one location with everything I’ll need to be successful and turn on some binge-worthy TV shows or movies as background noise. Thankfully, the Delaware County District Library makes binging incredibly easy.

In 2020, the library temporarily doubled the amount of materials that patrons could check out to make it easier to gather all you needed in one trip and enjoy the library’s resources at home. The increase was so successful and popular that it was added permanently. Books may be checked out 200 at a time; audiobooks, magazines and DVDs increased to 40 out at once; and video games, board games and Launchpads (small, tablet-style devices with pre-loaded, educational games for children) can be checked out six at a time.

If someone is looking for a collection of DVDs that are all related, our librarians have put together some premade Binge Boxes that will help you quickly move through one subject or genre. For example, the Origins Binge Box contains nine origin stories to get you started on some of the most prolific comic book stories in movie format – from “Man of Steel” to “Watchmen.” Dying to try a Tarantino film, but unsure where to start? The Quentin Tarantino Binge Box includes some of his best as early as “Reservoir Dogs” to the 2019 “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

In addition to physical materials, the digital access that a Delaware County District Library card provides includes plenty of bingeable downloads. Hoopla has introduced BingePasses, which open entire collections of streaming content in just one borrow. Hallmark movie lovers will definitely want to check out the Hallmark Movies Now BingePass. This BingePass gives unlimited access to the entire Hallmark Movies Now on-demand library for seven days. Enjoy exclusive Hallmark Originals, along with 1,500-plus hours of ad-free content from Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

The Ohio Digital Library (also known by its beloved app, Libby) is one favorite way to binge digital content. Twenty items may be checked out at one time, but your wish list can be as long as 5,000 items! Explore the magazine collection this holiday season and learn everything you’d ever want to know about home and garden, cooking and food, health and fitness, fashion, and so much more. Familiar titles will include HGTV Magazine, Taste of Home, Prevention, Marie Claire, The New Yorker, and Reader’s Digest.

Once you’re back to reading books, the most binge-able books generally fall under the romance category. With many sequels and spin-offs, romance titles are easy to fall into. See if any of these will be the start of your next series or a recommendation for a romance reader in your life.

• “The Queen and the Knave” by Sarah M. Eden. When members of the Dread Penny Society start disappearing, Móirín Donnelly and Detective Constable Fitzgerald “Fitz” Parkington investigate, setting the duo on a collision course with criminal mastermind the Tempest. Set in 1860s London, this chaste romance marks the 5th and final installment of the series that began with “The Lady and the Highwayman.”

• “Her Own Happiness” by Eden Appiah-Kubi. This witty riff on Jane Austen’s “Emma” by the author of “The Bennet Women” introduces struggling creative Maya Davis, who becomes the protégé of influencer Emme Vivant. But will her association with Emme turn Maya into someone she doesn’t recognize? And what does this mean for her relationship with her BFF (and maybe more) Ant?

• “The Duke Gets Desperate” by Diana Quincy. The suspicious death of his stepmother, Deena, puts Anthony Carey, the Duke of Strickland in a difficult position – and that’s before Deena’s cousin, Arab American businesswoman Raya Darwish, inherits his family’s estate, Castle Tremayne. This slow-burning Victorian romance kicks off the “Sirens in Silk” series.

• “Stars in Your Eyes” by Kacen Callender. Cast as love interests in a highly anticipated film, Hollywood bad boy Logan Gray and rising star Matthew “Mattie” Cole embark on a show-mance that soon turns into the real thing.

• “The Beginning of Everything” by Jackie Fraser. Temporarily unhoused after escaping a bad relationship, Jess Cavendish breaks into the seemingly empty home of Gethin Thomas, who offers her his guest room until she can get back on her feet. The strong friendship that forms between the 40-something, newly single misfits takes both by surprise, as do the burgeoning romantic feelings that could ruin everything.

• “Thank You for Sharing” by Rachel Runya Katz. Aspiring museum curator Liyah Cohen-Jackson has despised marketing strategist Daniel Rosenberg ever since their teenage summer camp friendship ended badly. Following a less-than-joyous reunion, the pair learn that they must collaborate on a work project.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!