Self Distancing? Try Something New on WeTeachMe

While social distancing rules are keeping everyone indoors, you don’t have to miss out on the best classes and workshops. Because very soon on WeTeachMe, they will be available online!

As we write this, our teachers are working round the clock to deliver the most creative learning experiences straight to your desktop, so you can find what makes your heart beat in the safety and comfort of your own home. More about this soon.

For now, get excited if you’re an indefatigable bookworm or relentless tsundoku. Because today, we’ve curated a list of free books found in the wild. You’ve heard of J.K. Rowling, right?

Publishers release free titles

Don’t let COVID get you down! Several book publishers are putting some of their titles online absolutely free for public consumption. No strings!

These books are typically gated or otherwise barred from free use, but for now, you can get your hands on them and read ‘til you drop!

J.K. Rowling grants open license for the Harry Potter books

Potterheads are going to love this: famed author J.K. Rowling has just granted an open license for all teachers, allowing them to read aloud online absolutely any book in the “Harry Potter” series. J.K. and her agents at The Blair Partnership announced this last week, relaxing the usual copyright permissions to the popular fantasy novel series.

Are you a teacher who thinks you can make a convincing Dumbledore and do Dobbie justice, too? Here’s the full announcement on J.K. Rowling’s website. That’s worth a full-on Expecto Patronum, we think.

Audible gives access to hundreds of free audiobooks

Free Harry Potter readings are a tough act to follow, but Audible is taking the challenge! The audiobook platform Audible is making hundreds of titles absolutely free for streaming, no credit-card details or membership subscriptions required!

Titles include everything from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (narrated by Westworld’s Thandie Newton) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (narrated by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens) down to The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and children’s favourites like Winnie The Pooh and Peter Rabbit.

Visit Audible now and see how many audiobooks you can listen to, before your headset wears out from overuse!

Feast your eyes on art books from The Met

History buff? Discover cultural movements in art and stories of historical figures, such as Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh. If you’re more of a dilettante, check out Art and Love in Renaissance Italy which explores some of the most famous artworks created by Italian Renaissance painters Titian and Lorenzo Lotto.

Whatever tickles your creative fancy, you’ll surely find a favourite at The Met - that is, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art - as they’ve just made hundreds of the world’s greatest art books available full-text and free for you to read. Start with their top 10 list!

Keep safe and stay healthy, everyone, and read your hearts out!