Things certainly got “Heated” in New York City homes during the weekend snowstorm — and it appears a suggestion from the mayor may have sparked it.
During a Sunday press conference addressing the snow storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow and ice on the city, Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised New Yorkers to stay home and off the roads in order to stay safe, and allow plow crews to do their jobs. And he pitched a few ways people can occupy their time inside.
“The snow is coming down heavily across our city. And I can think of now better excuse for New Yorkers to stay home, take a long nap, or take advantage of our public library’s offer of free access to ‘Heated Rivalry’ on e-book or audiobook for anyone with a library card,” he said.
It appears people listened.
The New York Public Library said that from the time after the press conference through Tuesday morning, there had been a 1057% increase in e-book and audiobook downloads for “Heated Rivalry.” There had been more than 6,000 downloads for the book, and more than 17,000 downloads for the entire “Game Changers” series, which the book is a part of.
The NYPL said it expected those numbers to continue to climb.
“There’s no better time to sign up for an NYPL card. This weekend, thousands of New Yorkers downloaded books from the Rachel Reid’s ‘Game Changers’ series — including the mega-hit ‘Heated Rivalry’ — after we made the books immediately available to all of our cardholders,” said Brian Bannon, the chief librarian at the New York Public Library.
The steamy romance novel about two rival professional hockey players and their yearslong relationship sparked a hit HBO show that has become one of the most talked-about shows since its premiere in November.
The library said there had been nearly 3,000 people waiting to check out “Heated Rivalry” before Saturday. When immediate access to the book was introduced Sunday, all of those on the waitlist downloaded the book “almost instantly.”
Bannon added that the book will be available for download to read or listen to for free for NYPL cardholders through Valentine’s Day.
