Guillermo Garzon/Business Insider
I have been reading ebooks on the Kindle Oasis (pictured above) for four years.
- I love reading ebooks because I can download them in a matter of minutes, they're more portable than physical books, and I don't have to go to the store to buy them or wait for them to be delivered.
- Ebooks are also often available on sale for as little as $1 to $4, and I can even access many of them for free through my local library and other avenues.
- I didn't always love ebooks - I used to think that they were terrible, in fact, but when I started reviewing e-readers as a tech reporter about six years ago, I discovered that I actually love books.
- Now, I almost exclusively read ebooks on the Amazon Kindle Oasis and all the other e-readers I review and test.
- If you're curious to learn more about all the e-readers I've tested, check out our guide to the best e-readers, my guide on how to use a Kindle, and my review of the Kindle Paperwhite.
I have always been a book worm. When I was eight, I even won an award for "being an avid, spontaneous reader" (my reward was a book - a beautifully illustrated version of "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett).
Growing up, my room was full of shelves upon shelves of paperbacks and hardcovers. I kept a journal to remember all the books I had read. I scorned people who bent the corners of pages instead of using a bookmark, I couldn't imagine marking up a book with a pen or highlighter, I hated when book spines cracked or covers bent.
When ebooks came on the scene, I thought they were ridiculous. Why would I want to read on a digital device when I could hold a lovely physical book, when I could smell the pages and have the satisfaction of turning real pages? I was, in short, a book fanatic.
I tell you all this because I'm never not surprised that I am now an ebook evangelist.
It all started when I (accidentally) became a tech reporter and I started to review e-readers. At first, I disliked having to test them and eagerly awaited going back to my paperbacks, but then I started traveling a lot for work and something clicked: Ebooks are good!
Ebooks vs. books: Why are ebooks better?
- They are much more portable than physical books, so you can carry dozens if not hundreds or thousands of them around with you on a device that weighs less than half a pound.
- You can download them in a matter of minutes so you don't have to wait for them to be delivered if you ordered them online.
- You don't have to go to the store to buy them.
- They are never out of stock because they are digital files.
- You can get many ebooks for free from Project Gutenberg, Amazon, and your local library.
- Ebooks often go on sale, so you can get bestsellers for $1 to $5. You can follow BookBub for deal alerts.
- They come with fun features like sharing highlighted quotations on social media, looking up words in the dictionary as you read, digital bookmarks, and much more.
Convinced yet? You should be! Now that I've got you, here's some more information on where to buy ebooks, where to get free ebooks, and which e-readers are the best ones.
Guillermo Garzon/Business Insider
You can get ebooks from a lot of sources, including Amazon, Kobo, the Nook store, and more
Where to buy ebooks
You can read ebooks with or without an e-reader - all you need is a smartphone or tablet. Here is a list of places where you can buy ebooks:
- Amazon is the obvious choice. The Kindle Store has millions of ebooks, including bestsellers, exclusives, and classics.
- Kobo is the other main alternative to Amazon's Kindle Store. It also has millions of ebooks, including all the best sellers you could want.
- Barnes & Noble's Nook Store has a large selection of ebooks, too. You can read them in the Nook app for iOS or Android.
- Apple's Books Store is another great option for anyone who wants to read on their iPad or iPhone and doesn't think they'll ever get an e-reader.
- The Google Play Book Store is great for Android users who aren't interested in buying an e-reader, either.
You can also check out ebook subscription apps like Scribd and Kindle Unlimited, both of which I've tried personally and love. Essentially, for a flat rate of about $10 a month, you can read as many ebooks as you want. Scribd also offers magazines and audiobooks.
OverDrive
Overdrive's Libby app gives you access to all the ebooks available at your local library - for free.
Where to download free ebooks
It's easy to find free ebooks from a variety of sources. My favorite avenue is the Libby app from Overdrive, which gives me access to all the ebooks I can borrow from my local library. Although I sometimes have to wait for a title to be available, it's a wonderful resource.
When it comes to classics, you can get many of them free from Amazon or Project Gutenberg. I've used both often.
- Amazon offers thousands of classic ebooks (like "Pride and Prejudice") for free.
- For Prime subscribers, Amazon's Prime Reading Library is another great resource for free ebooks.
- You can also borrow ebooks from the Kindle Lending Library if you own a Kindle e-reader.
- Project Gutenberg has around 57,000 free ebooks, including classics like "Pride and Prejudice," "The Odyssey," "Moby Dick," and more.
- Overdrive and its app Libby (iOS and Android) give you access to free ebooks that you can borrow from your local library.
Guillermo Garzon/Business Insider
What is the best e-reader?
I have strong opinions about e-readers. I personally think the Amazon Kindle Oasis is worth its high cost of $280. However, I fully acknowledge that's not a reasonable price for most people (I just read too much and can't live without page-turning buttons). Most people will be more than happy with the mid-range Amazon Kindle Paperwhite or the basic Amazon Kindle.
If you prefer to have an e-reader from a company that's not Amazon, Kobo's e-readers are excellent. I like the budget-friendly Kobo Clara HD, the waterproof Kobo Libra H2O, and the large-screened Kobo Forma.
Now go forth and read ebooks!
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