HOW TO GET YOUR E-BOOK FIX
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Digital books save space and
are cheaper than their paperback or hard bound versions. With the
availability of online book stores, you no longer have to visit your
local library to look for new releases or obscure authors. There are
over 30 lakh titles paid and free available on the web, apps that
help you discover new writers, and audio books too, if you prefer to
have your novella read out to you.
OPEN LIBRARY
Open Library is an online lending library with over 10 lakh books. Create an account on the website and you can download up to five books at a time to read in your web browser. Or, you can install Adobe Digital Editions on your PC or Mac. This free software manages your borrowings from OL, allowing you to create bookmarks, “return“ the books when you finish reading them, or turn them in automatically after two weeks.On OL, you will find popular titles like the Harry Potter series, books by Enid Blyton, and best-selling authors like Ian Rankin and Stephen Kind as well. Fair warning: you might have to join a waiting list if the book you're looking for has been lent out.openlibrary.org
LOYALBOOKS
If you are into classics the works of Shakespeare, the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, titles such as Treasure Island , White Fang then head to LoyalBooks. Here, you will find over 7,000 audio books and ebooks under genres like adventure, fairy tales, humour, non-fiction, philosophy, and more. All the books on LB are in the “open domain“, which means they are copyright free. They are also accompanied with audio versions, which can be downloaded in MP3 format without creating an account. Plus, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to preferred digital formats: you can opt for text, ePUB (iPhone, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader) or Mobi (Kindle).http:www.loyalbooks.com
PROJECT GUTENBERG
In existence since 1971, Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library on the interweb. It's got more than 45,000 e-books on its website and over 1,00,000 more on partner sites that volunteer to digitize copyright-free books. New titles are constantly added to the repository and categorized across “bookshelves“ like crime, history, technology, education, etc. PG offers various e-book formats to choose from and the option to save them directly to Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. Just save the ePub, Kindle with or without images and plain text format to the cloud, and access the file from any Android, iOS or Windows Phone device with the help of an e-reader app.http://www.gutenberg.org/
AMAZON KINDLE & KOBO BOOKS
are the e-readers you need to have on your smartphone. Head to Amazon and Kobo's e-book store which offer competitive rates and discounts to create a free account, search through their exhaustive catalogue and download tomes to your device via the app. Here, you can refer to a built-in dictionary, add bookmarks, highlight text, make notes and sync purchases across devices you can continue reading on your phone from where you left off on your tablet.The Kindle app also lets you configure font type, size and background colour. Kobo Books, on the other hand, lets you access e-books stored in Dropbox, and connect with Facebook friends to view their reading habits as well.Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone | Free
GOODREADS
is a popular book recommendations service and a great way to discover new authors and interact with readers around the world. You can create a free account or sign in with your Facebook or Amazon account.Next, you have to select the genres of books you like to read, rate the books you've already read, or mark those you'd like to read. Alternatively, you can use the built-in barcode scanner to scan your books and build your online library in a jiffy. GR then uses this data of at least 20 book ratings to suggest new titles you might find interesting. Every title listed comes with a rating out of 5, which is based on reader feedback and reviews, to help make your decision easier. You also can join specific groups Indian readers, espionage fiction, thrillers, etc to find like-minded folk from within the app itself.Android, iOS, Kindle Fire | Free Epiphany for Windows Phone | Free
WATTPAD
is the “world's largest community for discovering and sharing stories“.As a writer, it provides you with access to nearly 10 million readers from around the world. You can publish your work serially; collaborate with other writers; and even see your work gain appreciation and inspire fans to create cover art.Of course, you also have the option of marking your work with a copyright.
And as a reader, you get ten million free books and stories; 22 genres to browse through including romance, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, humour, chick lit and even vampire; updates directly from authors; the chance to critique the pieces you read; and even save stories in your `library' for later. Moreover, Wattpad, which is a free service, also lists works in over 20 languages, including Hindi.Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone | Free
LIBRIVOX
has a collection of over 15,000 free audio books if reading is not your thing that have been recorded by volunteers from around the world. You need to sign in with your Gmail ID before listening to a book. Recordings follow the exact table of contents, so you can either stream them over the internet or download them for later. You can browse for books by keywords, author, narrator, top free, new additions or genre (including ancient texts, poetry, suspense, and young adult literature).
LibriVox includes a timer, which can be used to stop playback after a specific interval and a bookmark feature that lets you pick up from where you left off. All the audio books are free and there is no restriction on how many you save and listen to.Android, iOS, Kindle Fire | Free Audiobooks for Windows Phone | Free
E-BOOK READERS
use an “e-ink“ screen, offer excellent viewing angles, do not cause eye fatigue, and boast of a month-long battery life.
In India, the Kindle rules the roost with its feature set and access to Amazon's bookstore. Here, you have the new Kindle (`5,999, Wi-Fi) and Paperwhite (`10,999, Wi-Fi; `13,999, 3G).While both sport 6-inch touchscreens, the Paperwhite uses a front-lit display for reading in the dark without any glare. They support the new Kindle formats (AZW3, AZW), text, PDF, Mobi (older-gen Kindles), and more.
You can also connect to your Goodreads (see below) account to get book suggestions from the device itself.And with parental controls, you can also share the device with your kids.http:www.amazon.in
Open Library is an online lending library with over 10 lakh books. Create an account on the website and you can download up to five books at a time to read in your web browser. Or, you can install Adobe Digital Editions on your PC or Mac. This free software manages your borrowings from OL, allowing you to create bookmarks, “return“ the books when you finish reading them, or turn them in automatically after two weeks.On OL, you will find popular titles like the Harry Potter series, books by Enid Blyton, and best-selling authors like Ian Rankin and Stephen Kind as well. Fair warning: you might have to join a waiting list if the book you're looking for has been lent out.openlibrary.org
LOYALBOOKS
If you are into classics the works of Shakespeare, the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, titles such as Treasure Island , White Fang then head to LoyalBooks. Here, you will find over 7,000 audio books and ebooks under genres like adventure, fairy tales, humour, non-fiction, philosophy, and more. All the books on LB are in the “open domain“, which means they are copyright free. They are also accompanied with audio versions, which can be downloaded in MP3 format without creating an account. Plus, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to preferred digital formats: you can opt for text, ePUB (iPhone, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader) or Mobi (Kindle).http:www.loyalbooks.com
PROJECT GUTENBERG
In existence since 1971, Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library on the interweb. It's got more than 45,000 e-books on its website and over 1,00,000 more on partner sites that volunteer to digitize copyright-free books. New titles are constantly added to the repository and categorized across “bookshelves“ like crime, history, technology, education, etc. PG offers various e-book formats to choose from and the option to save them directly to Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive. Just save the ePub, Kindle with or without images and plain text format to the cloud, and access the file from any Android, iOS or Windows Phone device with the help of an e-reader app.http://www.gutenberg.org/
AMAZON KINDLE & KOBO BOOKS
are the e-readers you need to have on your smartphone. Head to Amazon and Kobo's e-book store which offer competitive rates and discounts to create a free account, search through their exhaustive catalogue and download tomes to your device via the app. Here, you can refer to a built-in dictionary, add bookmarks, highlight text, make notes and sync purchases across devices you can continue reading on your phone from where you left off on your tablet.The Kindle app also lets you configure font type, size and background colour. Kobo Books, on the other hand, lets you access e-books stored in Dropbox, and connect with Facebook friends to view their reading habits as well.Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone | Free
GOODREADS
is a popular book recommendations service and a great way to discover new authors and interact with readers around the world. You can create a free account or sign in with your Facebook or Amazon account.Next, you have to select the genres of books you like to read, rate the books you've already read, or mark those you'd like to read. Alternatively, you can use the built-in barcode scanner to scan your books and build your online library in a jiffy. GR then uses this data of at least 20 book ratings to suggest new titles you might find interesting. Every title listed comes with a rating out of 5, which is based on reader feedback and reviews, to help make your decision easier. You also can join specific groups Indian readers, espionage fiction, thrillers, etc to find like-minded folk from within the app itself.Android, iOS, Kindle Fire | Free Epiphany for Windows Phone | Free
WATTPAD
is the “world's largest community for discovering and sharing stories“.As a writer, it provides you with access to nearly 10 million readers from around the world. You can publish your work serially; collaborate with other writers; and even see your work gain appreciation and inspire fans to create cover art.Of course, you also have the option of marking your work with a copyright.
And as a reader, you get ten million free books and stories; 22 genres to browse through including romance, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, humour, chick lit and even vampire; updates directly from authors; the chance to critique the pieces you read; and even save stories in your `library' for later. Moreover, Wattpad, which is a free service, also lists works in over 20 languages, including Hindi.Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone | Free
LIBRIVOX
has a collection of over 15,000 free audio books if reading is not your thing that have been recorded by volunteers from around the world. You need to sign in with your Gmail ID before listening to a book. Recordings follow the exact table of contents, so you can either stream them over the internet or download them for later. You can browse for books by keywords, author, narrator, top free, new additions or genre (including ancient texts, poetry, suspense, and young adult literature).
LibriVox includes a timer, which can be used to stop playback after a specific interval and a bookmark feature that lets you pick up from where you left off. All the audio books are free and there is no restriction on how many you save and listen to.Android, iOS, Kindle Fire | Free Audiobooks for Windows Phone | Free
E-BOOK READERS
use an “e-ink“ screen, offer excellent viewing angles, do not cause eye fatigue, and boast of a month-long battery life.
In India, the Kindle rules the roost with its feature set and access to Amazon's bookstore. Here, you have the new Kindle (`5,999, Wi-Fi) and Paperwhite (`10,999, Wi-Fi; `13,999, 3G).While both sport 6-inch touchscreens, the Paperwhite uses a front-lit display for reading in the dark without any glare. They support the new Kindle formats (AZW3, AZW), text, PDF, Mobi (older-gen Kindles), and more.
You can also connect to your Goodreads (see below) account to get book suggestions from the device itself.And with parental controls, you can also share the device with your kids.http:www.amazon.in
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