I wrote a year or so ago about a couple of ways to get eBooks for your reading. Things change and move on so today I would like to talk about them again. Today we will discuss three them I have tested.
The first is a freebie with only one easy caveat, you must have an active library card. The site is Overdrive (overdrive.com). At Overdrive, you can “Borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your local public library – anywhere, anytime. All you need is a library card.” So, you must have a library card and your library must participate with them…which most do. For instance, I have a library card with the Augusta County Library and they do participate. Go to Overdrive to see if your library takes part. If so you can check out eBooks or audiobooks for a fixed period of time for free. The application is available for most platforms. Do not forget about your physical library as they have a lot to offer. The pro of Overdrive is “free” the con is that if the library book is not available at your library, either not there or checked out by someone else, you cannot get it until it is there.
Next is one that I am sure you have heard of, Amazon.com. Amazon has many, many books that are easily read on the Kindle application. Their application has its own name, “Kindle”, which I am also sure you have heard of before now. This app is available on most platforms too. You can even get real, paperback or hardback books here including audible books on CDs. They are offered in every format; however, there is a minimal cost for many eBooks. Another very interesting fact is that Amazon bought Audible.com several years ago. Audible.com is the major audiobook provider online at this time. You can get a book a month there for $14.95 and listen to it forever as you have purchased it for your account. With the combination of the two companies there is now “Whispersync for voice.”
Whispersync allows you to purchase an eBook from Amazon and then get the same book in audio format from Audible (much less expensively than the monthly charge). The neat thing is that you can either read or listen to the book when you would like. When you “open” the book next time, it will be at the same place in the book. So, whether listening or reading you will always be up-to-date. Their slogan is, “Add narration to your Kindle books and switch seamlessly between reading and listening. Best of all, you’ll never lose your place.”
If you are an Amazon Prime member you can even pick up a book for free on occasion.
One that I have not tried yet is called, “Scribd” (Scribd.com). Their pitch is slightly different from others. It is “…a reading subscription that is available anytime and on any device. Enjoy access to 3 books and 1 audiobook each month – plus unlimited access to magazines and documents – for $8.99 / month.”
There is one other I will give a short remarks about that we have used. Hoopla (at hoopladigital.com) is another “hooked” to the library system. You can “Instantly borrow digital movies, music, eBooks and more, 24/7 with your library card.” You log in with some information, including your library card number, and you have access to many books. Again, like Overdrive if your library is out, so are you and you cannot get the book (both have the ability to add you to a waiting list.) This one is useful; however, it has been my experience that the application, though available in most platforms, is not as trustworthy as some of the others.
