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You Don’t Need a Kindle to Read Kindle Books

You Don’t Need a Kindle to Read Kindle Books

I wasn’t an early adopter of e-books. Partly I was of the “I like the physical feel of a book” persuasion and partly I didn’t want to spend the money to buy a Kindle E-reader. At some point I did learn that I could get a free Kindle app for my smartphone—my only mobile device at the time‐and I installed it thinking I could read e-books on it while commuting on the metro. However, I didn’t enjoy trying to read on such a small screen and I stopped using it altogether.

Then a few years ago someone lent me their paperback copy of The Hunger Games. Today I can’t believe it actually took me a few weeks to get through the first five chapters, but once I got to the flaming chariot ride I was hooked. I ended up devouring the rest of the book in a day, a real rarity for me.

As you probably know, The Hunger Games is just the first book of a trilogy AND I DIDN’T HAVE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS. I knew I could download them onto my phone, but that didn’t appeal to me at all because of the size thing. If only there a Kindle app for a regular laptop, I thought, and then decided to Google it. And whaddya know, there is a Kindle app for a regular laptop. Oh, and it’s free!

I immediately downloaded and installed the app, bought the next two Hunger Games books, and 48 hours later I had finished reading them both. (And then I just had to wait for the movies to come out… *sigh*.)

Kindle Daily Deals

Every day, Amazon offers deals on books for adults and young readers, comics, and magazines, including many popular titles for less than $2.99. On the day I wrote this post, deals were available for The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer, I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb, The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, and Excuses Begone! by Wayne W. Dyer, so there’s something for everyone!

Anyway, all that to tell you that if you haven’t tried Kindle books before, the free reading apps are a great way to test them out. One of the coolest things about them is that if you’re reading something on one of your devices and then you are somewhere without that computer or phone or tablet, you can use another device and just pick up where you left off.

If you want to give the free reading apps a try or just want to learn more, head over to the Amazon website.

You may also be interested in:

Amazon Fire Tablets: Pros and Cons

The Benefits of Amazon Prime

Elizabeth Kricfalusi

View Comments

  • Hi Elizebeth, just like you, I was also not an early adopter of E-books. But, now I think I am the biggest fan of Kindle and E-books :)

  • Yes, one thing I wish all manufacturers of mobile devices would work on is developing screens that you can read in the sunlight. While the pure e-reader Kindle has that capability, the Kindle Fire is like other tablets and the glare makes it hard to read, although I tend to sit under a patio umbrella when I'm in my own yard anyway.

    Thanks for commenting, Alana!

  • I still prefer reading hard copy (especially when I ride mass transit - who wants to lose an expensive eReader) but eReaders have several advantages, especially for older readers. You can adjust the font, you can get books instantly without driving to the bookstore, and you can (sometimes) preview books. Having said that - I don't own an eReader. I use both the Kindle Cloud Reader and my iPhone My iPhone's screen is small but I always have the phone with me. If I am in a waiting room, I whip out the phone. One day, I may buy an eReader - maybe the next generation Paperwhite, as I do want an eReader I can use in a sunny back yard.

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