If so, how do you do it? Do you use Google Play books or use apps like PDF file readers? I’m only 19 and I’m interested to start my reading hobby. Though I can also grab some books on a close bookstore nearby, I am also interested to do it digitally.
I read the entire Dune series on my phone, laying on my belly, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I did it with an app called eBoox, which reads different formats, making it very practical.
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Get a Kobo. They’re awesome for reading. They feel like paper, like you’re reading a real book. And it’s pretty simple to sideload books. Plus you only have to charge them every few weeks, up to a month sometimes.
Get a used kobo. An aura or h2o can be had for $50 or less on eBay and will do all that you need, has a battery you can actually replace, and has an active 3rd party software community if you find the default (perfectly good) software lacking.
Kobo? I did a google search and it looked interesting. Thanks for the info. I think I might try that app.
I think they meant the physical device
They can be a bit pricy if you’re young and on a budget.
If you’re trying to read on your phone only, I’d recommend these apps:
- Readest: The app is on both mobile and desktop, it’s a nice experience, and it’s free/ open source. I found it to be stable but I’ve seen comments about bugs: https://github.com/readest/readest
- Moon Reader: It’s paid / proprietary, but well known and customizable: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Moon%2B&hl=en-US
As for sourcing the files
- see if your library does any digital lending
- check out free sources like Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive
Some comments brought up a home server, but you don’t really need that if you’re starting out with the hobby and it’s just for yourself. That’s more for managing large libraries of books and access by many users.
I use the Jellyfin app, I get books from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ and https://www.smashwords.com/
No, that’s why I bought a Kobo last year and it’s been great. The phone is for audiobooks.
I always said I’d never do ebooks, mostly because of the screen. Then came eink. I resisted for years but finally got a kobo last year and I fucking love it.
No more carrying 5 paperbacks on a trip, just the kobo with 20+ books queued up and ready to go. Plus, I can read in the dark without disturbing the spouse with the backlight on 1%
I begrudgingly have been won over.
But yeah, screw books on phones with LCD/OLED… eInk only.
When I use/d my phone for reading I always go high contrast - Black background and bright orange text.
Whether LCD or OLED I find that color combo works great for legibility while keeping screen brightness low in the dark (to reduce eye strain) and not having to set brightness as high during the day outdoors (preventing the screen from eating the battery as quickly.)
I enjoy reading on my phone when other people are around, for instance during lunch at work or at a park or something. If I read a normal dead tree book, I get people asking me what it is I’m reading, what it’s about, WHY I’m reading, and so on. If I read on my phone, I’m just another Standard Phone Zombie and can be ignored.
Ha ha, that reminds me of some of the performative reading I did as a teen - ostentatiously reading a “cool” or difficult book to impress people. The joke was on me when I started reading War and Peace. I got swept away by it, loved it, and was condemned to carrying around this massive paperback until I’d finished it.
I really should read it again… 😅
THAT will teach you.
No. I’m on my phone more than enough. When I read books, I read physical hard copy books.
That’s my preference too but it’s a privilege a 19yo might not be able to afford on top of their phone bill, unless they have a secondhand bookstore nearby.
Libraries are the GOAT.
True. The O.G., if you will.
