It’s pretty easy to slack off on independent reading, especially now when a library isn’t as accessible as it used to be. However, there are other ways to read a wide variety of books.
One easy way to read at home is to use a Kindle. The Kindle Paperwhite is a tablet like device that is used for reading books. It can carry multiple books at once and you can connect it to wifi to buy books directly on it from Amazon. There are also a couple free books you can buy and you can download free books from the internet. I don’t know how my mom downloaded the whole Harry Potter Series but she did. Is it legal? I don’t know, and I don’t need to know.
But you may think, I don’t want to spend so much money just to buy books for my Kindle and to be honest, the free books are quite mediocre. I’d much rather go to a local library with free loans for a wide selection of books. That’s what I thought too until the pandemic hit. Now, I don’t go to the library at all. However, I found a great website over the summer that is free, not illegal, and has a wide selection of books. It’s called the Digital Library of Illinois. If you have a library card from a participating library (Urbana Champaign both work) you can log in and start checking out books! There are ebooks and audiobooks so if you like listening there’s an option for that too. The website is easy to navigate and they even have a designated teen section and sort books by genre to make it easier to find a book you want to read. You can put unavailable books on hold and check out 10 items at a time.
The process for checking out a book and getting it on your Kindle is easy. Simply click borrow and click “Read now with Kindle.” This will take you to Amazon and have you log in with the Amazon account you used for your kindle. Click “get library book” and “deliver to your kindle” and that’s it.
Now the Kindle is cheaper than a phone per say but it is still a little pricey at $129.99 on Amazon. But even if you don’t have a Kindle, there are other options for reading books on the Digital Library of Illinois such as downloading the EPUB Ebook or simply reading it on a web browser. So overall, it’s a good and FREE resource you can use.
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By Maggie
Awesome post! I go to the library once every two or three months and check out a load a books, but it's really easy to forget to read some of them. This post is really helpful, and I like how you gave your honest opinion about different sources. I'll definetely be trying out the digital library website.
ReplyDeleteLast year, I did not read much in or out of school. I only read books that were assigned by teachers for in-class discussions. Now with the pandemic and online school stuff going on, reading has been harder than ever. I've been slacking off because sometimes it's boring. However, I'll definitely give the website a try. Nice review
ReplyDeleteLove the post!! I've been rereading all of my books, and desperately need something new to read. I have a kindle already, so I might try checking a book out onto my kindle. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love this post; it's really unique and helpful!! I haven't been able to go to the library in so long because of the pandemic, and I didn't know about the Digital Library of Illinois. I will definitely check this out because I'm running out of books to read. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteNice post! I've been thinking about reading a book but it's not available online as a pdf and I'm too lazy to go to the library. Great timing and I'm checking it out right now :)
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