Electronic books

As we move faster into the future, paper books are falling out of favor. Some old classics and reference books do look good on the shelves. However, if you are decluttering, going to ebooks is a perfect solution.

Reference books

Lots of reference books are available for free or as an app for your phone, like the Miriam Webster Dictionary. Sites like Word Hippo can find synonyms. Or, you can simply ask your phone for a synonym or to define a word.

The old encyclopedia is a thing of the past. It’s impossible to even donate them any more. The best thing to do is recycle them. As a child, I can remember getting those annual books that would be an update to the encyclopedia for when a new country formed, a new president was elected or other important events occurred. Now it’s so easy to use the internet to look up where a country is located or finding out who the president of France is.

Reading ebooks

You can use a computer, tablet or phone to get books from the library in digital or audiobook formats. Overdrive will connect you to the library and allow you to check out books. Just like a physical book, they must be returned by a certain date. They stop working or disappear entirely once they are expired. You don’t have to leave your home to return them.

Kindle

Kindle Unlimited is a program through Amazon where you pay $9.99/month and can read as many books as you desire. If you read more slowly and think that price is too much, there are lots of books that are free or very cheap if you search for them.

Apps and Websites

Bookbub is a website that helps you find free or inexpensive digital books to read.  It works with Kindle, Nook and other digital book readers. Read Any Book allows you to download or read online from their collection of free books. Reviews help you decide which books to read.

Goodreads is an online community where you can read some books for free or cheap, but also keep track of which books you read. Discuss your favorite titles with other people in the online discussion groups. They even have quizzes to test your knowledge on some books.

Ebooks are nice because you can take them along with you in your phone or tablet. Keeping a book collection in the digital world only creates clutter on your hard drive while your home stays clutter free. If you feel like clearing out books is too much for you, please contact me and we can discuss your options.