Read Kindle books without a Kindle

I love the idea of e-books, but I haven't always been so thrilled.  I was definitely a feel-the-pages-and-hold-the-book kinda girl until I was forced to make the switch.  My graduate program studies made use of electronic textbooks for our classes, so I had to either read electronically or pay double for print textbooks.  I decided it was time for me to make the ecologically and financially responsible choice, and it was tough...at first.  It took longer to read, and I fumbled through several different methods for taking notes, but that's another post.  Eventually, I came around!  It was like training myself in how to play a new sport or complete a new kind of a puzzle.  After some initial practice, I was ready for more!

For today, let's talk about personal, non-textbook reading.  I still enjoy reading print books, but I also like the portability of having a book with me at all times, as long as I have my phone.  That's right!  I don't need a Kindle device to read a Kindle book.

Amazon has developed several free apps that allow readers of Kindle e-books to read, even if they don't have a Kindle. There's a version for the PC, Mac, iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and more!

What's more, Amazon and others offer free books, mostly classics but a few are current, so that you can take the e-book reader for a free trial.  Download a reader app for your device, grab a classic novel for free, and you're set!  If you love the Kindle look and feel, you can purchase new releases for about $10.

One final great feature: if you are using two or more readers (like iPhone and iPad) among all of your devices, your books and page locations will all be synced automatically.

If you were thinking about trying out e-books but didn't want to invest in a Kindle, there's a way, and it's free!

Shop Smart on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel

If you spend any time shopping on Amazon.com, you know that you can get great deals on books, household items, electronics, just about anything!  However, prices change frequently so you have to grab up your item before the price goes up.

Cue the singing angels!  I found CamelCamelCamel.com a while back, and I am in love! The site will watch a certain item for you on Amazon and send you an email when the price goes down!

For example, let's say you want one of those back-in-style-again Baby G watches and find it on Amazon for $52.  But who knows how much is a good price to pay for one of those things?!  Copy the web site address from Amazon and paste it into CamelCamelCamel, and you'll find that the price for the Baby G recently fell to $46.

Follow the steps on the site to setup an alert, and you'll get an email as soon as the Baby G price drops...below the current price, back down to $46, or any other price that you choose!  If you can stand waiting for the watch of your dreams, this is the best way to get a great deal!

You can even plug in your entire Amazon Wish List to the Camel site, and it will alert you when any of your favorite items goes on sale!

Happy shopping!