The company that started a new era of reading experience, has won the international design award in the category Apps for Excellent Communications Design.

Have you tried bionic reading already? 

Bionic reading is a free tool that brings an enhanced reading experience to your current e-reading device or app. How does it work?

Some parts of the words are displayed in bold text. As a result, you will be able to read faster and understand more.

The software is developed by the startup company Bionic Reading GmbH. The tool comes with an API, so that developers could create dedicated bionic apps and extensions.

The official Bionic Reading app is available for iPhone & iPad and Android. Currently, it’s free to use, but soon the company will offer a possibility to upgrade.

There are also dedicated apps for Mac and Windows. You can try bionic reading right in your browser, by going to the Bionic Reading web app. 

Most importantly, you can add bionic-formatted books to your reading app, for instance Amazon Kindle. All you have to do is open the Bionic Reading web app, add an ebook file (epub is now also accepted by Amazon), wait for a conversion, and add a converted file to the reading app of your choice.

The company that develops the Bionic Reading ecosystem has been awarded at the German Design Award 2023. It won in the category Apps for Excellent Communications Design.

Here is an excerpt from a jury announcement:

A fascinating tool that not only saves a lot of time, but also impressively shows what our brain is capable of.

⇢ Bionic Reading

Keep exploring. Here are other lists and tips for ebook lovers:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”lists”]

Every year, at least a few of the books that enter the public domain are worth adding to your reading list or reading challenge.

When the book is in the public domain, you can use or reuse it without limitations. It’s because the book’s intellectual property rights have expired or are not applicable any longer.

And every year, at least a few of these publications are books are worth adding to your

Book Riot has just released a list of the books that enter the public domain in 2023 in the United States. Unfortunately, they link to paid versions of these books on Amazon – which is against the idea of the public domain.

Why should you buy a book today, if you can get it free of charge in a few months, on public domain platforms, such as Project Gutenberg or Internet Archive?

And the 2023 public domain book list is highly attractive. You can find here Franz Kafka’s Amerika, Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne, Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, Pomes Penyeach by James Joyce or Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women.

All you have to do is wait for these titles to be released by the public domain sites. I recommend checking out Project Gutenberg every few weeks. You can add the list of books added in the last 30 days as a bookmark to your browser. On a Mac computer, press Command+D, and on a PC press Control+D.

For your convenience, I have included the links to search term (title+author) on Project Gutenberg. Once the book is released, you will be able to find it in the search results page.

You can add books to your e-reader or e-reading app by picking up EPUB3. This file format is compatible with Kobo, Apple Books, Nook, Google Play Books – and also Amazon Kindle (mobi is no longer supported).

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to encourage the creation and distribution of ebooks. It is the oldest digital library, with over 60,000 free ebooks.

Best new books in the public domain in 2023

1. To the Lighthouse

Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse is considered to be one of the most significant works of modernist literature, and a feminist classic.

The book centers around the Ramsay family and their visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920.

The novel explores the complex relationships between the family members and their thoughts and feelings. The novel is written in a stream-of-consciousness style and explores themes of love, loss, and grief.

⇢ Check

2. Amerika

Franz Kafka

Also known as The Man Who Disappeared, the story takes place in the United States and is about a sixteen-year-old European immigrant named Karl Rossmann.

After an incident with a housemaid, he sent away from his home in Europe to start a new life in America.

He is taken in by two cousins, but quickly finds himself in a strange and often difficult world of constant change and challenge.

⇢ Check

3. Men Without Women

Ernest Hemingway

Men Without Women is a collection of short stories written by Ernest Hemingway, first published in 1927.

The stories focus on the inner lives of men in post-World War I Europe and the United States, exploring themes of masculinity, isolation, and loss.

The collection includes some of Hemingway’s most famous works, such as Hills Like White Elephants and The Killers.

⇢ Check

4. Now We Are Six

A.A. Milne

Now We Are Six is a collection of children’s poetry written by A.A. Milne, the author best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh.

The book contains thirty-five poems concerned with the world of childhood. The title poem, “Now We Are Six”, is one of the most famous of all of Milne’s poems.

Other popular poems from the book include “The King’s Breakfast”, “Cradle Song”, “Binker”, and “The Friend”.

⇢ Check

5. Steppenwolf

Hermann Hesse

Steppenwolf is a novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse. It is the story of a man named Harry Haller and his internal spiritual struggle.

The novel is set in Germany in the 1920s and examines the mental and spiritual effects of modern life on the protagonist.

The novel is considered to be one of Hesse’s most important works and is among the most famous and influential novels of the 20th century.

⇢ Check

6. Pomes Penyeach

James Joyce

A is a collection of twelve poems written by James Joyce and published in 1927.

The poems contain a number of Joycean neologisms (“rosefrail”, “moongrey” and “sindark”, for example) created by melding two words into a new compound.

The collection covers a range of topics, including love, death, and nature.

⇢ Check

7. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

It’s a final collection of twelve short stories, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.

The stories were originally published in The Strand Magazine between October 1921 and April 1927. 

Among the stories in The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes are: ”The Adventure of the Three Gables,” “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client,” and “The Adventure of the Creeping Man”.

⇢ Check

8. Mosquitoes

William Faulkner

Mosquitoes is a short story set in a wealthy family’s summer home near the Mississippi River in the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

It follows the interaction between the family, who are summer visitors, and the local working-class people who live by the river.

The story explores themes of class, social customs, and the impact of the passage of time on a small town.

⇢ Check

9. Unnatural Death

Dorothy L. Sayers

A mystery novel by British author Dorothy L. Sayers. It’s the third novel in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.

The story follows Lord Peter’s investigation into the death of an elderly woman who had apparently died of natural causes, but whose relatives suspect foul play.

Lord Peter must use his detective skills to uncover the truth and unmask the culprit.

⇢ Check

10. The Big Four

Agatha Christie

The Big Four is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK in January 1927.

The novel features Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Inspector Japp. The story revolves around a criminal organization known as “The Big Four”, whose members are determined to rule the world.

The structure of the novel is different from other Poirot stories, as it began from twelve short stories that had been separately published.

⇢ Check

Keep exploring. Here are other popular lists and tips:

The best books don’t always make the best gifts. That’s why it’s always good to know what most other users are giving as gifts. Amazon has a great tool for that – here is what you need to know.

How do you find the books you could give as gifts to your significant other, a family member, or a friend?

There are many well established tools for book finding (and I’m sure you’ve tested them many times already): book bestseller lists of all possible kinds, book awards, book reviews and gift lists from leading literary blogs, or book recommendations by social media influencers.

On Amazon only, you can easily find a few book recommendation tools and services:

▸ Annual and daily Top 100 book bestseller lists – these rankings list the most sold books in, respectively, the current year and current day. You can browse the lists of print books and Kindle ebooks, as well as Audible audiobooks.

▸ Best Books of the Year – these rankings list the Top 20 best books picked by Amazon editors in the most popular categories. The rankings are published twice a year (in June-July and in November-December).

▸ Amazon Charts – these weekly lists rank Top 20 books in two categories: Most Sold (based on the number of copies sold), and Most Read (based on the number of daily Kindle readers).

These tools are great if you are looking for a book you’d like to read yourself.

The problem is that not every best selling book would make a great gift. And not every book that’s a great gift would make it to a bestseller list. 

You may say that there is a special Editors’ Holiday Gift Picks section that puts together the rankings curated by Amazon editors, and that these rankings are intended specifically to help you find the best book to gift.

The problem here is the same as with book reviews or book recommendations. Someone, even the most renowned authority, may just be wrong.

And here is the solution: thousands of people who have the same goal – finding the best book to give as a gift – can’t be wrong. And you can follow their way, because they are recommending the books using their wallets.

Did you know Amazon curates the lists of most gifted items in almost every major product category? It’s a lesser-know feature many Amazon customers are still not aware of, so I have decided to give it a bit more attention.

Called Amazon Gift Ideas, this special store section puts together the Top 100 most popular products ordered by customers as gifts. These rankings are updated daily. By the way, this section’s title is misleading, because it doesn’t highlight the major benefit. The section should be called “Most Gifted on Amazon”.

As you know, you can order lots of products on Amazon as a gift. When you proceed to checkout, you will find gift options under product details. When you check the “this is a gift” option, the item you buy is automatically counted into the most gifted Top 100 list in the relevant category.

[ef-reco id=”155812″ title=”Read also” info=”Top article”]

How to find most gifted books on Amazon

1. Go to Amazon Gift Ideas front page on Amazon, and from the left sidebar choose “Books” for print books or “Audible Books & Originals” for audiobooks.

2. Products in the ranking are presented the same way as in the bestseller lists, with the orange rank in the top left corner, title, author, number of reviews, and average rating. You can click on either the book cover or book details to go to the product page.

3. If you want to see books in a specific genre, find it in the left sidebar. You will see that any major genre has subgenres you can click to further specify your needs. The category structure in the lists of most gifted products is the same as in the store.

For your convenience, here are the exact links to the most gifted books on Amazon:

▸ Books – print books that were ordered as gifts by Amazon customers. The list is updated every day.

▸ Audiobooks – Audible audiobooks, and Audible Originals that were ordered as gifts on Amazon. The list is updated every day. 

I guess that titles ordered as gifts directly on Audible website count into the list of most gifted audiobooks as well. Amazon and Audible platforms are highly integrated.

Make sure to bookmark these webpages in your browser to quickly access them the next time you want to buy a book or audiobook as a gift.

To bookmark any page in a browser, click on a star you should find in the search box. Alternatively, you can use a shortcut – Ctrl+D on a PC computer and Command+D on a Mac computer.

Most gifted books on Amazon – tips and facts

How to find most gifted Kindle ebooks on Amazon

As you have probably noticed, there is no Kindle ebooks category among Amazon Gift Ideas rankings.

In my opinion, it’s because of the Kindle for Groups feature, which is mainly used for corporate gifting. It lets you buy as many copies of a single Kindle ebook as you want, and send them to the recipients via email.

As a result, the list of most gifted Kindle ebooks would be populated by titles for professional development.

There are two alternative ways to find most gifted Kindle ebooks on Amazon:

1. Visit a page with Popular Gifted Kindle Books 

It’s a selection of Kindle ebooks that is probably put together manually by Amazon editors, but it should be based on the actual number of orders as gifts.

The list includes between 150 and 200 books and it includes evergreen titles such as A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, or Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

2. Start browsing most gifted Amazon print books 

Browse the “Books” section of Amazon Gift Ideas. If you find a title that you believe is worth giving, go to its product page and order its Kindle version (if available).

Please keep in mind that many gifted print books are image-rich and usually their Kindle editions are not available.

Here are the best genres in the most gifted books category, where you can find both print and Kindle editions:

• Literature & Fiction
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Romance
• Biographies & Memoirs

Most gifted or bestsellers – which Amazon lists are better?

I have compared the lists of the most gifted books with bestsellers, and the conclusions are:

▸ On the top level – without going to specific genres – the lists overlap in less than 10%. It’s because the most gifted books are the ones for kids, while the bestselling titles are from various categories.

▸ When you compare “Literature & Fiction” category, between 30% and 50% of titles are present on both lists. The top 5 is occupied by the books everyone is talking about, for instance, the latest novel by Stephen King. But you don’t need any of these lists to take this book into consideration, do you?

▸ I have noticed that in categories that provide both print and Kindle editions – such as literary fiction, mysteries, biographies, or romance – the list of most gifted books are more relevant.

– The books come from recognized authors. These authors write for well-known publishers, such as Simon & Schuster or Penguin Random House.

– On the contrary, the books on the bestseller lists are offered by Amazon imprints, and come from many authors that write exclusively for Amazon.

– Also, there are lots of Kindle Unlimited titles among them. As a result you may see many best selling titles that you know nothing about.

▸ My advice is to use the lists of most gifted books instead of bestseller lists. You will find hot new releases from familiar authors much quicker. 

Most gifted books and audiobooks on Amazon – tips

▸ Please keep in mind that the lists of most gifted books are refreshed every day. If you visit them today, you will see the books that have been ordered as gifts in the past 24 hours.

▸ If you want to gift a book for Christmas, you should visit the lists at the time most users are buying Christmas gifts. 

▸ Make sure to bookmark the lists of the most gifted books and audiobooks on Amazon in your browser to quickly access them when the time comes. Click on a star you should find in the search box, or use a shortcut: Ctrl+D on a PC computer and Command+D on a Mac computer.

▸ If you want to find the books that were most gifted in the past, you can use an online tool called Wayback Machine. It’s a digital archive of the web and collects archived copies of web pages. For instance, if you want to buy a book for your Mom for Christmas, you can use Wayback Machine to learn which books were most gifted before Mother’s Day. Here is the archive of the page made two weeks before Mother’s Day 2022.

▸ If you start browsing Amazon from the lists of bestsellers, you can quickly jump to the most gifted items by clicking on the “Gift Ideas” tab at the top of the list. The navigation bar with bestsellers, new releases, movers & shakers, most wished for, and most gifted items is available only on the front page of Amazon Top 100 lists.

▸ The lists with most gifted products are obviously available not only for books and audiobooks. You can browse all major categories, from Amazon devices, to home appliances, games, personal care products, electronics, toys, or clothing. ⇢ Browse all categories

Most gifted books on Amazon – conclusions

I think the lists of most gifted books and audiobooks on Amazon are a very helpful but still overlooked way to find books you could give as gifts for Christmas, Mother’s Day, birthday, or wedding.

A recommendation based on other users’ gift buying choices is a way to increase the chances the book you give will not end up in the present drawer.

⇢ Books ⇢ Audiobooks

Keep exploring. Here are other lists and tips for modern book lovers:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”lists”]

Bionic reading is a free tool that brings an enhanced reading experience to your current e-reading device or app. It will help you read faster and comprehend more. 

Bioning reading was developed by the Swiss startup company Bionic Reading GmbH. The tool comes with an API, so that developers could create dedicated bionic apps and extensions. With these bionic-based tools, you will be able to read ebooks, RSS feeds, and websites.

Bionic reading is not a “completely new reading experience.” It’s not revolutionary but evolutionary. You don’t have to learn anything to start using it.

Most importantly, you can read bionic-formatted books right now, with your current e-reading app or device. Maybe that’s why so many readers are so excited about it.

Bionic reading – everything you need to know

How bionic reading works

▸ Bionic reading facilitates the reading process by guiding the eyes through text with artificial fixation points. To make it short: some parts of the words are displayed in bold text. 

▸ As a result, you are focusing on the highlighted text (usually initial letters of the words) and your brain completes the rest. It saves time, because your brain “reads” faster than your eyes.

▸ The word bionic is a combination of biology and electronics. It’s a very relevant description for the new reading tool: the technology lets you read at the biological speed – the one of the brain rather than the eyes.

The difference between bionic and speed reading tools

▸ Speed reading tools, for instance the ones based on Spritz, were designed to highlight one short piece of text at a time. It required an advanced level of modification. You needed a dedicated app to read books.

▸ Speed reading apps, with a totally different way of displaying the text, were hard to associate with books. Because books are not only about the text. They are also about the container – the page layout, margins, font size, or line height. The lack of the familiar container was one of the main reasons speed reading apps were not widely embraced.

▸ Bionic reading tools do a simple thing: they rewrite the plain text to include the bold formatting. The modification affects the text only. The container is untouched.

You can read a bionic book as any other ebook

Bionic reading tools rewrite the given text, and the outcome is the bionic-formatted text. There is no need to create a special format to contain bionic text.

When it comes to bionic reading, the word “conversion” is irrelevant. You rewrite the text, not converse it to another format.

If you input an epub file into the bionic reading tool, you will get an epub file back. And this is a regular epub file you can add to an Apple Books app on your iPad or a Kindle e-reader (yes, you can read epub files on your Kindle).

This bionic-formatted book is fully compatible with your current e-reading solution. It can be used the same way as any other ebook you have:

• Highlight the text
• Make notes
• Share the highlighted text
• Change line height, font face, or color theme
• Track reading progress
• Look up words
• Translate words or text passages

This 100% compatibility is possible because the only modification is adding bold formatting.

Bionic reading is an addition, not a replacement

You can add bionic-formatted books to your current e-reading app or device. You don’t sacrifice anything. You don’t have to switch to another app to read bionic books.

Bionic is more like another reading mode than another reading ecosystem. Your current book-reading app can hold both regular and bionic ebooks.

Bionic reading is a simple tool. It is quite possible that ebook platforms may embrace it, offering a native “bionic mode” in their e-reading apps. Obviously, everything depends on how popular bionic reading becomes among end users.

Bionic reading example

You don’t have to convert anything or go to another website to test bionic reading. Here is a passage from Stanislas Dehaene’s book Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read (affiliate link) in bionic formatting.

The reader’s brain contains a complicated set of mechanisms admirably attuned to reading. For a great many centuries, this talent remained a mystery. Today, the brain’s black box is cracked open and a true science of reading is coming into being. Advances in psychology and neuroscience over the last twenty years have begun to unravel the principles underlying the brain’s reading circuits. Modern brain imaging methods now reveal, in just a matter of minutes, the brain areas that activate when we decipher written words. Scientists can track a printed word as it progresses from the retina through a chain of processing stages, each of which is marked by an elementary question: Are these letters? What do they look like? Are they a word? What does it sound like? How is it pronounced? What does it mean?

For comparison, here is the same passage in plain text. Does your brain feel the difference?

The reader’s brain contains a complicated set of mechanisms admirably attuned to reading. For a great many centuries, this talent remained a mystery. Today, the brain’s black box is cracked open and a true science of reading is coming into being. Advances in psychology and neuroscience over the last twenty years have begun to unravel the principles underlying the brain’s reading circuits. Modern brain imaging methods now reveal, in just a matter of minutes, the brain areas that activate when we decipher written words. Scientists can track a printed word as it progresses from the retina through a chain of processing stages, each of which is marked by an elementary question: Are these letters? What do they look like? Are they a word? What does it sound like? How is it pronounced? What does it mean?

Add a bionic-formatted file to your reading device or app

Here is a quick guide on how to add bionic books to your current e-reading device or app. This method applies to all ebook files that come in epub, rtf, txt or docx format and are not protected with DRM.

You will be able to read a bionic-formatted book on your Kindle, Kobo, or Nook e-reader. You can also read it in any book app on your iPad/iPhone or Android device.

1. Create a bionic-formatted file

Open Bionic Reading online tool, then click on the “Browse File” button, and add the book. 

After the conversion is complete, click on the arrow icon in the bottom right and pick up “EPUB” on the right. Epub is the most popular ebook file format, which is now also supported by Amazon Kindle.

2. Send the file to your e-reading device or app

The bionic-formatted document is a regular epub file, and you can add it to your current e-reading program without any problem.

The easiest way to add your own file to a book-reading app is to send it as an attachment to your email address, open this email on your destination device, tap the attachment, and select the book app you want the file to read with.

Benefits of bionic reading

Is bionic reading worth trying? Here is the summary of benefits:

▸ Bionic-formatted text lets you read faster, comprehend more, and stay focused for a longer time. It’s not meant to make you a speed reading master. It’s meant to make you read and understand more.

▸ Bionic books can be read in any current e-reading device or applications. There is no need to buy and download a dedicated app. There is no need to switch to another app to read bionic-formatted books.

▸ Bionic books preserve the original container of the reading tool you use. They don’t change the reading experience – they just enhance it.

▸ The idea behind bionic reading is simple and is about adding a bold formatting to text. Therefore, the chances are high that bionic reading will be embraced by both ebook lovers and ebook platforms.

Bionic reading – usage tips

As bionic reading is based on highlighting parts of the words, the main goal would be to find the formatting option that works best for you.

Find optimal bionic intensity

The native Bionic Reading tool lets you adjust the settings before you download the end file. The most important one is the setting which changes the intensity of the bionic formatting. The less bold text you set, the more content you leave to your brain to “autocomplete.”

Use a simple sans serif font

Once the bionic file is loaded into your e-reader or book-reading app, I recommend changing the font face to the simplest available. Helvetica or Arial are the best ones. They are sans serif fonts, with a distinctive visual difference between the regular and bold version. Focusing on highlighted text will be easier.

Increase a font size

You can play with the settings to find the font size that is most efficient in providing the optimal level of attention focus without making your brain tired.

I realized that increasing the font size a little significantly improves the readability of the text and how much of it you comprehend.

Don’t use color

The bionic enabling tool from Bionic Reading GmbH is using the bold formatting as a way to highlight text. I expect that sooner or later the tools will arrive that use the color for this purpose. While it may work in websites and RSS readers, I don’t think it may be a good idea when you export a bionic-formatted file to your book-reading app.

First, you won’t see the color on your e-reader. Even in the book app, the color might work well in a light mode, but it may get ugly when you switch the theme to dark.

Use the bionic and regular version

To test how bionic reading works for you, I recommend adding to your e-reader or e-reading app two epub files: the regular one, and the one with bionic formatting. It’s good for comparison, but it’s also good if you want to give yourself a little more time to embrace the bionic reading experience.

Don’t rush with bionic reading

Bionic reading lets you read faster, but it doesn’t mean you have to rush to embrace it. Download a few bionic-formatted books to your e-reader, and read them once in a while. 

No one is forcing you to finish a bionic-formatted book in one sitting. If you want to come back to a classic version, you can always do it.

Make bionic books a part of your reading experience. Take your time.

Happy bionic reading!

Keep exploring. Here are other popular lists:

In this provoking list, I discuss whether case covers are still a must-have e-reader accessory.

Almost anyone who buys a new e-reader starts looking for a relevant case cover. Many add cases to the same shopping basket. You can’t leave your shiny new e-reader unprotected for even a few seconds, right?

The problem with e-readers is that they are less popular than tablets. As a result, there are much fewer case designs on the market. 

There are many times less case covers for the Kindle than for the iPad. And there are many times less case covers for other e-reader brands than for the Kindle.

Do you own a Kobo or Nook e-reader and have a hard time finding a compatible case cover because the original one doesn’t meet your needs? Are you a happy owner of the newest Kindle, and can’t decide which color of the case to choose?

Maybe you are asking yourself the wrong questions. Maybe all you need is not a case cover. Maybe alternative e-reader accessories fit your needs much better.

Reasons not to buy a case for your next e-reader

Reading is one of the safest activities

Reading books is one of the safest and calmest daily activities. You find a cozy and quiet place, and turn the page or tap the screen once in a while. 

Compare it to using your smartphone hundreds of times a day, in most unexpected situations. Even tablets are prone to damage much more often. We use tablets as cookbooks or drone monitors, we play games for hours, and use them in extreme weather conditions. And that’s just us. Imagine what can happen when your tablet lands in your kids’ room.

The fact is that the probability of accidentally dropping an e-reader is much lower than in the case of a smartphone or tablet.

The biggest threat is water. No damage is done if your e-reader is waterproof, but if it’s not, the case won’t help.

The only main benefit that’s left is protecting against dust and scratches. Oh, and there is also auto sleep & wake support like there was no power button.

Case covers are annoyingly expensive

The prices of e-readers are going down constantly. You can’t say that about prices of case covers.

During Black Friday or Prime Day shopping events on Amazon, you can buy the basic Kindle for about $50. Original Amazon case covers cost between $30 and $50. Fifty dollars – for that price you could get another e-reader for your family member.

A dedicated cover can serve only one e-reader model

It’s the biggest problem I have with e-reader case covers. There is a low probability of damage done to e-readers, so the benefits of case covers are limited – but their prices are not.

And every time you buy a new e-reader, you will have to buy a new case cover, because the old one won’t probably fit.

I know, looking for a cover for your e-reader that’s about to arrive in a few days can give a lot of pleasure. But in the end, you will pay even twice as much as the e-reader itself.

There are not enough dedicated covers for most e-reader models

There are many e-reader models on the market, not only Kindle Paperwhite. Unfortunately, it’s not reflected in a range of compatible case covers.

You can find hundreds of dedicated Kindle covers online, but there are only a dozen for Kobo or Nook models, not to mention less popular e-reader brands.

In fact, if you buy any e-reader that’s not a Kindle, you will have to rely on original cases from the e-reader producer. And that usually means you can choose from a few color options of one case design.

Yes, you can always try to find a “universal e-reader cover.” However, if you have ever searched for such products on Amazon, you know how ugly they could be.

No cover will make an e-reader feel like a print book

When ebooks were on the rise, and many book lovers were still hesitating about them, it was case covers that turned e-readers into objects that resembled real print books.

A book-like design, with a front cover opening to the left, as well as materials resembling leather-bound books, were a way to embrace digital reading.

Currently, I have noticed there are less and less book-style covers on the market. Readers just don’t need the link to print books any longer. E-readers are useful devices that you can adjust to your needs, and they don’t have to pretend to be something else.

The fact is that, no matter what you do to make a case cover look like a real book, it will never make reading ebooks feel like reading print books.

If you want to read a print book, buy one or go to the library.

A cover doesn’t increase the comfort of reading

Case covers offer protection against dust and support for auto sleep & wake. What other benefits could you name? 

Some cases can be turned into vertical stands. Some cases come with a comfortable hand strap. These advanced case covers are rather rare, and they are available only for most popular e-reader models.

There are alternatives that can solve similar problems

If you are looking for ways to improve reading experience and protection, you can always find an alternative to a case cover.

And in most cases, these alternatives can be used with more than one e-reader model.

Here are a few examples:

▸ If you are looking for protection – choose a sleeve. Because most accidents happen not when you are reading on your e-reading, but when you are carrying it.

▸ If you want to securely hold the e-reader – choose a detachable hand strap. Such handles can be detached and attached, and you can adjust their angle and position.

▸ If you want to bring the e-reader to an eye level – choose a stand. There are many stands on the market, and you can find the ones that will raise the e-reader to a level that will prevent pain in the back.

▸ If you want to comfortably read in bed – choose a pillow stand. Pillow stands are cozy and you can use them on uneven surfaces. Advanced designs let you adjust the angle and come with flexible holders.

A case cover is a limitation

I had a few e-readers before, and was always determined to give them “necessary” protection by buying a case cover.

Then I realized I have never dropped an e-reader. I damaged a few smartphones, my kids made one tablet unusable, but all the e-readers at the time I was replacing them with a newer model, were in almost perfect condition.

So I decided to refresh my mind and stop thinking about the case cover as a must-have accessory. And I have found a perfect protection for my new Kindle e-reader. Interestingly, it’s not even intended for electronic devices.

Do yourself a favor and try to free yourself from being a case cover slave. Case covers can be a huge limitation.

E-reader case cover – pros and cons

To summarize, here are the pros and cons of e-reader case cover. Maybe it’s time to try another solution the next time you buy an e-reader?

Check out these innovative and clever accessories that you may need for your e-reader more than a case cover:

Keep exploring. Here are other popular lists:

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An infographic from Grammar Check puts together the most common literary devices, together with their short descriptions and example phrases.

Literary devices, such as metaphors, oxymorons, or isocolons, are a way to take writing beyond its literal meaning. They are the main reason why literature is so enchanting, and reading is so addictive.

Grammar Check, a popular online spell checking tool, has just released an infographic that lists the most popular literary devices, metaphor, hyperbole, anaphora, chiasmus, and juxtaposition among them.

The visual is a great learning tool not only for writers who want to master their skills, but also readers who want to put the enjoyment from reading literature to a new level.

Click or tap the infographic to see it in full resolution.

Via Grammar Check blog.

Keep exploring. Here are more infographics about reading and writing:

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Enter the ZIP code or type a location in the United States, and you will see the most popular books set nearest to you in six genres.

Literary maps are a great way to discover new books to read. The only problem is that they show a limited number of literary locations, and usually the most popular ones.

Wouldn’t you like to uncover the books that are set near the place you actually live or planning to spend your holidays?

Now you can, thanks to an online tool, called “Books Around America,” developed by Crossword Solver, a free platform that helps find all possible words made up of the clues, letters, and word length you provide.

Simply, go to the Books Around America home page, scroll down a bit to reveal the section called “Uncover the books set nearest to you,” and type either your ZIP code or location.

When you hit the “Show me books” button, you will see the most popular books from six categories: romance, fantasy, historical, mystery, sci-fi, and thriller novels. 

Tip: If you want to repeat the search with another ZIP code or location, make sure to refresh the page in your browser. Please keep in mind that the tool shows only the books that are set in the US.

For instance, if you live in or near Atlanta, you will see Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (historical fiction), Triptych by Karin Slaughter (mystery), Stephen King’s It (thriller), and The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan (fantasy).

The data for the tool was collected from Goodreads. As you know, the users can add tags to the books they review. Among the tags you will find locations, where the book’s plot takes place.

The team at Crossword Solver collected location tags from Goodreads and then identified the books with the highest number of ratings for six most popular genres. Then, the coordinates for all the locations in the dataset were retrieved. The tool uses these coordinates to show the books that are set closest to your location.

Below, you will see screenshots with Books Across America results for New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Pearl Harbor, Little Rock, and New Orleans.

Have you read all the good books that are set near your home?

⇢ Uncover the books

The tool comes complete with a set of highly engaging infographics that analyze the top literary hotspots in the US by state and genre. They are a great book matching tool for top US tourist locations.

The books set nearest to…

Atlanta

Baltimore

Little Rock

New Orleans

Pearl Harbor

New York City

Keep exploring. Here are the popular lists for book lovers:

[ef-archive number=5 tag=”lists”]

100% of novels set in Pearl Harbor belong to the historical fiction genre. New York City is the most common literary setting in the United States.

An impressive set of literary infographics has just been released by Crossword Solver. Called Books Across America, the visuals analyze in detail the locations where popular novels are set.

The infographics are a great book discovery tool, especially if you are planning holidays in a specific location and would like to give it a bookish touch. They are also a fantastic reference point for book authors, as most of these locations were chosen for a reason.

How was the data for the visuals collected and processed? The team at Crossword Solver used location tags added by Goodreads users for books set in the United States. Then, the books with the most ratings were identified for six most popular genres: romance, fantasy, historical, mystery, sci-fi, and thriller novels.

Please make sure to visit the original article at Crossword Solver blog to find more details about the methodology, as well as an extremely interesting tool that reveals books set closest to you. I will write about the tool soon, so let’s keep in touch.

Crossword Solver is a free online search tool every fan of crossword puzzles should add to their browser bookmarks. The platform is designed to help find all possible words made up of the clues, letters, and word length you provide.

All the visuals were designed by NeoMam Studios, a UK-based digital agency that created some of the most stunning book infographics, including writing lessons from successful authors and house plans of homes from classic novels.

The entire set of literary America infographics includes nine visuals, and I present them below with short highlights.

Top literary hotspots in the US by state

In which state are the most books set?

▸ New York and California are the states where the plots of the most novels are set (4,887 and 4,505 books, respectively). Texas takes the third position with 2,064 books.

▸ Vermont is the least popular state for storytelling, with only 41 novels taking place here. Two other states with less than 100 literary hotspots are Delaware (75) and North Dakota (80).

Where are the most books set in every state?

▸ New York City is the most popular literary spot, picked by authors of 2,609 books. It’s the only place in the United States that is used as a location in over 1,000 books.

▸ Los Angeles comes as the second most popular literary hotspot, appearing in 984 books. It’s followed by Chicago (953 titles).

▸ Buffalo Valley is where the 4th novel from Debbie Macomber’s Dakota Series is set. It’s the only literary location in North Dakota, based on data from Goodreads.

Top 10 most popular US locations to set books

▸ New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, are the most popular literary locations in the United States. New York City is home to 2,609 novels, Los Angeles – 984, and Chicago – 953.

Top literary hotspots in the US by genre

Top 10 US locations for romance novels

▸ Bloomington, located near the Lake Monroe in Indiana, is the most admired city by romance authors and readers. Almost 93% of all books taking place here belong to the romance genre.

▸ Top love spots in the US are Bloomington, Lancaster City, Flint, and Clear Creek. Over four fifths of all books set in these towns are romance novels.

Top 10 US locations for fantasy books

▸ Over 30% of all books set in Blue Ridge Mountains, Arizona, are fantasy novels, including This Size of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.

▸ The top 3 US locations famous to be full of vampires, goblins, and witches, are Blue Ridge Mountains, Spokane, and Tulsa.

Top 10 US locations for historical books

▸ Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the only literary location in the United States belonging to one genre. 100% of novels set here are listed as historical novels on Goodreads.

▸ Pearl Harbor, Lowell, and Jamestown are favored by authors of historical fiction. Over 80% of all books set in these places belong to this category.

Top 10 US locations for mystery novels

▸ Bisbee, Arizona, is a popular location for mystery novels, with over 80% of all books being from this genre.

▸ Top 3 locations for mystery novels set in the United States are Bisbee, Arizona (80% of all books), Fort Lauderdale, Florida (55%), and Greenwich Village City, New York (54%).

Top 10 US locations for sci-fi books

▸ Sedona, Arizona, is the most popular place for science-fiction. 25% of all books set here belong to this category, including River Rising by John A. Heldt.

▸ Top 5 US locations where sci-fi books take place are Sedona, Reno, Chattanooga, Spokane, and Rochester.

Top 10 US locations for thrillers

▸ Almost 18% of all books that are set in Washington, D.C., are thrillers. Among them is Dan Brown’s Deception Point.

▸ Top 5 locations for thriller novels set in the United States are Washington (D.C.), Memphis (Tennessee), Miami (Florida), Atlanta (Georgia), and Long Island (New York).

Keep exploring. Here are other infographics about books, libraries, and reading:

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First, let me share this well-known fact one more time: Reading for just 6 minutes each day can help reduce stress by up to 68% – you may have a significantly slower heart rate and reduced muscle tension.

Yet, the time we read for pleasure is on a constant decline. Statista shared for World Book Day 2022 a chart showing that an average time spent reading for pleasure per day was 16 minutes in 2019, compared to 23 minutes in 2004.

It’s 7 minutes less. And 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress by two-thirds, remember?

Statista’s chart is based on an ongoing survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest reported year is 2019, because the pandemic disrupted the data collection.

According to the survey, employed Americans read only 9 minutes during a workday, but those who are 75 years and older are the most avid readers. In 2019, they spent 44 minutes per day reading for personal interest.

Via Statista.

Keep exploring. Here are other infographics about books and reading:

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In 2021, 1,597 books were challenged or banned in the United States, according to the newest report by the American Library Association.

The most challenged book of the year 2021, as reported by the American Library Association in State of America’s Libraries Report 2022, was Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe.

This touching memoir about Kobabe’s path to identifying as nonbinary and asexual, was banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.

In 2021, 1,597 books were affected by censorship attempts. Most attempts – as many as 39% – were initiated by parents. Library patrons were behind 24% of challenges, followed by board administration (18%) and political or religious groups and associations (10%).

Over 80% of challenges took place in the libraries (44% – school libraries, 37% – public libraries). The most common reasons for challenges were sexually explicit content and critical race theory.

Stephanie Hlywak, ALA’s Director of the Communications and Marketing Office, wrote in the introduction to the report:

Books reach across boundaries and build connections
between readers. Reading—especially books that extend
beyond our own experiences—expands our worldview.
Censorship, on the other hand, divides us and creates barriers.

You can read and download the full report for free from ALA’s website. There, you can also find visual materials that you can share to spread the word about the current state the American libraries, and the report itself.

Top 10 most challenged books in 2021

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.

2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.    

3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.    

4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda.

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and use of a derogatory term.    

7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women.    

8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.    

9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.    

10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin

Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

Book censorship in 2021 by the numbers

In 2021, 1,597 books were affected by censorship attempts. Most attempts – as many as 39% – were initiated by parents.

Library patrons were behind 24% of challenges, followed by board administration (18%) and political or religious groups and associations (10%).

Keep exploring. Here are other lists and posts about libraries:

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