Paper books v ebooks - time an place for both
Loaning ebooks is not an option
Advocates the native app for the device - except for books .. use Apple Books app and Kindle app because of book technology from publishers.
Libby app allows you to download books from public libraries with your library card.
Some free book resources available online for books that are out-of-copyright.
Formats include ePub, PDF, Kindle, audiobooks
Open Books app > Book Store > Search > user guide > Apple iPad User Guide > Get (“get” because it is free) > approve payment with fingerprint or face id.
Open Books app > Library > shows the books you have downloaded
Renaissance Society Spring Catalog - PDF - can be saved to Apple Books.
Select text on a page then tap Highlight on the popup menu.
Navigating Apple Books app
- AA button for brightness, font size, page color, Auto-Night theme, Vertical Scrolling (good for reading with bifocal lenses)
- Search (dictate text as keyword or type keyword or page number) and Bookmark
- Text on the page - tap on a word > tap Lookup on the pop-up menu
- Select text of (a location) > tap Search > tap Wikipedia to open article for further research (if you are connected to the Internet)
- Select text > Highlight or Note on the pop-up menu
- If the book you are reading has footnotes, or * - tap the symbol to see the footnote details.
- Go back to Table of Contents - to see Tabs for Bookmarks and Notes - tap to return to the page with typed note or bookmark.
- Edit or Delete typed notes at the Contents page or in place on the page using the pop-up menu.
To pause your reading - Books remembers where you left off or you can set a bookmark.
Buying a book in the Apple Bookstore
Browse the lists
Search based on recommendations from friends
Online Resources for books
BookBub with daily email with low cost books with direct links to Amazon Kindle or Apple Books. https://bookbub.com to signup
Free books (out-of-copyright) Project Gutenberg https://gutenberg.org Search for Shakespeare to see all
Open Library - open openlibrary.org has free books
Amazon Kindle is both a device and an app - on iPad, download the Kindle app. (Tom has both iPad and Kindle devices. A Kindle uses epaper screen and can read it outdoors. Buy a Kindle book from your Amazon account to your iPad and it is also available on Kindle device. Kindle is a single purpose device - for reading books but not email or browsing the web.)
Tom keeps all appliance user manuals in Apple Books. Download the PDF to Books and then add the title to a new category (Manuals). Browse the web to find the appliance manual > download PDF > Share icon > tap Books to move copy. PDF documents are searchable in Books app.
Library Books are available in Kindle format for app or device.
- Public Library book checkout with your active library card
- Overdrive is old app. Libby is current app and works will.
- Librarians are available to help you use Libby and access books, audiobooks and more!
- Libby has a ebook reader or download borrowed titles to the Kindle app.
Borrow or place hold on the title, read a sample.
A borrowed book is returned in 21 days or you can turn in early.
Set your preferences for books to speed your searches.
Kindle has feature to show underline where other readers have highlighted text.
Audiobooks - are more useful on iPhone - but Libby, Apple Books and Kindle offer audiobooks.
Sample book to see if you want to purchase.
Podcasts - this app has just changed with iPadOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5.
- Syncs between iPad and iPhone
- Recommendations from friends are often the best way to find podcasts.
- Most podcasts are free (ad supported), soon premium content will charge and not … have ads
- Subscribe to podcast > tap +
- Set option for how many episodes to download and keep on your device.
- Public Radio has many titles - This American Life, Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me, TED Radio Hour, etc.
Best to download episodes over wifi before taking device out on a walk or road trip. Can use cellular data to listen to podcasts without downloading but this counts against your cellular data use.
Check for storage space taken up by Podcast episodes
Settings > General > ipad Storage > scroll to Podcasts > tap Podcasts > view list of downloaded episodes > swipe a title right-to-left to Delete. You are still subscribed to the Podcast.
Contributions from Chat
- Lynn: Netgalley gives you free books before they are published. They just ask that you give a review. https://www.netgalley.com
- Barbara & Jennifer: In Libby, when the book you put on hold is available, you can delay your checkout if you’re not quite ready. You get to pick how long you want to delay getting the book.