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Romance, action, suspense … Or do you like subjects related to motivation, business or meditation? No matter what your preferences are. The online book options are getting bigger and the virtual shelves offer only the best in the publishing market.

The truth is that reading books online is getting easier every day. In addition to the variety of titles available, you can rely not only on specific reading devices such as Kindle but also tablets, smartphones, and computers.

Reading books online can be a great choice

Online books offer several advantages. One of them is the ease of transportation. You can “load” multiple units at once, large or small, bulky or not. They don’t add extra weight in your purse or backpack.

Reading books online doesn’t weigh in your pocket too because they are cheaper than the printed ones. And there are lots of options, totally free.

Other Advantages of Digital Books:

1. You can read books online at night or in places with little or no lighting. It is only recommended to control the brightness of your device’s screen to protect the eyes from irritation.
2. You can also control the size and type of the letters of the books online. That is, customize your device in the way that best suits you, depending on the location and time that you’re reading.
3. You can put the reading device in the position you want and use your fingers just to turn the pages. Great for those who like to read when they are in bed or during meals, for example.
4. Online books are programmed to start over where you left off. Easy and practical.
5. Do you love reading books online and a new one was just released? The good news is you do not have to wait. It immediately enters the virtual shelf and, after the purchase (or “rent”), you can already delight in the novelty.
6. Books to read online do not take up space in your home. So you can keep a very rich and huge library, even if you live in a small apartment.
7. Do you know those highlights in yellow and the notes you usually make in printed books? This is also allowed in the digital versions.
8. Online books don’t spoil. Do not tear and do not get dirty after much use.

How to find Free Online Books to Read?

There are online book platforms with extensive library and books. In some of them, you must download the book, and in others, access is instantaneous.

In addition to the platform, you must have the device. Among online reading enthusiasts worldwide, the number of those using the smartphone grows. But you get a Kindle (the Amazon Digital Book Reader), a tablet or even a computer.

3 Online Book Platforms You Should Know to Find Books to Read Online

Kindle Cloud Reader

Kindle Cloud Reader is an online book platform compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.

Kindle Cloud Reader lets you access the Kindle bookstore instantly, using only the web browser – online or offline – with no download or installation required.

There are over 950,000 book titles online to read right away. And you do not necessarily need a Kindle e-reader to access this library. Just use a computer, tablet or smartphone.

The Kindle Cloud Reader has several other features, including:

• Ease searching for new publications and thus you can start reading as soon as you leave the publication.
• Your current book is automatically available for offline use and you can read it anytime.
• Software updates are also automatic.
• You can customize the page layout, the desired font size, text color, background color etc.
• Access to all notes and bookmarks you make in other Kindle applications.
• You can search for words definitions and other information about the book and author, for example.

To use the Kindle Could Reader, you must go to read.amazon.com and log in to your Amazon account, or create one, if you don’t have already. You make a monthly subscription and have access to everything in the digital collection.

Scribd

Scribd is also a great choice for reading books online, although it is not an exclusive eBook platform.

The Scribd share documents in general, such as research, academic papers, Web pages, slides, photos etc. And books come into this list.

The Scrib platform supports several formats – Word, PDF, PPT, RTF, XLS, among others. It has a connection to Twitter, Facebook, WordPress etc, and this expands the visibility of the documents.

Scribd was nicknamed “Netflix of Books,” because it is a platform for rent, not for sale. The CEO of the company, the American Trip Adler, in an interview for Exame magazine, said: “the reader should worry about what to read and not what to buy”.

This means that you don’t get to keep the books that you read online in Scribd in your library because you pay for the reading, not for the book.

To access Scribd, you sign a monthly fee that frees the library with more than 100,000 titles. In this case, you can also read on your tablet, smartphone, or computer.

If compared to the library of the rival Amazon, for sale of books online, Scribd rent options are smaller. But it is still an attractive platform, especially in terms of price.

12Minutos

The platform 12Min targets people who seek knowledge, but do not have much free time. Offers well-crafted summaries – also called microbooks – about career, business, and personal development.

The 12 Minutos’ microbooks are a way to absorb tons of information at the speed that the world demands today. That is, quickly. And you can still choose audio or text.

12Min assumes that no one needs to read 30 pages to find out whether or not they liked the text. The platform extracts the key concepts from each book and creates a new, authentic content that takes the reader directly to what interests him.

It’s not just a summary. It is a conceptual piece that brings out the best of every great work you have not yet read. This is how we define the services offered.

“We want to change the world with each microbook and make accessible the complex concepts that before it was needed 200 pages to be explained”. Now, you only need 12 minutes to read a microbook.

Simple texts and easy assimilation. You can access your microbook on the bus or subway, in the interval of classes or work, in the queue of the bank, whenever and wherever you want, in a short time.

You may be wondering: is 12 Minutos competing with books? Of course not! The idea is to promote the understanding of the key concepts of the book so that the reader can arouse interest in the complete work.

It is worth checking the post where the founder Diego Gomes talks about how the 12′ can improve people’s lives.

3 strong reasons for you to access the 12Minutes:

• You can access books online anywhere, even if your time is short. This can be through reading (microbooks) or audio (audio books);
• Rapid reading allows you to “walk” through various authors in a short space of time, accelerating your learning, developing new skills and increasing your competitiveness;
• Keeps you up to date on the job market, the ideas that stand out and the current trends.

The access to 12Min is by annual subscription. But the platform offers a free microbook per week and three days of unlimited, totally free, trial access.

Read free online books

You can read books online for free, in an ethical and legal way. This is because, as mentioned in the text above, the platforms offer, in its catalog, a series of totally free options.

Often the book is out for free. In other cases, access to the platform (and the entire catalog) is free and unlimited for a certain period.

When we talk about free online books, we are not referring to the poor quality thing. On the opposed! There are many excellent items. It pays to be aware of these opportunities.

Start now

So if you enjoy reading books and want to acquire new knowledge, try all the perks and benefits of the digital versions.

How about starting right now! We, from 12 Min, have 3 great book tips and they are among our microbooks. check out:

The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker

Why do some people accumulate wealth easily and others live with the red flag on? The key is to understand our mental model, how it is shaped, what its limitations are and how to work to develop them.

How to make friends and influence people – Dale Carnegie

A spectacular and compelling work to develop relationship skills doesn’t matter if they are personal or professional. Dale Carnegie’s advice, methods, and ideas have already benefited millions of people and remain completely current. For many entrepreneurs, reading and understanding how to make friends and influence people is worth more than an MBA.

Mindset – Carol Dweck

Success does not come solely from our abilities or talents, but also from the way we face life. For the author, our success depends on two mental attitudes: fixed and progressive. Progressive attitude can make us happier people, able to control our own lives, achieving success.

Good reading!

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.