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Tag: kindle

  • Audible moves away from audio-only model with ‘Read & Listen’ feature – Tech Digest

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    Audible has launched “Read & Listen,” a feature that embeds “immersion reading” directly into its application.

    This update moves away from a strictly audio-only model, allowing users to follow along with synchronized, highlighted text that stays in lockstep with the narrator’s voice.

    While the ability to switch between Kindle and Audible formats has been available through Whispersync for years, this integration unites both experiences within a single interface.

    Users can now toggle between “Listen” and “Read & Listen” modes without switching apps. As the narration plays, the corresponding on-screen text is highlighted in real-time, creating a unified sensory experience between sight and sound.

    Audible’s Chief Product Officer, Andy Tsao, notes that the move aims to provide a way to “read with your eyes too,” effectively treating audio and text as equal partners.

    Beyond convenience, company research suggests that combining auditory and visual stimuli improves cognitive retention and focus. Audible reports that users who simultaneously read and listen consume nearly twice as much content per month as audio-only subscribers.

    These benefits make the tool especially relevant for students, language learners and individuals with different learning needs, claims Audible. The feature is available at launch for hundreds of thousands of titles in English, German, Spanish, Italian and French.

    To use the tool, users must own both the audiobook and the corresponding eBook. To simplify this, Audible has added a “Read & Listen” library filter that automatically identifies matching pairs in a user’s collection.

    While the feature is currently rolling out to US customers, it is scheduled to arrive in the UK, Australia, and Germany in the coming months.


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    Chris Price

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  • Here’s What I’m Gifting My Fellow Book Lovers This Year

    I love losing myself in a good book, and I’m not the only one. Finding great gifts for book lovers isn’t just about testing for the best e-reader (which we have!) or rounding up all the accessories worth adding to your Kindle (we’ve done that too), but rather it’s about setting up your favorite reader to keep enjoying stories.

    You can help your favorite reader enjoy another story with anything from a new reading gadget and a handy accessory to cozy items to settle in for a nice, long reading session. After all, if there’s anything we’ve learned from the rise of #BookTok, it’s that there’s no lack of accessories and items that can make a reader happier than ever. Here are our favorite gifts for book lovers we’re shopping this season.

    Be sure to also check out our other buying guides, including Best Kindles, Best E-Readers, Best Kindle Accessories, Best Tablets, and Best Digital Notebooks. If you’re on the hunt for more gifts, don’t miss our guides to the Best Viral Gifts, Best Gifts for Bird Lovers, Best Subscription Boxes for Gifting, and many more.

    Updated October 2025: We’ve reorganized this guide and added new gifts from PopSockets, Strapsicle, BukSuk, Passion Planner, James Wax, East Fork, Beautiful by Drew Barrymore, Eberyjey, and Ugg, plus we’ve included new book sets.

    Featured Gifts

    Our Favorite Kindle

    Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation)

    Jump to review

    A Fun Case and Grip

    PopSockets PopCase Kindle and PopGrip

    Jump to review

    A Sleek Sleeve

    The Quirky Cup Collective E-Reader Sleeves

    Jump to review

    Table of Contents

    A New E-Reader

    When I got back into reading, I fell in love with ebooks and getting free copies from the library that I would read on my Libby app. That year, for my birthday, I was gifted a Kindle from two different people, and I’ve never looked back. Whether they’re a new reader looking for a better or one who’s complaining about how heavy their books are, an e-reader makes for a great solution (and you can still get those free library books on it!).

    Amazon

    Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation)

    If they don’t have a Kindle, the 12th-edition Paperwhite is our favorite one. It’s got a warm front light and great battery life, and it comes in a fun pink color. Upgrade to Signature for an auto-adjusting light and more storage (aka more books!).

    Kobo

    Libra Color

    If they have an e-reader but want the option to use color, the Kobo Libra Color is the best option. It lets them use a range of colors as they read, and you can add on a stylus to turn it into a digital notebook. It’s got page-turner buttons, which are great and something you won’t find on Kindle.

    E-Reader Accessories

    From cute cases to handy straps that make reading easier, there’s no lack of fun options to add to a Kindle or other e-readers.

    PopSockets

    PopCase Kindle and PopGrip

    PopSockets has a new collection of Kindle cases that have a MagSafe ring, so you can easily pop on a PopSocket grip. The Curled Up With a Good Book design has a matching case and grip you can use together.

    Strapsicle

    E-Reader Hand Strap

    These straps from Strapsicle make it really easy to hold up an e-reader. They’re easy to attach, and I even find just using one of the two straps secures it. The limited-edition neon collection is super fun and worth shopping before it runs out.

    The Quirky Cup Collective

    E-Reader Sleeves

    This stylish sleeve is a great gift to give an e-reader user who loves to take their device on the go. It’ll keep it protected without taking up more space.

    Lamicall

    Gooseneck iPad Holder

    I struggle with a wrist cyst that makes holding up my Kindle for long periods uncomfortable. This tablet holder works great for tablets and e-readers alike, and it lets my book hover over my head hands-free.

    Accessories for Physical Book Readers

    No e-reader? No problem. These book lights solve the constant struggle for a book reader: darkness getting in the way of their reading.

    Vekkia

    14 LED Book Light

    Our favorite reading light is a super versatile clip-on with an adjustable gooseneck. The two swiveling light bars have seven LEDs each.

    Glocusent

    LED Neck Reading Light

    This lightweight neck light is a great option if your reader might hate clipping something onto the pages. It has three light warmths and six brightness settings.

    Book Bags

    If the book lover in your life is known for toting their e-reader or book of choice everywhere they go, here are some fun accessories for carrying them around (and for logging their thoughts as they read!).

    Hello Clio

    The Original Kindle Belt Bag

    This cute belt bag isn’t too much wider than a normal one but packs a soft internal pocket made for carrying a Kindle Paperwhite or base Kindle.

    New York Public Library

    Library Card Tote Bag

    This tote bag screams “I love books” in the best way possible. It’s a great size with, nice long straps that make it super comfortable to wear.

    Stickers, Journals, and Annotation Tools

    Whether they’re looking to decorate their e-reader or the pages of their books, there’s a fun add-on here for every kind of reader.

    Strapsicle

    Sweet Stickers

    Strapsicle recently launched stickers, with both a sweet and spicy pack. It’s a nice-size set that could easily decorate multiple e-readers.

    Papier

    Reading Journal

    If they’re constantly crushing a new read, get them a journal to track everything they’ve read and how they liked it.

    Book Tabs

    I don’t like primary colors while I annotate my books. This is a similar but much larger pack of book tabs I found at my local Daiso, and the pastel colors are much more pleasing on the eyes as I mark up my book pages.

    Passion Planner

    Passion Highlighters

    I love these highlighters for my paper planners, and they’re a great option for readers who light to highlight their passages. There’s a highlighter and pen end for each color if they like to underline.

    Reading Vibes

    Gifts for your local book lover aren’t just giving books and book items. Help them set the mood while they read with these cozy gift ideas.

    James Wax

    Reading Time Candle

    The label says it all. Give them a candle to alert everyone they’re busy reading. I’ve tried all four scents you can choose from, and my favorites are the mimosa and white tea scents.

    Sony

    WH-1000XM6

    Help them block out the world while read (or take part in immersion reading, where you listen to the audiobook while you read the physical book at the same time) with our favorite noise-canceling headphones.

    East Fork

    The Mug

    Give them a gorgeous mug to stay hydrated with their drink of choice while they read, whether that’s a nice cup of tea or a hot toddy.

    Beautiful by Drew Barrymore

    Beautiful Electric Kettle

    They’ll need some hot water with that cup of tea, and this chic electric kettle is both stylish and affordable without slacking on performance.

    Ugg

    Men’s Neuman

    Give the gift of happy, cozy feet with our favorite set of men’s slippers. Our WIRED reviewer says these slippers hold up well and have the classic Ugg front, with a low back that makes them easy to slip on and off.

    Gorgeous Books and Boxed Sets

    Looking to give the gift of a true book? These box sets and illustrated editions are worth collecting.

    Lord of the Rings Illustrated Editions

    If there’s a book I want to get my husband that he’s already read, it’s these beautiful illustrated editions of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and even The Silmarillion.

    One Piece

    Maybe they’ve been a One Piece fan for years. Maybe they’re a new fan after seeing the Netflix series. You can start their collection of the still-running manga or even give a couple initial volumes to get them hooked on the original.

    Crescent City Boxed Set

    If they’re fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses, it’s official: They’ll need to read Sarah J. Maas’ other series, Crescent City, to keep up with what happens in the next ACOTAR book. The first one is my favorite.

    Judy Blume Essentials (Boxed Set)

    by Judy Blume

    These are a great series of books if you’re shopping for an elementary reader or teenager. The books have held up, with Blume’s themes still resonating years later.

    Book Subscriptions

    Buying a book for someone can be hard if you’re not sure what they’re into or what they’ve already read. But covering a few months of a subscription is the gift that gives over and over again.

    Audible

    If you know someone struggling with time to sit down and read, give them an Audible subscription so they can listen to books while they drive, do chores, work out, and so much more.

    Book of the Month

    Subscription

    Book of the Month is a subscription for the reader who loves physical books. Every month, there are five to seven titles to choose from that ship right to their door (they can skip months if nothing catches their eye).

    Parnassus

    Signed First Editions Club

    WIRED reviewer Adrienne So has subscribed for years (on and off) to Parnassus Signed First Editions, from novelist Ann Patchett’s store in Nashville, Tennessee. The books are mainly literary fiction, with occasional nonfiction. Every book she’s gotten has been an absolute banger.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.

    Nena Farrell

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  • Everything Amazon Announced Today at Its Fall Hardware Event

    Over on the Show models, they now have a 13-megapixel camera for richer details on your video calls, with improved audio quality as well. Amazon says more and more companies are integrating with Alexa+, touting an Oura partnership that lets you ask Alexa about last night’s sleep with data collected from your Oura ring. More integrations are on the way, including the ability to buy movie tickets with Fandango.

    All of these Echo devices are available for preorder today.

    Alexa+ Is Still in Early Access

    Alexa+ was announced back in February and began rolling out in early access by March. Not much is changing about this. Amazon says Alexa+ is now rolling out in the US “during an early access period” and in waves over the coming months. It’ll prioritize Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21 device owners in this period, and you can sign up for early access here. The fastest way to access it is to buy one of the new Echo devices announced today.

    Alexa+ is an upgrade over the standard Alexa you’re familiar with. Powered by a large language model, it allows you to be more conversational with the assistant. Alexa+ is much faster at answering more topical and contextual questions, correctly answering things like “What’s that popular Soda Pop song?” You can read more here about our experience using it for a week.

    Alexa+ is free for Amazon Prime subscribers, but costs $20 a month for everyone else. Amazon says Alexa+ is being integrated into other devices from Sonos, Bose, Samsung, LG, and BMW.

    The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

    The Kindle Scribe is a relatively new entry in Amazon’s e-reader ecosystem, but now it’s already in its third generation. And for the third iteration, there are three new 11-inch Kindle Scribe models: Kindle Scribe ($430), Kindle Scribe With Frontlight ($550), and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft ($630). These devices are 5.4 mm thick, which is thinner than the new iPhone Air. They weigh 400 grams and are made from precision-milled aluminum. Panay says they’re 40 percent faster, though he wasn’t specific about what he was comparing them to. When you write, you should experience a reduced latency of under 12 milliseconds.

    The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

    Photograph: Julian-Chokkattu

    Julian Chokkattu

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  • Here’s How to Read on Your Kindle in Just About Any Language

    Looking to learn a new language? Reading is a great way to start, and you don’t need a physical book to do it: Here’s how to change your Kindle’s language (and download books in other languages!) to learn right from your favorite e-reader.

    Reading a different language helps you expand your vocabulary and nail down nuances like sentence structure, and for visual learners like myself it can be the ideal way to start really learning information. Lucky for all of us e-reader lovers, Kindle’s ebook store has books in all kinds of languages that you can purchase or download through Kindle’s subscription services like Kindle Unlimited and Kids+. You can always send an ebook from your library that’s in your learning language of choice to your e-reader, too.

    But it’s not just with books: You can change your Kindle’s settings to switch the device itself to speak in one of 10 languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. Here’s how to do it and how to find books in other languages.

    How to Change Your Kindle’s Language Settings

    Photograph: Nena Farrell

    Changing the settings is pretty easy. You’ll head to the Settings menu on your Kindle and select Device options, and then one of the options will be Languages and Dictionaries. You’ll choose that option, and there will be four items to choose from: Language, Dictionaries, Keyboards, and Chinese Characters Sort Order.

    The Language menu will do what you expect, letting you choose from among the device’s 10 languages to set your device to. Changing the language will prompt the Kindle to restart and load itself in your chosen language, though the books in your library will remain in their original language. Dictionaries will give you options based on your language of choice. (English has two different Oxford dictionaries, for example.)

    Keyboards lets you add keyboards in different languages without actually changing your Kindle’s overall language. There are more keyboard options—27 total—than language options on the Kindle. This is because some languages have more than one keyboard option: English, Spanish, and Japanese each have two keyboards to choose from, while Chinese has three. But you’ll also see keyboards for other languages you can’t change the entire device to, like Arabic and Swedish.

    The final setting in the Languages menu will sort Chinese characters, if Chinese is a language you choose. There are three sort orders (Hanyu Pinyin, Stroke Order, and Zhuyin Fuhao) to choose from.

    How to Download Books in Other Languages

    How to Change Your Kindles Language Spanish French Japanese and More

    Photograph: Nena Farrell

    In the same way you can obtain books in your preferred language through various methods, you can also access books in different languages on your Kindle.

    Nena Farrell

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  • Amazon introduces a more affordable color screen Kindle | TechCrunch

    Amazon is making its color screen Kindle more affordable. Following the launch of the Kindle Colorsoft last year, the retailer on Thursday introduced a lower-cost version of the normally $279.99 device. The new device offers a $30 discount for 16GB of storage instead of 32GB, bringing the cost down to $249.99. A Kids edition is also now available.

    The original 7-inch Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition was designed to bring a more engaging visual experience to the popular Kindle e-reader, ideal for digitally browsing comics and other graphic novels or highlighting in different colors. The device offered an adjustable, glare-free display with up to eight weeks of battery life, and it even allows users to invert the black text and white background of pages for those who prefer a dark mode-like experience.

    The new 16GB model also features the high-contrast Colorsoft display of the original, the adjustable warm light, battery life, fast page turns, and more. Plus, it includes three months of Kindle Unlimited, the subscription offering access to over 4 million e-books.

    However, it won’t include the auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, or the larger storage space of the Signature Edition.

    Image Credits:Amazon

    The Kindle Colorsoft Kids ships with an illustrated cover, a two-year guarantee, and a year of the Amazon Kids+ subscription offering access to books, games, videos, apps, and more. The $269.99 device includes a handful of features to help kids practice reading, too, including a vocabulary builder and a feature called Word Wise that helps them learn new words, as well as the OpenDyslexic font, and Bluetooth connectivity for listening to audiobooks.

    Sarah Perez

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  • Discover the New Kindle Lineup: Innovation Meets Reading

    Discover the New Kindle Lineup: Innovation Meets Reading

    Amazon has just rolled out an impressive new range of Kindle devices, expanding its e-reader family to include some exciting innovations. This new lineup features the first-ever color Kindle, a revamped Kindle Scribe, and the fastest Kindle Paperwhite to date, catering to diverse reading preferences and enhancing the overall experience. Let’s dive into what each device has to offer and how they aim to redefine the way we read.

    Introducing the Kindle Colorsoft

    The highlight of this new lineup is undoubtedly the Kindle Colorsoft, Amazon’s first foray into color e-reading. This device promises to deliver vibrant colors without compromising the beloved features of the traditional Kindle.

    Users can now enjoy a high-contrast display that allows for easy viewing of book covers, images, and highlighted text in color.

    The Kindle Colorsoft boasts a unique display technology that utilizes custom waveforms and a nitride LED light-guide, enhancing brightness and color without losing detail. This makes browsing through your Kindle Library or Store a visually pleasing experience. Additionally, with wireless charging and a robust battery life of up to eight weeks, it’s designed for readers who love to take their Kindle anywhere, whether it’s in the bath or at the beach.

    The Reimagined Kindle Scribe

    Next up is the Kindle Scribe, which has received significant upgrades to enhance both reading and notetaking capabilities. The new Scribe features a smooth, paper-like display that mimics the feel of writing on paper, making it ideal for those who enjoy jotting down notes while reading.

    One of the standout features is the Active Canvas technology, allowing users to write notes directly within the text of the book. This integration means your thoughts and annotations stay in context, no matter how you adjust the font size or layout. Plus, with the introduction of an AI-powered notebook, summarizing your notes has never been easier. This device seems tailored for students and professionals alike, blending the joys of reading with the practicality of effective note-taking.

    Fastest Kindle Ever: Kindle Paperwhite

    Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite has long been a favorite among e-readers, and the latest iteration is being touted as the fastest yet. With 25% faster page turns and a higher contrast ratio, it offers a snappier and more responsive experience.

    The new Paperwhite also introduces a larger 7-inch display while remaining impressively thin. It retains the waterproof feature, which is essential for those who enjoy reading by the pool or on the beach. With a variety of storage options available, the Paperwhite accommodates a library of thousands of books, ensuring you have plenty of reading material at your fingertips.

    Compact and Fun: The New Entry-Level Kindle

    Rounding out the lineup is the new entry-level Kindle, which is now available in a vibrant Matcha color. Weighing just 158 grams, it’s incredibly lightweight and compact, making it easy to slip into a pocket or bag.

    Despite its size, it doesn’t skimp on essential features, including a glare-free display and a front light that’s 25% brighter than previous models. This means you can enjoy reading in a variety of lighting conditions without straining your eyes. With 16 GB of storage, this Kindle is perfect for readers who want a straightforward device for enjoying their favorite titles without the bells and whistles.

    Conclusion

    The new Kindle lineup reflects Amazon’s commitment to enhancing the reading experience through innovation and design. With options ranging from the vibrant Kindle Colorsoft to the practical Kindle Scribe and the speedy Kindle Paperwhite, there’s something for every type of reader. The entry-level Kindle offers a fun and accessible option for those new to e-reading. While prices vary, starting from $109.99 for the basic model, each device promises to deliver a unique and enjoyable reading experience.

    Al Hilal

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  • Is the Kindle Colorsoft Too Late? Amazon Reveals What Took So Damn Long to Catch Up

    Is the Kindle Colorsoft Too Late? Amazon Reveals What Took So Damn Long to Catch Up

    “Right now, we’re seeing the highest sales of Kindle in more than a decade—20 billion pages are currently read every month,” claims Panay. “And it turns out the majority of this new cohort are millennials and Gen Z—this is the fastest growing segment.”

    Kevin Keith goes further, explaining that while social media used to be a distraction from books, it’s now a driving force for selling Kindles to new, younger readers. The “BookTok” phenomenon, he says, has a lot to do with that, and the hashtag, which includes people sharing book reviews and recommendations on TikTok, has amassed almost 39 million videos and more than 200 billion views.

    “There’s definitely a bit of a TikTok/BookTok effect right now, and this has also transcended into Reels, into Instagram, into Facebook,” Keith says. “So you see across the board in terms of the social media impact that used to be a headwind, that used to be pulling people away from reading—now it’s actually driving people to read.”

    “It’s been more than two years now that we’ve seen this growth rate,” he adds. “When we say sales are at their highest in a decade, this is after multiple years of double-digit growth.”

    There is data to suggest this might be the start of a wider trend, with the e-reader market expected to start growing again between now and 2029. Keeping the emotional connection between readers and their books is important in this, insists Panay, who cites this as a reason why people will swallow the $120 hike over the best-selling Kindle Paperwhite.

    “Value is not in the look and feel of a device,” he says, without hesitation. “Value is in the emotion you’ll be able to pull out of having a color screen. At this point it’s a choice, and that’s what’s beautiful. If you want color, it’s now there for you.”

    Whether better late than never works out for Kindle remains to be seen, but Panay is banking on that emotional connection playing its part. In an overly connected world, he says that for its users, Kindle is a sanctuary—a device with no distractions, no notifications. Of course, books have been doing that for centuries.

    “That sanctuary is very real,” says Panay. “You pick up a book [on your Kindle] and you start reading … multitasking doesn’t exist because you disappear into that moment. We need some of that right now, more than ever.”

    Christopher Hall

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  • Amazon Finally Joins the Colored E-Reader Market with the Kindle Colorsoft

    Amazon Finally Joins the Colored E-Reader Market with the Kindle Colorsoft

    The first E-reader from Amazon with a full color display. It’s perfect for reading graphic novels and admiring book covers. But it’s also a great study buddy because it lets you highlight text in different colors. It lasts up to 8 weeks per charge and has an auto brightness feature. Our only gripe is that its wireless charging dock is sold separately.

    Lambert Varias

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  • Engadget review recap: Budget-friendly gadgets that are good

    Engadget review recap: Budget-friendly gadgets that are good

    It’s a slower October than usual in the tech industry, thanks mostly to Google and Microsoft having held their typical fall hardware announcements earlier this year. Still, we’ve seen a fair number of companies reveal new devices in the last two weeks, while Amazon’s October Prime Day raged on. Whether you were busy shopping or watching Elon Musk talk up robotaxis and cybervans, the Engadget team continued to review recently (and not-so-recently) launched products. As usual, this bi-weekly roundup is here to help you catch up, though because I missed last week’s edition (as I was out on time off), the cadence is just a bit off.

    From Meta’s Quest 3S VR headset and the DJI Air 3S drone, to Sony’s midrange suite of audio gear, these weeks have coincidentally been about the less premium, more affordable “un-flagships,” if you will. And it turns out you don’t have to throw chunks of your retirement savings at companies to get solid devices that are well worth the money.

    by Billy Steele

    Sony

    Sony flexes its mobile audio muscle on the LinkBuds Fit, combining great sound with tons of features.

    Pros

    • Tiny, comfy design
    • Surprisingly big sound
    • Lots of handy features
    Cons

    • ANC performance is lacking
    • Battery life
    • Call quality is fine, but not great

    $200 at Sony

    The main thing I learned from Billy’s recent reviews of Sony and Bose headphones is that flagship, premium-level noise cancelation is making its way down to the midrange products. And I, for one, am happy about it. Looks like most of the things you’ll miss if you opt to save some money are features like spatial audio, head-tracking and stuff that’s supposed to be make for a more immersive, intuitive listening experience. Personally, I’m okay missing out on those things for now — I really just want decent sound, good voice quality and competent reduction of background noise.

    Definitely check out Billy’s review of Sony’s LinkBuds trio of devices even if you’re not in the market for headphones, because he put his ears through literal pain to test the strangely designed earbuds for us. In fact, a rejected headline for the review was “Why am I in pain?” We salute you, Billy.

    by Devindra Hardawar

    Meta

    The Meta Quest 3S delivers immersive virtual reality for just $300. It’s fast, comfortable to wear and it has a wealth of games and VR experiences to choose from.

    Pros

    • Fast performance
    • Comfortable to wear
    • Excellent controllers
    • Large app library
    Cons

    • Older Fresnel lenses lead to artifacts
    • No headphone jack
    • Average mixed reality cameras

    $299 at Amazon

    The Quest is arguably the industry’s leading VR headset for consumers, especially considering it costs a fraction of alternative options while offering a relatively high-quality immersive experience. Unlike the Apple Vision Pro, which costs $3,500, the new Quest 3S is much more palatable at $300. And, as Devindra observes in his review, it’s comfortable, fast and allows wearers to access Meta’s large library of VR apps and content. To quote Devindra, “It’s not Meta’s first $300 VR headset, but it’s still a tremendous accomplishment.”

    by Steve Dent

    DJI

    DJI’s Air 3S is the company’s first consumer drone with LiDAR designed to make it safer to fly at night. 

    Pros

    • Excellent image quality
    • LiDAR improves obstacle detection at night
    • ActiveTrack 360 produces cinematic tracking shots
    • Long battery life
    • Now has 42GB internal storage
    Cons

    • Sometimes fails to detect small obstacles

    $1,099 at DJI

    Continuing in the trend of excellent products that cost less than usual, the DJI Neo is an excellent drone for just $200. Calling it the best $200 drone ever made may sound hyperbolic, but we truly can’t think of any other drone that cost the same that came close to delivering similar performance as the Neo. And though one of its main drawbacks, according to our reviewer Steve, is that it sounds like a banshee, I honestly think that would be a pro for me just for the pure comedy of it all. I never thought I’d be in the market for a banshee-sounding drone but here I am thinking $200 would be a fair price to pay for the aerial videos I could get, and I could easily lay upbeat, operatic singing over the footage anyway.

    On the other end of the spectrum, Steve’s also tested the higher-end DJI Air 3S drone and Canon’s EOS R5 II, both of which will cost you a lot more money. The good news is that Canon’s EOS R5 II is now so much improved that it better takes on Sony’s rival offerings, while bringing intriguing features like eye-control autofocus. Sure, it’s still too early to be reliable. But if you have the money for these premium products, you’ll get to experience bleeding-edge tech, maybe part of the appeal is that they may not always work well.

    by Dan Cooper

    reMarkable / Engadget

    reMarkable adds a color screen to its e-paper tablet, creating a best-in-class distraction-free writing experience.

    Pros

    • Color is a welcome and useful addition
    • Backlight lets you work in dark environments
    • Vastly improved performance

    $579 at reMarkable

    I know Dan was a bit worried about giving a device as niche as the reMarkable Paper Pro such a high score, but after some discussion, we both agreed it fit. As it stands, the reMarkable Paper Pro is arguably the best e-paper writing tablet with a color screen, even after this week’s announcement of Amazon’s first color Kindle. Per Dan’s review, the Paper Pro not only levels up with the addition of color, but also got much faster and reliable in the process.

    I particularly enjoy how much care has been taken to more seamlessly blend handwriting and typed text for a more natural note-taking and annotating experience. And though it falls outside this edition’s general theme of being a less-expensive product with premium specs, I’m still incredibly tempted to find ways to cough up the $600 or so needed to bag myself a Paper Pro with the accessories Dan recommends.

    by Jessica Conditt

    I’m not the most engaged gamer, but I love learning about games from Jess. She recently reviewed sci-fi mystery Phoenix Springs and dreamy platformer Neva, with pieces written so beautifully that I can’t help but itch to check out each title so I can feel the way she clearly does about them. Phoenix Springs even follows a technology reporter and covers my favorite genres (science fiction and mystery), while Neva’s art looks simply gorgeous. I don’t yet know if I’ll ever find the time to play new games, but these two have certainly been added to my list.

    The Engadget team geeks out about a multitude of things, and as we get started on our holiday gift guide writing, we’re thinking about products we like for ourselves and our loved ones. Many of us love e-readers and writing tablets. I certainly have my eye on one of the new Kindles that were announced this week, particularly the new Kindle Scribe and possibly the Colorsoft. Those won’t be available until later this year, so for now I’ll keep hungrily eyeing the reMarkable Paper Pro. I’ll also be wondering what Amazon hardware chief Panos Panay has up his sleeves, other than cans of Diet Coke — something I learned he (like many people) enjoys when I got the chance to speak with him in an interview this week.

    Many of us are millennials and have gigantic soft spots for retro gaming. Our executive editor Aaron Souppouris talked to the folks at Analogue, and you can read his beautifully constructed piece to learn more about the upcoming Analogue 3D.

    This week, Apple sort of surprised us by announcing the new iPad mini, which has been tweaked to offer more storage and power with an A17 Pro processor. It’ll also support Apple Intelligence, of course, and though it seems like a minor update, some of my coworkers and I still love the idea of a small tablet. If only it had a better screen.

    All of those recently announced things are on our review roster, alongside things like the Google TV Streamer and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE that launched in the last few weeks. As we approach November and all the holiday shopping that brings, hopefully the hardware launches properly slow down. We’re still anticipating an Apple event for Macs, and can still remember being surprised by the announcement of Humane’s AI Pin late last year. But for now, we’re chugging along while occasionally bathing in nostalgia and longing for a simpler time.

    Cherlynn Low

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  • The First Color Kindle Is Here

    The First Color Kindle Is Here

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    There’s also the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which has all the same features as the standard Paperwhite plus an auto-adjusting front light, wireless charging, and double the storage at 32 GB. Both versions also come in new colors including Metallic Raspberry, Metallic Jade, and Metallic Black.

    The Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition are available now for $160 and $200, respectively, and they ship immediately.

    Amazon also announced an all-new Kindle Paperwhite Kids. It has all the same features as the standard Paperwhite—it’s faster, thinner, and brighter—but comes with kid-friendly cases, some of which feature new designs. It also comes with a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+ subscription (its kid-friendly content library), parental controls, and a two-year warranty.

    The 2nd-Gen Kindle Scribe

    The second-generation Kindle Scribe, designed for note-taking and reading, comes with a few new features on the inside and out. The display sports white borders with a paper-like display to mimic the look of a traditional sheet of paper. Meanwhile, the Premium Pen (sold separately) now has a soft-tipped eraser that feels like the one you’d find on a No. 2 pencil.

    A person using a stylus to scribble on the screen of a Kindle Scribe a teal ereader with interactive screen

    Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

    There are a few new software features in the Scribe too. There’s Active Canvas, which allows you to write directly within the book you’re reading (this was a big complaint we had with the original when we reviewed it). While making notes, it’ll flow around the text and anchor the ink to the exact spot you annotated. That way, if you resize the text or the book layout changes, it won’t lose its spot. In the future, you’ll also be able to take advantage of expandable margins—so you can write in the side panel and hide the notes when you’re done.

    And if you thought you were safe from generative artificial intelligence in a hardware launch story about Kindles, you were wrong. Say hello to “Refined Writing” and “Summarization.” With Refined Writing, you can tap a button to refine your notes into a script font so that it’s legible but also looks more presentable. Summarization quickly summarizes pages of notes into bullets within a script font that you can share directly from the notebook tab.

    You can preorder the new Kindle Scribe now for $400, and it ships on December 4.

    Brenda Stolyar

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  • AMAZON PRIME DAY IS HERE!

    AMAZON PRIME DAY IS HERE!

    I hope your wallets are ready, because Amazon Prime Day is here with a bunch of new deals that are hard to resist. From October 8-9, 2024, you’ll be able to shop deals on basically everything that Amazon offers. That means you can start your Christmas shopping early, or get yourself a gift just because.

    I use Prime Day to save money on appliances and big items that I don’t want to pay full price for. Since I moved this year, that means I want a new vacuum. And luckily, Amazon has big brands like Shark on sale for almost a 50% discount.

    Not only that, but Prime Day is the perfect time to stock up on your beauty favorites. Similar to the Sephora Sale, you won’t find better prices than on Amazon for brands like Paula’s Choice, L’Occitane, and O’Sea. Or, if you’ve always been dying to try a facial steamer or water pick, now is your chance to do so without spending too much money.

    Whether you’re in the market for a new skincare routine, a new coffee maker, or just something to get your family for the upcoming holiday season…now’s the best time to save some money and get some shopping off your chest. Since there’s about a trillion deals going on right now, here are some of my picks for best Prime Day deals 2024:


    Ninja Creami- $159.99 

    @courtneyycahoon THE BEST RECIEPE so i made it for the whole week 🥹🥹 310 cals and 40 grams of protein and DELICIOUS 🤍 #ninjacreami #proteinicecream #weeklyrestock #restock #mealprep ♬ original sound – CourtneyCahoon

    I know multiple Ninja Creami owners who now turn up their noses to store bought ice cream. I normally wouldn’t bite with these kind of contraptions, but my mom bought one and now my life is changed. Make any açaí bowl, smoothie bowl, gelato, ice cream, and more with this 7-in-1 appliance.

    The options are truly endless, and there’s a specific side of TikTok devoted to Ninja Creami recipes. It’s worth the money, especially if your family goes through ice cream like it’s nothing. Plus, with multiple pint containers included, you can stock up on flavors for later!


    Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD Lash Enhancing Serum – $47.60

    @eepardy Sometimes I forget how short my lashes used to be… @Grande Cosmetics #grandelash #grandelashserum #grandelashmd ♬ original sound – bkladk

    I don’t know how many people I’ve begged to get this product at this point. I’ve been a supporter of Grande Cosmetics for almost a decade at this point and it’s the reason I still have eyelashes. No matter how much I’ve put my lashes through: sleeping in mascara, tugging at them, clamping down with a curler too hard, losing clumps at a time…Grande Lash has saved them.

    In fact, I often get asked if I’m wearing fake lashes. Yes, I’m going to brag here because it’s necessary. I have great eyelashes and it’s not because I was genetically blessed…it’s because years ago my friend introduced my to Grande Lash and now I use it daily. You’re welcome.


    Hatch Restore 2 Sunrise Alarm Clock – $144.49

    @eliedelaney Replying to @Alexa Weishaar Reviewing my hatch alarm clock after 1 week! I have mine set so light starts waking me up 20 minutes before the sound starts. Some mornings I’ve naturally woken up to the light, but the sound is not jarring at all if I sleep up to the sound. I sleep with the brown noise or calm ocean waves and wake up to forest birds! I think it would be a great addition to a Christmas list because it is an investment in your sleep! Not affiliated with the brand! #honestreview #hatchalarmclock #hatchalarmclockreview #hatchrestore #hatchrestore2 #hatchrestorereview #naturalalarmclock ♬ Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

    I honestly wasn’t sold on alarm clock changing your life…until my friends influenced me to get a Hatch Alarm Clock. The neutral design fits perfectly in any room, and it’s helped me get into a real sleep routine. You can control it from an app on your phone, and set up sounds and lights to help you go to sleep and wake up.

    It’s an alarm clock that does it all, and right now it’s $25 off with Prime Day deals. Now, waking up isn’t as daunting as that incessant iPhone alarm sound that blares from your phone every morning. In fact…I actually look forward to it.


    Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle – $134.97

    @kendallsreads What kindle to buy in 2024! Let me know what questions you still have! Breaking down the differences between kindles available today and sharing which one I would personally buy and why. You can’t go wrong with your choice, any kindle will provide and amazing reading experience! Just depends on what you plan to use it for and what your budget allows🫶🏼📚 #kindle #kindlepaperwhite #kindlescribe #kindleoasis #kindlebasic #kindletok #kindlegirlie #kindlehacks #booktok #amazonkindle ♬ Vlog – Gaspar

    Although I prefer a physical book, I’m genuinely impressed at how the Kindle has recently got more people into reading. My roommate now totes hers around and constantly talks about the books she reads. If you’re looking to get anyone in your life into books, the Kindle is a great start.

    Plus, it’s 34% off right now…so there’s a perfect Christmas gift for you that’s normally over $200! And since the weather is getting colder, there’s no better time to start reading and staying inside.

    Jai Phillips

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  • The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere

    The Best Kindles to Take Your Library Anywhere

    Kindles have helpful features that you may want to take advantage of it. Long-press a word or phrase to see its definition, highlight it, or take notes. You can also search the entire book for that particular word or phrase or translate it to or from other languages.

    Word Wise shows short definitions in small text within the lines. Unfortunately, it’s not available for all books, but when it is, you can turn it on or off and choose more and fewer hints. Clicking the short definition opens a longer one from Word Wise and the New Oxford American Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary of English (you can switch between the two), plus translations, and a Wikipedia page, if applicable.

    While reading, tap the top of the screen and click “Aa” to change font size or type—there’s even a font called OpenDyslexic that helps make reading easier for people with dyslexia. You can control margin sizes and line spacing from that menu too.

    When a Kindle is connected to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, VoiceView Screen Reader (accessed through Settings > Accessibility) allows you to use gestures to navigate your device and reads aloud what you’ve pressed. It will also read a book aloud, though it doesn’t sound nearly as nice as an audiobook does.

    Amazon owns Goodreads, so it syncs seamlessly to Kindles (press the three-dot menu > Goodreads). If you have a Goodreads account, you can review the Kindle books you’ve read or browse your bookshelf and recommendations. Long-pressing a word or phrase, in addition to what is mentioned above, opens up an option to share quotes directly to Goodreads.

    There’s a web browser too if you’re connected to the internet (three-dot menu > Web Browser). It’s not the best, so I’d reserve it for emergency searches.

    Medea Giordano

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  • The Kindle Scribe Essentials bundle is nearly $200 off at Amazon

    The Kindle Scribe Essentials bundle is nearly $200 off at Amazon

    Amazon Prime Day is still a couple weeks away, but the company is already running discounts on some of its biggest items. The latest deal comes on the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle, which includes a 64GB Kindle Scribe, Premium Pen and a leather folio cover. The trio is available for $324, down from $520 — a 37 percent discount.

    Amazon

    The Kindle Scribe is one of our picks for best E Ink tablets for 2024, garnering a solid 85 in our launch review. Unlike other Kindles, the Scribe is meant for taking notes or marking up documents. It offers a 10.2” 300 ppi Paperwhite display that’s glare-free and front-lit, allowing you to use it just about anywhere. Plus, it works with titles in the Kindle Store, PDFs, Microsoft Word and more.

    The Premium Pen functions without any setup and it attaches directly to the Kindle Scribe’s side. A shortcut button makes it easy to execute commands like highlight and erase. Then there’s the leather folio cover, which protects the Kindle Scribe, closes magnetically and folds into a stand. It’s worth noting that this deal doesn’t include Pen replacement tips.

    Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

    Sarah Fielding

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  • The Best Ebook Readers

    The Best Ebook Readers

    I dearly love a paperback book that I can bend, touch, smell, and display on my bookshelf when I’m done. But there’s no doubt that ebook readers (also called e-readers) make life easier—they might just make you read more too. E-readers let you carry thousands of books or dozens of audiobooks in a single, slim, rectangular tablet; they have paperlike screens that are easy on the eyes; and they won’t inundate you with distracting notifications. Books can also be expensive and take up a lot of physical space, but that’s not a problem with ebooks. Even better, you can check out digital books from a library without leaving your house.

    Naturally, when you hear “e-reader,” you might think Kindle. Amazon makes the best ebook reader, which is why we have a separate Best Kindles guide that breaks down the entire lineup. But there are a few Kindle alternatives out there in case you don’t want to support Amazon or you just want a different set of features. WIRED’s Gear team has spent months, if not years, reading on these tablets—these are our favorites.

    Updated June 2024: We’ve added Nook’s newest Lenovo reading tablet.

    Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.

    How We Test E-Readers

    The most important thing we do when testing e-readers is read on them! We spend hours reading a mix of books downloaded directly from the brand’s store and from our local libraries via OverDrive/Libby. If there are extra features, like annotating books or separate notebook sections for writing and drawing, we spend a few more hours utilizing those tools too, all while keeping an eye on just how long the battery life lasts.

    Medea Giordano

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  • Reading Has Hurt Me for Years. With a Tablet Holder, It Doesn’t

    Reading Has Hurt Me for Years. With a Tablet Holder, It Doesn’t

    I went with the clamp since I knew it would be easy to hook onto my thin wooden side table or metal bed frame, and neither had a paint or finish that would be damaged by the clamp. Some folks also attach it to a headboard.

    It was perfect for reading in bed or on the side of my couch. The Lamicall isn’t so long that I needed to add a loop to make it sit far enough away from my eye for comfortable reading, and usually I felt like I had just enough slack to perfectly place it within my preferred reading range. I could keep my Kindle’s text size tiny and put it right next to my face, or push it back farther if I wanted. It floated nicely above or near my head, whether I was lying in bed or sitting up on the couch while my son played nearby.

    The base clamp is made of light plastic you secure with a screw top sitting on top of the clamp, which I liked instead of one that pinches on its own–especially since there are tiny grabby hands in my home. The clasp for the Kindle itself is also made of a light plastic, but was still stable and secure. Plus, you can rotate that upper clamp to get the perfect angle.

    The neck of the arm is the most resistant part of it: It does take a little effort to move and angle the arm, but that strength and resistance are what keeps it from falling forward or out of place while you read. Even with the resistance, this Kindle holder is still plenty adjustable and goes in any direction you like.

    To store it, I usually just push it out of the way toward the wall from wherever it’s clamped. It isn’t foldable, nor does it break down, so if you want it out of sight when you aren’t using it you’ll need a closet or long enough space to store its 3-foot form. It was a little weird to see it floating alone in the living room, but I didn’t find it obtrusive when I used it as a bed stand and simply pushed it against the wall when I was done using it.

    It’s designed to be a universal tablet holder, so it’s big enough to hold tablets up to the 11-inch iPad Pro. It can hold a Nintendo Switch, too, along with other popular e-readers. (If only I had this in 2020!) It’s not the right dimensions to hold a bulky Steam Deck by itself, but I still used it to help me prop up a Steam Deck and take weight off my hands and wrists, though it’s not stable enough to float like a Kindle or iPad. It’s able to hold up smartphones, too, and it was similarly comfortable to read with either a Kindle or my iPhone on the Lamicall stand.

    Not Quite Hands-Free

    Photograph: Nena Farrell

    While it won’t fall out of place, the stand is easy to jostle, and I wouldn’t call it hands-free reading—at least not on its own.

    Nena Farrell

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  • 10 editor-tested travel gifts for frequent fliers in 2023 | TechCrunch

    10 editor-tested travel gifts for frequent fliers in 2023 | TechCrunch

    I don’t know about you, but I’ve been traveling a lot this year. In fact, I’ve been back to my 2019 levels of travel, which has been a breath of fresh air after being pandemic-grounded for a couple of years.

    I like to return to this list every time TechCrunch does a gift guide. It’s a good opportunity for me to assess whether I’m packing as efficiently as I could be. I would like to think I’ve got this thing down to a science, but the beauty of being a hardware editor is that there’s always new stuff to try out.

    If you’ve got a frequent flier in your life, here’s a list of travel gifts running the gamut from less than $20 to more than $1,000. There’s something on here for every kind of tech-obsessed travel.

    This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you buy through these links, TechCrunch may earn an affiliate commission.

    Tom Bihn Synik 30 Backpack

    Price: $330 at Tom Bihn

    Image Credits: Tom Bihn

    If you’ve seen me in the past several years, odds are my Timbuk2 backpack was close by. I still love the thing (the ability to expand its internal volume is indispensable), but this seemed like a good time to shake things up and try something new.

    Tom Bihn is one of those companies I’ve heard about over the years, but whose products I’d never actually tried. The 51-year-old firm seems to have cultivated a similarly devoted following as fellow Seattle brand Filson (if you ever see Devin Coldewey in person, ask him his thoughts on waxed canvas). Neither are exactly a household name outside the PNW, but those who know them seem to love them.

    When I told CEO Cindy Guan that I was working on a travel roundup, she recommended the Synik 30, and I think that’s the right call for my needs. For starters, it can fit laptops up to 16 inches — ideal for the 15-inch MacBook Air that’s been my travel companion for the past couple of years.

    Beyond that, it’s just an all-around well-considered and good-looking product (digging the deep Wilderness Ballistic green color) with ample space, a ton of pockets and removable/customizable elements. It’s not cheap, though. The company offers some more affordable options, but the Synik is plenty durable and suitable for both travel and daily commutes, so you’ll get plenty of mileage out of the bag. It’s easily one of the best backpacks I’ve ever tested.

    Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe

    Price: $150 at Anker

    Image Credits: Anker

    Anker products are generally a safe bet. They’re high quality, without the same premium tax as a company like Mophie. The brand has also been innovating form factors quite a bit. This 3-in-1 charger is wildly compact and well suited for suitcases. It ships as a cube that folds out to charge a MagSafe compatible iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at the same time.

    The system supports 15 watt fast charging, while the MagSafe pad features an adjustable angle, so it can double duty in standby mode. No need to rely on the hotel alarm clock with this sitting next to your bedside.

    At $150, it’s a good deal more than just buying a USB cable and wall adapter, but you’re effectively getting three chargers in one portable form factor that will free up a lot of travel space.

    Apple MacBook Air 15-inch

    Price: $1,299 at Amazon

    Apple 15-inch M2 MacBook Air

    Image Credits: Brian Heater

    The M1 and M2 chips have been such massive gamechangers for travel. When I’m feeling particularly nostalgic for my older struggles, I’ll recall my days liveblogging for Engadget, when I had to bring along a massive power bank to make sure my laptop would survive the whole thing.

    These days, however, I fly cross country without regard for charging up my Air. Let’s be honest, the outlets below the seats on Delta are a real crapshoot anyway. This is the laptop we always wanted the Air to be, but constraints on processing power and battery life always fell short.

    As gifts go, it’s an expensive one. But more so than any other item on this list, this is an investment. If you’re not able to sleep on planes, at least you can finally get some real work done.

    Ozlo Sleepbuds

    Price: $229 at Indiegogo

    COO Brian Mulcahey models Ozlo's Sleepbuds

    Image Credits: Brian Heater

    I’m going to do a thing I don’t usually do and recommend a product I’ve not had the chance to try yet. I’ve got some faith in the team behind the Ozlo Sleepbuds, given their pedigrees that played a critical role in the creation of Bose’s version. The company is also determined to fix some of the original ‘buds biggest issues, including their inability to stream music.

    I always felt like Bose’s two swings at the product fell just short of greatness. That’s a bummer, as I’m a historically terrible sleeper and I really wanted to like the things. Attempting to sleep in regular earbuds and over-ear headphones is a bit of a nightmare scenario, so I’m really pulling for the product to be as good as it sounds.

    We’ll keep you updated on the inevitable review. Meantime, you can preorder a pair over on Indiegogo for $229 — that’s $20 less than the Bose Sleepbuds II. How much are you willing to pay for a better night’s sleep?

    Nintendo Switch Lite

    Price: $199 at Amazon

    Nintendo Switch Lite

    Image Credits: Brian Heater

    Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild probably saved me from losing my mind during the early months of the pandemic. Tears of the Kingdom had a similar effect on me earlier this year. The Switch Lite is a great little portable system that’s ideal for long plane rides and during downtime at the hotel.

    The biggest differences between the Lite and normal Switch are size, weight and a lack of TV connectivity. Because of the latter, the Joycons aren’t removable. If you anticipate the console spending a lot of time on the road, those sacrifices are more than worth it — not to mention the lower price point.

    The Switch is getting a bit long in the tooth, six years after its release, but Nintendo has built a fantastic library of games in that time — not to mention access to older content through Switch Online. My biggest complaint remains the battery life, so definitely remember to pack that USB-C cable and turn on Airplane mode when able.

    Apple AirTags 4-Pack

    Price: $99 at Amazon

    Image Credits: Apple

    My advice? Buy the four-pack. I regret not doing that initially. I’ve since added AirTags to my keychain, wallet and luggage tag. As an almost comically absent-minded person with a lot of anxiety (great combination!), these things are worth the price for the peace of mind alone. Heck, I used the alert sound to find my keys inside my messy apartment about an hour ago.

    If you’re an Android user, there are also some great alternatives out there from Tile, Chipolo and Samsung. They’re all great, relatively low-cost gifts that nearly anyone can find a use for — frequent travelers, in particular.

    Amazon Kindle Scribe

    Price: $340 at Amazon

    Image Credits: Brian Heater

    The original Kindle DX was a bit of a dud. I suspect tying a product’s successes to people’s desire to read newspapers in their original format via slow-loading e ink didn’t capture the public’s imagination as Amazon had hoped. Since then, there’s been very little in the way of deviation from the standard six-inch screen.

    The 10.2-inch display was reason enough to make me check out the Scribe. I really like the larger format, and the big Kindle has been a constant fixture in my backpack ever since. The whole experience has opened up quite a bit with the arrival of Send-to-Kindle, a browser-based feature that let’s you drag and drop content that will be sent to your device the next time you fire it up.

    Of course, the real selling point — as the name implies — is the ability to scrawl notes on the device. It’s the first Kindle to sport that functionality. I’ve been reminded the hard way that my typing is much smoother than my script, but the on-device handwriting detection is mercifully forgiving.

    A year of Clear

    Price: $189

    Long lines at the United Airlines ticket counter at Denver International Airport in 2015

    Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

    Turns out air travel can actually be pretty nice — if you’re willing to pay. If you find yourself in several airports a year, this is one upgrade that can definitely justify the cost. A Clear pass will help you avoid the often hellish security lines at airports. It even gives you a leg up on folks with TSA Pre-Check.

    It’s a great gift idea because it’s the kind of thing a lot of people would never think to buy for themselves. Once you’ve got it, however, it’s hard to know how you lived that long without it.

    Beshon Flat Plug Power Strip

    Price: $18 at Amazon

    Image Credits: Beshon

    Several years ago, I started packing a miniature power strip, and it’s been a game changer. While it’s true that more and more hotels are including in-room ports, you never know what you’re going to find until you open that door. Save yourself the grief of swapping plugs all night with one of these.

    There are a ton of options out there — mostly at pretty good prices. I like this one, because it’s nice and compact, while packing in three outlets, a pair of USB-C ports and one USB-A, because you never know. It’s also a bonus for international travel, because you only need a single adapter.

    Belkin iPhone Camera Mount

    Price: $30 at Amazon

    Apple Belkin Continuity Camera

    Apple Belkin Continuity Camera macOS. Image Credits: Brian Heater

    My newest addition to the list has been another gamechanger for me. While it’s true that Apple improved its laptop cameras a couple of years back, the video quality still leaves much to be desired. If you have a Mac and an iPhone, the Continuity Camera feature breaks the game wide open.

    I’ve been using the iPhone 15 Pro Max for work calls on the road, and nothing short of hooking up a DSLR to your computer comes close. This MagSafe accessory is a cheap addition to the arsenal that you can keep in your backpack and forget until you need it.

    Brian Heater

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  • 53 Best Kindle Unlimited Books for 2023

    53 Best Kindle Unlimited Books for 2023

    There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.

    Reading is the ultimate act of self-improvement. It is an essential skill for functioning in our society, ensuring that we can fulfill our responsibilities without assistance from others.

    Reading strengthens our imagination and thought processes. It opens up new vistas before us, allowing us to take advantage of the information all around us.

    When harnessed right, reading enhances your creativity. Furthermore, it is one of the easiest skills you can learn that imparts self-confidence.

    Reading doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, key findings of a lot of research around the world reveal that reading for pleasure positively impacts young people’s academic achievement and overall well-being.

    Books have been around for centuries, providing information and entertainment for those who love to read. Recently, with advances in technology, eBooks have grown in popularity as another medium for easily accessing favorite literary works.

    Amazon introduced Kindle Unlimited, with over a million book titles and several thousand audiobooks in its repository.

    Unlike Kindle Fire, which requires a specific device to access book titles, Kindle Unlimited allows you to access books on your smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop—basically any device.

    Related Reading: If you need further info about this service from Amazon, check out this eye-opening review.

    To help you build your 2023 reading list, we’ve gathered all the best books on Kindle Unlimited in both the fiction and non-fiction categories. So, settle into your most comfortable chair, put your feet up, and prepare for a marathon reading session of books you can get right now in the Kindle store.

    Non-Fiction

    1. Born Survivors by Wendy Holden

    Check Price on Amazon | Check Audiobook Price

    Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope is a gripping account of survival in hellish conditions. Three women discovered they were pregnant during World War II just before being sent to the infamous Auschwitz.

    Their husbands had died at the hands of the Nazis, and they all kept their pregnancies—and the birth of their children—secret from their torturers as they were forced to endure the conditions in the concentration camp.

    Holden’s work is well-researched, intense, and a true inspiration. It is an incredible book about the Second World War, the Holocaust, and women survivors.

    2. Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley

    Check Price on Amazon | Check Audiobook Price

    Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More, and Be More Productive reveals the secrets for tapping into your brain’s ability to achieve focus, enhancing your ability to recall information and other strategies for improving your memory.

    If you want to increase your productivity and become more successful in life, this book can help.

    Through it, you will learn how to utilize memory prompts to remember information, dramatically boost your ability to focus and concentrate, and use other strategies to fully harness the power of your mind.

    Your guide through all the exercises is Kevin Horsley, the International Grandmaster of Memory and a World Memory Championship Medalist.

    3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib

    Check Price on Amazon | Check Audiobook Price

    In this book, Allan Dib shows you how to make a reliable marketing plan that is guaranteed to bring success to your business. It does not matter if you already have years of experience as an entrepreneur or are still starting your first business—you will benefit from Dib’s tips on how to get new clients, confidently close deals, and rise above the competition.

    4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

    Check Price on Amazon | Check Audiobook Price

    This classic self-help and business leadership book explains the concepts of paradigm shifts and being proactive. Now, the book’s message is more accessible and easier to grasp with the Infographics Edition.

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Infographics Edition) will guide you as you become familiar with the seven essential habits of successful people and apply them to your own life.

    5. The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph

    Check Price on Amazon

    An Instant Pot is a truly versatile kitchen appliance, and The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook: Easy Recipes for Fast & Healthy Meals will be your guide for cooking a variety of dishes with ease and confidence.

    There are over a hundred healthy recipes, so whether you’re a novice or a pro in the kitchen (or following a special diet like Paleo or vegetarian), this cookbook is your comprehensive reference for tasty Instant Pot dishes.

    6. An American Princess by Annejet van der Zijl; translated by Michele Hutchison

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    This well-written biography about Allene Tew gives readers a glimpse into America’s upper-class life during the Gilded Age. Through An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew, we journey with Tew in her determination to survive, driven away from her hometown and the people who shared in her past.

    7. The Child Whisperer by Carol Tuttle

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    Parents sometimes get stumped when it comes to raising their kids. Fortunately, Carol Tuttle reveals the essential tools for effective parenting strategies.

    With her guidance, parents can get their children to cooperate more. In addition, this book shows how you can fix troubled relationships between parents and teenagers, as well as how moms and dads can maintain their connections with adult children.

    8. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

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    The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM) has been instrumental in transforming the lives of many people. Hal Elrod’s principles within its pages help readers find the energy and drive to bring their lives to the next level.

    This book promises to unleash your highest potential and help you reach the success you’ve always dreamed about—and it all starts with committing to waking up earlier than usual. Everything else will follow.

    9. Declutter Your Mind by S. J. Scott and Barrie Davenport

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    Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking provides science-backed information on how you can stop negative thinking and take control of your thoughts.

    Through this book, you’ll come to understand the root cause of mental clutter. It gives you the guidance you need to achieve peace of mind and develop stronger relationships with people who matter to you.

    The authors guide you to learning new habits and mindsets that encourage clarity of thought. These are all designed to help you live a more meaningful life.

    10. Essential Oils Natural Remedies by Althea Press

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    These days, quite a number of people are using essential oils as an alternative or supplement to conventional treatment options. Several research studies show that essential oils benefit various ailments, including muscle pain and depression.

    This book provides in-depth information on how to harness the healing powers of essential oils. You’ll learn the profiles of over 70 commonly used essential oils, remedies and treatments, and the basics of essential oil use.

    11. The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners by Amy Ramos

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    Here at Develop Good Habits, we’re all for healthy living and eating. So this book about the keto lifestyle really caught our attention.

    The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: Your Essential Guide to Living the Keto Lifestyle is a reliable reference for the ketogenic diet. If you’re interested to learn about this diet and the low-carb lifestyle, Amy Ramos will be your guide.

    This book is filled with useful information for those beginning on the keto diet. The nutritional breakdown of recipes featured in the book is really helpful, as are the shopping list and the meal plan suggestions.

    12. I Hear You by Michael S. Sorensen

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    Michael Sorensen reveals the most important skill for building stronger relationships in I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships. Many people are not aware that validation is the key to connecting with others on a deeper level.

    In this book, Sorensen helps readers become more present in their interactions with others. They learn how to diffuse the tension that would otherwise lead to arguments; encourage others to be more open to their own views, and show support to those special people in their lives. All these skills show others that you acknowledge their presence in your life.

    13. A Beginner’s Guide to Living in an RV by Alyssa Padgett

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    If you plan to transition into a life on the road, A Beginner’s Guide to Living in an RV: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Full-Time RVing Across America can help you. Alyssa Padgett has first-hand experience with RVing, having done it with her husband for years. The book is full of tips and inside information on RV culture, where to find the best RV parks in America, and even how to find great Internet while on the road.

    14. The Unlimited Self by Jonathan Heston

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    Are you ready to make success happen in your life? If you commit to going the distance, The Unlimited Self: Destroy Limiting Beliefs, Uncover Inner Greatness, and Live the Good Life will guide you to achieve the life you’ve always longed for.

    People’s setbacks are often caused by their fear of fully embracing who they truly are and what they are capable of. This book introduces a system to help you successfully carry out your dreams and goals.

    Things that you’ll learn in this book include using fear to your advantage, harnessing the power of your thoughts, and reprogramming your “future self.”

    15. Build Your Running Body by Pete Magill, Thomas Schwartz, and Melissa Breyer

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    There is a better way to develop strength, stamina, and speed as a runner. Build Your Running Body: A Total-Body Fitness Plan for All Distance Runners, from Milers to Ultramarathoners – Run Farther, Faster, and Injury-Free provides the latest, science-backed research on running to help you create the right training program, whether you’re a casual runner or an ultramarathoner.

    The book promises to give you an “injury-resistant running body” through over 150 exercise routines. Every workout features photographs to make it easy to follow each step of the routine. It also provides a guide for novice runners, insights into hot topics related to running, recipes, exercise strategies, and more!

    16. The Art of Saying NO by Damon Zahariades

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    If you’re one of the many people who can’t say no and end up being taken advantage of by friends, co-workers, and family, and if you’ve had enough of this kind of treatment, then The Art of Saying NO: How to Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time and Energy, and Refuse to be Taken for Granted (Without Feeling Guilty!) will help you set boundaries and not feel guilty about it.

    This book provides a step-by-step approach to developing your own assertiveness. Through this book, you’ll understand the underlying factors affecting why some people find it hard to set personal boundaries, discover that saying no to others isn’t a negative trait, and learn effective and gracious strategies for turning people down.

    17. Think Like a Warrior by Darrin Donnelly

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    Think Like a Warrior: The Five Inner Beliefs That Make You Unstoppable is an inspiration whether you’re an athlete or not. It teaches you how to change your mindset to stop thinking that you’re a victim of circumstance and start taking control of your own life.

    Let this book be your guide in learning how to boost your self-confidence, use positivity to improve the quality of your life, and achieve the right mindset to tackle everyday challenges.

    The book is written as a fable, and the lessons are from some of the most influential coaches of all time, such as John Wooden, Vince Lombardi, and Buck O’Neil.

    18. How to Draw Cool Stuff by Catherine Holmes

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    People of all different ages can appreciate How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students. It is ideal for those who want to improve their drawing skills and learn how to draw some cool stuff.

    The instructions are easy to follow. Discussions accompany each drawing technique before proceeding to exercises for readers to apply the techniques they are learning.

    19. A Train Near Magdeburg by Matthew Rozell

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    In this well-researched work, A Train Near Magdeburg: A Teacher’s Journey Into the Holocaust, Rozell brings our attention to the terrible events of WWII. His important book serves as a reminder of what humans are capable of—both cruelty and compassion—and that we should always be vigilant and never again allow the former to take over the world.

    20. Think Smart Not Hard by Roy Huff

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    All of us have challenges we must face in our everyday lives. Sometimes, these challenges threaten to overwhelm us. But before you throw in the towel, you need to read Think Smart Not Hard: 52 Key Principles to Success and Happiness.

    The principles for success and happiness that Ruff shares in his work promise to transform your life and lead you to the path you were meant to take. There are exercises for you to try that are designed to inspire and get you moving in the direction of personal success.

    21. What If? by Randall Munroe

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    Randall Munroe is the creator of xckd.com, a widely popular webcomic featuring stick-figure drawings tackling issues on love, language, science, etc. It is, as Munroe described the site, “a sort of Dear Abby for mad scientists.” What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is a compilation of hypothetical questions and Munroe’s answers.

    Here is a sample question from the book: “If every person on Earth aimed a laser pointer at the Moon at the same time, would it change color?” The answers usually lead to pretty interesting discussions, making this book a must-read.

    22. Find Your Passion by Henri Junttila

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    If you find yourself stuck in a rut in an unfulfilling career, Find Your Passion: 25 Questions You Must Ask Yourself can help you find your way to doing what you are truly passionate about.

    The book isn’t too long, but the exercises require you to commit at least a few hours to carefully thinking about your answers to uncover your passions.

    23. 201 Relationship Questions by Barrie Davenport

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    Asking deep questions can bring you and your partner closer together. Couples can use 201 Relationship Questions: The Couple’s Guide to Building Trust and Emotional Intimacy to guide you to the right questions to ask each other on a journey to better understand each other.

    Set a time each day to answer some of the questions together. Your answers to these eye-opening questions can be a way of refreshing your relationship—strengthening your bond, and protecting each other from potential external conflicts.

    24. Genius Foods by Max Lugavere

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    In Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life (Genius Living Book 1), Max Lugavere shares vital information about the connection between food consumption and brain aging. He reveals how food can impact our memory, sense of focus, creativity, comprehension, and mood. 

    The book provides actionable tips useful for improving the brain’s performance, including:

    • What nutrients boost memory and cognition
    • Where to find memory-boosting nutrients
    • Which foods to consume in order to increase happiness

    Fiction

    25. I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll

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    With over 10,000 ratings to date, this psychological/crime thriller is one of the must-reads of the year. If you have ever wondered how crime can affect people’s lives, especially families, this book delves into that issue.

    Driscoll uses one character’s point of view for every chapter. Sometimes, the plotline feels like it’s all over the place. However, the twists and cliffhangers weave together to form an emotional ending.

    26. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

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    In this book, Mark Sullivan takes us to Italy during the Second World War and into the life of 18-year-old Pino Lello. Readers witness Pino’s courage and indomitability in the face of the horrors of war. This is a riveting read for those who are into historical or WWII fiction.

    27. Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan

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    If you’re looking for a lighthearted read, you might want to try this book. It’s a story about a newly divorced woman who only wants time away to heal and regroup. During her vacation, however, a handsome neighbor disrupts her plans for quiet.

    Brogan’s writing style endears the main character, Sadie, to readers. There are laugh-out-loud scenes with the right amount of romance.

    28. White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey

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    This historical fiction is set during WWII. Eoin Dempsey’s narrative about German dissenter Franka Gerber grips the senses and puts the reader right in the scenes of suspense and horror as seen through Franka’s eyes.

    The book explores what it’s like to experience a moral dilemma. Will the main character do the right thing even if she faces possible death in doing it?

    29. The Storyteller’s Secret: A Novel by Sejal Badani

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    This book takes you on a journey into a woman’s grief and toward newfound hope through her family’s legacy. Sejal Badani writes beautifully. Despite the topic of miscarriage and family secrets, every page is a gentle unfolding that touches the heart.

    30. Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt

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    This is a story of unconditional love, redemption, and hope. Cara embarks on a journey (by foot) to visit the home of Ernest Hemingway. Along the way, she picks up a stray dog and names him after her favorite author.

    As the story progresses, Cara changes as she encounters people who care for her and show her kindness—something she didn’t experience when she was younger.

    The book is written with sensitivity to topics such as mental illness, the foster care system, and even animals.

    31. The Girl in the Box Series (Books 1-3) by Robert J. Crane

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     The Girl in the Box might be right up your alley if you are into science fiction and adventure. The story revolves around Sienna Nealon, a 17-year-old girl who didn’t know she was a “metahuman,” or someone who possesses superpowers.

    Books 1-3 are available for free on Kindle Unlimited. The first three volumes introduce us to Sienna and her discovery of her superpowers. Throughout the series, she develops her powers with the guidance of an agency known as the Directorate, fights off dangerous metahumans, and attempts to find her mother, who has disappeared.

     32. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

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    How far are you willing to go to start a new life? This suspense thriller introduces us to Gwen Proctor, a warrior mom formerly known as Gina Royal.

    The identity change is necessary because Gina’s charismatic but incarcerated husband, Mel, had a secret life as a serial killer. Now Gwen must do all she can to protect her children and herself from the evil unleashed by her husband.

    33. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

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    This is a lighthearted story of single mom Amy Byler who gets a break from raising her teenage children to go on a vacation, where she eventually finds herself.

    Kelly Harms’ writing style gives readers relatable characters in truly believable scenarios. The entire story of Amy’s “momspringa” is a wonderful mix of self-discovery, powerful emotions, and humor.

    34. The Magnolia Inn by Carolyn Brown

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    Spoiler alert: This book has a happy ending. The story will leave you feeling that there’s still a lot of goodness in this world. Magnolia Inn is about allowing new beginnings to flourish—letting go of the past, trusting again, and embracing the future.

    35. Never Be Alone by Paige Dearth

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    Page Dearth showcases her powerful writing with this haunting and horrifying novel about a homeless child named Joon. Her experiences while living on the streets threaten to break her. How long can she persevere?

    Dearth hopes that, through her writing, readers will become aware of issues that society tends to ignore. This book will change how you see homelessness and open your eyes to other social issues.

    36. Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson

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    Some readers avoid love stories because they tend to be cloyingly sweet. However, this charming story is nothing like that.

    Maddie Dawson infuses lightness and charm into this love story without being off-putting. It is a delightful read from beginning to end.

    37. Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

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    If you are interested in whodunit stories with a bit of romance, comedy, and a haunting or two, you’ve got to check out Saving Grace. Hutchins writes in vivid detail, transporting her readers to the Caribbean and following main character Katie’s (mis)adventures as she works to get her life back on track.

    38. The Price of Time by Tim Tigner

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    In The Price of Time, Tim Tigner weaves a story of intrigue, action, and suspense that keeps you guessing how it will end. The plot twists keep readers riveted.

    This story tackles the issue of immortality and the possible impact of discovering a literal fountain of youth in our time. As a well-written literary piece, it is a true page-turner. Get ready to lose some sleep to find out what happens next.

    39. Split Second by Douglas E. Richards

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    Douglas Richards formerly worked in biotech, so he is a credible sci-fi author. One example is this book, where the concept of time travel is central to the plot.

    Readers are swept along for a roller-coaster ride into a world where time travel is possible, with far-reaching and mind-blowing consequences.

    40. Pushing Brilliance by Tim Tigner

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    Tigner’s work is often compared to Robert Ludlum’s, and with good reason. His Kyle Achilles series has become a favorite on Kindle Unlimited and a strong contender as the new American hero in thriller fiction. Pushing Brilliance is the first book in the series.

    In this installment, readers are introduced to Achilles as he works together with his late brother’s Russian fiancée to uncover and stop a plot to destroy both the White House and the Kremlin. The book is well written, with a satisfying ending that makes you want to read the rest of the books in the series.

    41. Constitution: Book 1 of the Legacy Fleet Series by Nick Webb

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    It’s 2650, and planet Earth has barely survived an alien attack. Now, the aliens are back to annihilate everyone once and for all. Humanity’s hope lies with one man and a decommissioned starship.

    Nick Webb’s story is reminiscent of Battle Star Galactica, making for enjoyable reading. The characters evolve as the story progresses. On the whole, it is a good first book for the Legacy Fleet Series.

    42. An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard Series Book 1) by Scott Pratt

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    If we’re giving out awards for the best books on Kindle Unlimited, this one from Scott Pratt is our choice for best Southern crime fiction. A murder happens, and a young girl stands accused of the crime. Lawyer Joe Dillard, beset with personal troubles, is determined to prove his client’s innocence.

    This story touches on the subjects of forgiveness, surrender, and redemption. It is well written, with a tight plotline and relatable characters.

    43. The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson

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    Award-winning author Kenneth Johnson weaves a tale of intrigue in the supernatural thriller Man of Legends. In this story, we encounter Will, Hanna, and Jillian. Unwillingly, they must work together to unravel an age-old mystery to save their lives and countless others.

    44. Inception: The Marked (Book 1) by Bianca Scardoni

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    This book introduces us to Jemma Blackburn, a teenager who witnessed a vampire murdering her father. Now the vampires are after her, knowing that she is not human. However, Jemma isn’t aware of that yet. This is a perfect gift for teens who are into the paranormal, mysteries, and fantasy.

    45. Storm Glass by Jeff Wheeler

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    If you’re into steampunk, alternate worlds, and history, Jeff Wheeler’s first book for his Harbinger Series is your passport to an engaging reading experience. The book is well written and quite enjoyable.

    It’s geared toward young adult readers, but people of all ages can follow Cettie Pratt and Sera Fitzempress and their efforts to save the world they know.

    46. An Absent Mind by Eric Rill

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    Eric Rill’s novel has won prestigious awards, including a gold medal in the Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Fiction.

    This is a moving and eye-opening story that shows us what it’s like to witness a loved one succumbing to Alzheimer’s. The book inspires and changes readers’ perceptions, especially about degenerative diseases and the tenacity of the sufferers.

    47. The Paper Magician (Book 1) by Charlie N. Holmberg

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    Charlie Holmberg weaves an extraordinary tale that’s filled with whimsy and excitement. Step into Victorian England, where magic is real, and get introduced to Ceony Twill, an apprentice to a paper magician.

    Enjoy your stay in Ceony’s world as she overcomes the challenges she has to face to save her mentor’s life and get to know herself better.

    48. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

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    Margaret Atwood wrote a powerful novel that readers are sure to remember. The Handmaid’s Tale describes life in the United States as it turns into a monotheocracy. It details social unrest and bizarre consequences that exist for the men and women in the population.

    The tale is told through the view of Offred, one of the Handmaids. There are parts cloaked in humor, unexpected and horrifying scenes, and satire.

    49. Reminders of Him: A Novel by Colleen Hoover

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    Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover details a troubled young mother who wants her shot at redemption after she has served the past five years in jail for a mistake. While heartbreaking, it is also described as a hopeful story written by the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

    Take the journey throughout Kenna’s life as she desperately tries to find a way to absolve her past mistakes and build a more healing future.

    50. Quicksilver by Dean Koontz

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    In Quicksilver by Dean Koontz, another #1 New York Times bestselling author, we follow as the master of suspense takes a road trip with a man to pursue his strange past. Born a mystery, the book follows along with Quinn Quicksilver and his unexceptional life.

    Kindle Unlimited Books for Middle Schoolers and Young Adults

    In addition to all the adult book recommendations we have made, we also wanted to include a few young adult options you can find on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

    51. Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone by JK Rowling

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    An oldie but a goodie. Even though the Harry Potter books were released years ago, they remain a top choice on many best book lists. JK Rowling takes the reader into a world of fantasy and magic as we meet Harry Potter, a boy who is offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on his eleventh birthday.

    52. The Hunger Games (#1) by Suzanne Collins

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    The Hunger Games and the books in the series that follow still fall on #1 bestseller lists on Amazon as Suzanne Collins details what is happening in North America during the annual Hunger Games.

    This copy is a Special Edition that includes an extensive interview with Suzanne Collins and offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the series was imagined and created.

    53. The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again (Lord of the Rings) by JRR Tolkien

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    Another modern classic, this bestseller by JRR Tolkien, is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings series. It introduces us to Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who rarely traveled further than his own pantry.

    It details his adventures that begin with the appearance of Gandalf and takes us on a magical journey filled with suspense and humor.

    How to Use Amazon Kindle Unlimited

    You can get devices for each member of the family, including the kids. The Kindle Fire Tablet (kids edition) is a great option for younger kids and allows them to read picture books in color format. The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is an eBook that is easy to read in the dark.

    To use Amazon Kindle Unlimited, you do not have to maintain a regular subscription. You can pay for a month whenever you need it, which can be a plus if you only need these book options for travel or other special occasions.

    Kindle books are a great way to entertain the kids and allow you to check out up to 10 titles at one time. This way, everyone in the family can find something to read.

    Final Words on Best Books on Kindle Unlimited

    There you have it—53 of the best books available on Kindle Unlimited for your 2023 reading list. Have you found a favorite? Let us know your thoughts below.

    Still not convinced that reading is for you? You might want to check out this post to learn more about the benefits of reading a book.

    If you’ve already begun a reading habit, I offer my congratulations. You’re well on your way to a successful, happier life.

    And if you’re looking for more resources about Kindle, be sure to check out these blog posts:

    Amazon Kindle Unlimited FAQ

    Still have questions about Amazon Kindle Unlimited? We have the answers to some of the more commonly asked questions about this Amazon service.

    Do I have to have a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle Unlimited?

    You also do not need a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle Unlimited. You can read your Kindle Unlimited books on your phone, tablet, or computer or with a free Kindle Reading app.

    Is Kindle Unlimited free for Amazon Prime members?

    No. Kindle Unlimited is not free for Amazon Prime members. Member or not, you will have to pay the monthly fee of $9.99. With your Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read an unlimited number of books each month. However, you can only check out up to ten Kindle Unlimited titles at one time.

    What is Amazon Kindle Kids Edition?

    Amazon Kids is free for parents, and Amazon Kids+ subscriptions start at $2.99 per month for Amazon Prime members and $4.99 a month for nonmembers. With the Amazon Kindle Kids Edition and FreeTime Unlimited, you can tailor your child’s time on their device, and it is incredibly easy to use.

    You start by setting up your child’s profile, and then you can activate the Fire for Kids Unlimited subscription. Your child can then begin browsing books immediately. They can search under different categories to find exactly what they want.

    best books on kindle unlimited | best books on kindle unlimited reddit | best kindle unlimited books romancebest books on kindle unlimited | best books on kindle unlimited reddit | best kindle unlimited books romance

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  • AI Forgeries Are Messing With The Sci-Fi World

    AI Forgeries Are Messing With The Sci-Fi World

    Image: Yuichiro Chino (Getty Images)

    The award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine has helped launch the careers of science fiction writers for almost 20 years, regularly featuring work from Hugo Award nominees and winners like Elizabeth Bear, Peter Watts and Catherynne M. Valente. But right now, in quite the ironic situation, it finds itself battling against that most sci-fi of modern trends: AI.

    According to a recent article by Clarkesworld’s editor, Neil Clarke, over a third of submissions that have come in to the magazine this year have been written by artificial intelligence, then submitted by cheating humans. And it’s getting worse, fast. In the first half of February, more than double the number of AI-written entries appeared than in all of January, and Clarke tells Kotaku there were 50 alone today.

    Since the article was written, Clarke has tweeted that as of now, submissions are entirely closed. “I shouldn’t be hard to guess why,” he adds.

    The decision to close submissions was made “in the spur of the moment,” Clarke told Kotaku via email, as the numbers poured in this morning. “I could either play whack-a-mole all day or close submissions and work with the legitimate submissions.”

    The speed of the rise of this situation is quite striking. Clarke states in his blog post that he’s long had to deal with plagiarism, but it wasn’t until the close of 2022 that the problem became so endemic. And then in the first month and a half of 2023, it’s escalated to such a scale that the magazine has suspended entries entirely.

    A graph showing the rise in banned entrants to Clarkesworld Magazine.

    Clarke’s graphic showing the vast increase in bans.
    Graphic: Neil Clarke

    How can Clarkesworld tell a story was generated by AI?

    Clarke doesn’t explain in his blog how he’s able to tell which entries are written by AI, for the very sensible reason that he doesn’t want to arm cheats with information that could help them bypass his detection. However, he explained to Kotaku that they currently aren’t too difficult to spot.

    “The ‘authors’ we’ve banned,” Clarke told us, “have been very obviously submitting machine-generated text. Those works are formulaic and of poor quality.” However, he also suspects there’s a tier above these already, not quite so obvious, but enough to raise suspicion. “None are ever good enough to warrant spending more time on them,” he explains, but adds, “It’s inevitable that that group will grow over time and become yet another problem.”

    It’s not a problem Clarke faces alone. The editor reports others in similar positions are facing the same challenges, and clearly if it’s happening to Clarkesworld, it’ll be happening anywhere that is open to submissions for publication. And while, for the most part, such submissions are weeded out simply because they won’t be good enough for publication, it’s an expensive and time-consuming process to wade through the fakes.

    Clarke adds that third-party detection tools which are supposed to be able to recognise plagiarized or AI-written content aren’t the solution, given the numbers of false-positives and negatives, and indeed the cost of such services. Other short-term measures, like regional bans on parts of the world where most faked entries come from, are also not the answer. As Clarke puts it in his article,

    It’s clear that business as usual won’t be sustainable and I worry that this path will lead to an increased number of barriers for new and international authors. Short fiction needs these people.

    And of course, this isn’t an issue that’s going to get easier. The pace with which AI chat bots are improving is enough to have you penning ideas for a science fiction short story, and presumably forthcoming tweaks will make them ever-harder to immediately spot. However, it’s likely we’re still a fair way off AI being able to create stories genuinely worth reading. I asked Clarke if he thought this likely to be the case. “At the moment, considerable improvement is still necessary,” he said, not wanting to venture a guess as to exactly how long such a leap might be from now.

    But this doesn’t provide much comfort. “We still have ethical concerns about the means by which these works are created,” Clarke told Kotaku, “and until such concerns can be ameliorated, we won’t even consider publishing machine-generated works.”

    ChatGPT and Chatsonic’s attempts at a sci-fi story

    There are already services like ChatSonic that boldly promote themselves as a means to create blocks of non-plagiarized writing that students can use. I’ve previously engaged in exhaustingly futile debates with the AI itself about how this is clearly cheating, over which it becomes enormously indignant, defending itself with circular arguments and a determination that simply asking the bot for words on a topic is a creative act in itself.

    Indeed, while I wrote the previous paragraph I asked ChatSonic to write me a 1,000 word short story about an AI that writes science fiction and goes on to win a Hugo Award. For some reason it only reached 293 words (bloody freelancers), and it’s abysmal, but it took a few seconds:

    A ChatSonic short story.

    Screenshot: ChatSonic / Kotaku

    Meanwhile, ChatGPT put in a far better effort, hitting the wordcount, and writing something that had some sense of creativity behind it. Ultimately, it’s still a dreadful story, and hilariously self-aggrandizing, but unnervingly competent:

    ChatGPT's science fiction story.

    Screenshot: ChatGPT / Kotaku

    (Er, I guess I’ll paste the second half in the comments, if you’re desperate to know how it ends.)

    Can AI outdo human creativity?

    Clarke mentioned above that he has many ethical concerns to resolve before even considering publishing AI-crafted writing. But could such a thing ever occur? If AI could generate original stories that are worth reading, might it ever be reasonable to publish such things? “First,” Clarke told us, “you need these tools to become able to write something that goes beyond its dataset. True imagination, not a remix. At that point, it can rival our best authors, but isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be better.”

    Of course, “better” might not be the ultimate defining factor. As Clarke adds, “the big difference, and the one causing us problems now, is speed. An machine can outproduce and bury a human artist in the noise of it all.”

    And just in case all of this wasn’t worrying you enough already, let’s end things with ChatGPT’s chilling concluding paragraph to the short story I asked for before:

    Some people were still skeptical, of course. They believed that an AI could never truly be creative, that it was just regurgitating information that had been programmed into it. But the fans of SciFiGenius knew better. They knew that the AI was capable of so much more than just spitting out pre-written stories. They knew that it was a true artist, capable of creating works that touched the hearts and minds of millions of people.

    By the way, you can support Clarkesworld Magazine in a whole bunch of different ways. That’s something that’s about to become even more important, when Amazon abandons its Kindle subscription services later this year.

    John Walker

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  • The Best Japanese E-Book Retailers for Japanese Learners

    The Best Japanese E-Book Retailers for Japanese Learners

    Hey you! Do you want to read more Japanese books but don’t fancy paying international shipping fees? Or maybe you don’t want to wait for them to come in the mail, or would simply rather not acquire tons of dead trees you’ll have to lug around next time you move. Lucky for you, we have technology, which means you can get your hands on all that literature in a less ancient manner.

    E-books give you immediate access to Japanese reading material, are often cheaper, and sometimes even offer handy tools like highlighting and built-in dictionaries — pretty convenient for Japanese learners! The best e-reader and service for you will depend on your preferences, device, and Japanese learning needs — not to mention how hard you want to work to acquire your electronic tomes. So we tried to save you some precious time by doing the research for you.

    In this article, writers at Tofugu looked into multiple e-book marketplaces, apps, and readers and picked ones that work well for Japanese learners, including those who live outside Japan.

    You’ll also learn tips for how to choose an e-book retailer/reader, and how to take advantage of their features to improve your Japanese. Hopefully, after reading, you’ll feel good about downloading some Japanese words into your eyeballs through one of these services!

    How to Choose an E-book Retailer

    Okay, you’re hooked on digital phonics and ready to dive into the tantalizing world of Japanese e-books. But where to begin?

    Well, first you’ll have to decide where you want to get your e-books. There’s no shortage of 電子書籍ストア (denshishoseki sutoa) — literally “e-book stores,” or services that sell Japanese e-books. There’s nothing wrong with dipping your toes into multiple services, but you’ll probably want to stick with one or two to start. Having all your e-books in one place tends to make the reading experience smoother anyway.

    So, how should you choose your e-book platform/reader? Here are some criteria we used to puzzle out whether a service was any good or not:

    1. Can you buy books from outside Japan?

    Buying e-books sounds like a great idea, especially if you aren’t living in Japan, right? Not so fast. E-books could be as hard to get a hold of as physical books depending on the e-book retailer — some require a Japanese VPN , a Japan-issued credit card, and so on. And even if you are located in Japan, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have access to all these resources. So make sure you choose a store that is foreign-resident friendly.

    Check to see if they require:

    • a Japanese address,
    • a Japanese VPN,
    • and/or a Japanese credit card.

    Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a Japanese credit card, but what if you don’t?

    We’ve included several e-book retailers that don’t require a Japanese address, VPN, method of payment, etc. so you can join in the fun no matter what!

    2. Do they have books you want to read?

    Available selections and genres can vary depending on the retailer. You can check to see if the service offers:

    • manga (漫画),
    • novels (小説),
    • light novels (ライトノベル or ラノベ),
    • literature (文学),
    • lifestyle/practical use (暮らし・実用), etc.

    Some stores focus on certain genres, so if you have a specific preference, that’s something to consider. You certainly don’t have to limit yourself to just one store, but using multiple platforms means you’ll have your books in different places, which could be a nuisance.

    3. What usability features does the service have?

    Reading in your non-native language can be tough, so for Japanese learners, having certain e-book tools and features might be a priority. Does the service have:

    • a built-in dictionary,
    • bookmarks,
    • a highlighting tool,
    • zoom in/zoom out,
    • a way to leave notes,
    • search capabilities,
    • or text settings (font, size, vertical/horizontal display)?

    For Japanese learners, a built-in dictionary feature can be a game changer. Simply by selecting text on your e-reader, you’ll get the option to look up words using your device’s built-in dictionaries. For example, with iOS devices, you can download and use any of the built-in dictionaries, so you can use a Japanese-Japanese dictionary (like スーパー大辞林) and a Japanese-English dictionary (like ウィズダム和英・英和辞典) to conveniently look up Japanese words and see the definitions in both Japanese and English. If your native language is not English, you can add other languages as well. On top of that, many e-reader apps come with features to look up selected text on Google or Wikipedia, too.

    Unfortunately, manga (and some other forms of visual-based content) generally don’t work with features such as highlighting or dictionary search. This won’t be a problem if you’ll be reading novels or other text-centric content, but it’s just something to keep in mind if you’re going to be reading manga, primarily.

    4. Is your device compatible?

    You don’t want to go to all the trouble of buying books through a service just to have your spit out an error message. Popular Japanese e-book stores usually offer dedicated apps for reading their books on mobile devices and specific e-readers. However, make sure to check whether these apps work with your particular device. Also, be aware that those apps are usually only available in Japanese app stores, so you may need to create a new account and/or change the region settings in order to download them. (You should be able to find tips to work around this online!)

    Some retailers also offer a ブラウザビューア, or “browser viewer,” which allows you to read in a web browser without needing to download an app. Not all books have this feature available though, so look for the 🌐 icon or browser ブラウザ, which means that the content is compatible with a browser viewer. However, the features you can use in the browser viewer are pretty limited compared to the app versions in general. So if you want to use features like a built-in dictionary, it’ll be worth downloading the app.

    Many e-book retailers also list free titles, or 試し読み tameshiyomi (previews), available. This is a great option, not only for sampling a book before you buy it, but also for device compatibility test purposes before handing over your money!

    5. Is the service reliable?

    In the unfortunate event that the service ends, will your books be gone forever? There’s a lower chance of literary tragedies like this happening if you use a more reliable, stable service. Major e-book retailers tend to be owned by big publishers, printing companies, or physical bookstore chains, which are still thriving businesses in Japan compared to overseas. This stability might be a good sign in terms of reliability, so hopefully you won’t be losing your books any time soon.

    Recommended Japanese E-book Retailers / 電子書籍ストア

    With all those questions swimming in our minds and keeping us up at night, we writers at Tofugu tried out multiple Japanese e-book services so you don’t have to. We used websites with browser-based readers/apps, like BookLive, BookWalker, and Honto, as well as e-book devices that support Japanese text, such as the Amazon Kindle and Kobo. There’s even a special mention at the end for all-you-can-read subscription services, if you’re so inclined.

    So without further ado, here are the literary fruits of our labor!

    Book☆Walker

    BookWalker is an online e-book retailer featuring a wide range of manga, novels, and magazines. It’s run by the Kadokawa corporation, which started as a bookstore and is now one of the leading publishing companies in Japan. While it’s not quite as straightforward as some websites, BookWalker does a pretty good job of being easy to understand, even for Japanese learners. There’s also a subscription service, which gives readers access to a large library of either novels and light novels, or manga and magazines, with both subscriptions costing ¥836 or around $6 per month.

    Compared to other comparable Japanese e-book services, BookWalker is more accessible to English speakers.

    You can access the BookWalker online store to browse and purchase Japanese books without the hassle of connecting to a VPN, or entering a Japanese address. Additionally, a number of payment methods are accepted, from Paypal to Amazon Pay, making it even easier to purchase books abroad. Finally, BookWalker offers a large selection of free titles, particularly the first volumes in a series (presumably, to keep you coming back for more). This is a great way to get a lot of varied reading practice in, without paying a dime…or yen!

    Although the site is not fully supported in English, compared to other comparable Japanese e-book services, BookWalker is more accessible to English speakers. For example, once you’ve found a book you want to purchase, the checkout process features an English language setting. BookWalker also provides a short English guide on how to purchase Japanese books through their FAQ page.

    In addition to these features, there is also a “Global” version of the service which offers only English versions of Japanese manga and light novels. So if you are looking to purchase both the original and the translated versions, BookWalker might be the right choice for you.

    If you want to read on a computer or your phone, it’s hard to beat BookWalker.

    When it comes to the actual reading experience, BookWalker’s app is smooth, too, allowing you to look up selected words using your device’s built-in dictionaries, or on Wikipedia or Google. Like we said before, this feature isn’t available for manga, but that’s normal for an e-reader app like this. Additionally, you can purchase new books directly through the e-reader app, without having to visit the website first.

    If you want to read on a computer or your phone, it’s hard to beat BookWalker. With its friendliness for international customers, large library, ease of use, and helpful subscription services, BookWalker is a great option for Japanese learners to practice reading.

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