E-Books: The Smartest Way to Access & Store Knowledge Digitally
E-books offer great convenience to readers. They can be read anywhere using a smartphone, tablet or e-reader. Many e-books are available for free or at a low price. Platforms like Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books, and Project Gutenberg help you download e-books. You can also get e-books from online libraries. You can easily buy or download e-books on various online platforms.
Where to Get Fiction & Non-Fiction E-Books (Free & Paid)
World-famous fiction and non-fiction e-books are available in many ways. Here are some of the important sources listed:
1. Amazon Kindle Store:
A wide range of e-books are available in fiction and non-fiction categories, compatible with Kindle e-readers and mobile apps.
2. Google Play Books:
Available in a variety of languages for use on Android and iOS devices.
3. Kobo Books, Apple Books:
Other online e-book stores include these.
4. Project Gutenberg:
A large collection of out-of-copyright books can be downloaded for free.
5. Internet Archive:
Books are available for free.
There are also several online libraries such as Wikisource and the Open Library.
6. Publishers’ websites:
Many publishers sell their e-books directly through their websites.
7. Libraries:
Many libraries now offer e-books online. You can download e-books for free with a library membership.
8. Subscription services:
Services like Kindle Unlimited and Scribd offer unlimited access to e-books for a set fee.
Best Platforms for Student E-Books: Textbooks & Study Materials
Some of the important school, college and university e-books are given below:
School Education:
NCERT e-books: National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Kerala SCERT e-books: Kerala State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
CBSE e-books: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
Textbooks of etc. are available as e-books.
DIKSHA App: This app released by the Ministry of Education provides textbooks of various boards as e-books.
College Education:
NPTEL e-books: National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) makes available textbooks on various technical subjects as e-books.
e-PG Pathshala: This portal launched by the University Grants Commission (UGC) makes available textbooks for postgraduate courses as e-books.
Open Access Journals: Journals of many colleges and universities are available as e-books.
University Education:
INFLIBNET Information and Library Network Centre, Open Textbook Library, Google Scholar & Shodhganga: These make available research papers and books of various universities as e-books.
Apart from these, many universities make available textbooks and research papers as e-books on their websites.
Personality Growth E-Books: Top Picks for Self-Improvement
Personality development is available on topics like mental health, self-improvement, leadership, time management, etc. Some of the important ones are given below:
- “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie: This book helps you build good relationships with others, influence them, and improve communication skills.
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey: This book help you achieve success in life and explains goal-setting, punctuality, and problem-solving.
- “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill: This book tells you how to make financial gains. It explains positive thinking, goal-setting, and perseverance.
- “Atomic Habits” by James Clear: This book discusses how to make changes in your life through good habits.
- “The Power of Positive Thinking“ by Norman Vincent Peale: This book explains how to overcome life’s crises and build a happy life.
- “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck: This book explains about the growth mindset and how it influences personal development.
- “Daring Greatly” by Brené Brown: This book explores vulnerability and how to face it with courage.
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey:
The classic guide to self-improvement and adopting an effective lifestyle. - “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle:
A guide to living in the present moment and achieving peace of mind. - “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman: Widely considered one of the best and most influential books on the development of the mind, it is a world-renowned work that takes an in-depth look at the two thought systems that guide our judgment and decision-making:
Digital Resources for Business & Finance
There are many digital resources available for business finance topics that help businesses understand and monitor capital, investments, and financial decisions. There are many digital resources available for this:
Websites: Investopedia, Forbes, and Bloomberg etc. provide detailed articles and analysis on finance, investing, and market trends.
Online courses: Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer free and paid courses to learn business finance.
Apps: QuickBooks, Mint, and Zoho Books help you manage your business’s finances and prepare a budget.
E-books and reports: Digital sources like Google Scholar, JSTOR, or company annual reports help with research and in-depth information.
Below are some of the top e-books that will help you understand the basics of business finance.
- “Principles of Corporate Finance” by Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers, and Franklin Allen.
Covers the fundamental principles of corporate finance, including valuation, capital structure, and risk management. - “Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers” by Karen Berman and Joe Knight.
Helps entrepreneurs understand financial statements, budgeting, and cash flow management. - “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham.
A classic book that covers risk management and long-term investment strategies. - “Corporate Finance: Theory and Practice” by Aswath Damodaran.
Explains the theory and practice of corporate finance in detail. - “Financial Management: Theory & Practice” by Eugene F. Brigham and Michael C. Ehrhardt.
Covers the theory and practice of financial management. - “Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies” by McKinsey & Company Inc.
Covers topics such as company valuation, financial modeling, and decision-making. - “Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports” by Thomas R. Ittelson
Helps you understand and prepare financial statements. - “The Little Book That Still Beats the Market” by Joel Greenblatt.
Explains simple investment strategies, especially useful for business owners. - “Financial Accounting for Dummies” by Maire Loughran.
Explains the basics of financial accounting in a simple way. - “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki.
Important lessons on financial literacy, investment strategies, and asset building.
How are e-magazines and journals available?
E-magazines and journals are widely available in digital format today. Details about their availability are below:
1. e-Magazines
Availability: E-magazines are usually available through online platforms. They can be purchased or subscribed to through major publishers, app stores (e.g. Amazon Kindle, Apple News+), or the magazines’ official websites.
Examples: Major magazines such as Forbes, The Economist, Time, and Harvard Business Review are available in e-format.
2. e-Journals
Availability: E-journals are mainly available through academic institutions, libraries, and online databases (e.g. JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink). Some are available on a subscription basis, while others are available as open access.
Examples: Nature, The Lancet, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Finance, etc.
3. Open Access Journals
Availability: Open access journals are freely available online. They mainly contain research articles and academic studies.
Examples: Available through PLOS ONE and DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals).
4. Subscription Services
Availability: Many e-magazines and journals are available through subscription services such as Scribd, Kindle Unlimited, and Apple News+. These charge a fee on a monthly basis.
5. Library Access
Availability: Many public libraries and academic libraries offer e-magazines and journals. For example, e-magazines are available through OverDrive and Libby.
Some of the major sources of technical e-books on various platforms are:
E-articles & journals availability
E-articles are usually available through websites, blogs, online magazines, academic journals, etc. Readers can easily access and download e-articles. Using these, students, researchers, teachers, etc. They can be used for further study and research.Many of these are available for free or for a fee.
Research papers are usually published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
A research paper will contain the following elements:
- Abstract: A summary of the paper.
- Introduction: Background and objectives of the research.
- Methodology: The method used to conduct the research.
- Results: The results obtained in the research.
- Discussion: Explanation and interpretation of the results.
- Conclusion: The main findings of the research.
- References: Sources used.
These can be found on platforms like Google Scholar, ResearchGate, JSTOR, and PubMed.
Free e-book availabilities
There are many ways to get free e-books. Some of the main ways are given below:
1. Public domain sites
You can download books that have expired copyright for free. Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) – 60,000+ classic e-books. Internet Archive (https://archive.org) – Millions of books, audiobooks. Open Library (https://openlibrary.org) – Read e-books like a library system.
2. Government/academic sites
PDF Drive (https://www.pdfdrive.com) – Free PDF books (textbooks, novels). ManyBooks (https://manybooks.net) – E-books in various formats. BookBoon (https://bookboon.com) – Free textbooks for students.
3. Free e-book apps
Google Play Books – Free books in the “Free eBooks” category.
Kindle Store (Amazon) – Free Kindle editions.
Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com) – Free stories/novels from creators.
4. Special topics
Tech/Programming: GitHub, FreeTechBooks (https://www.freetechbooks.com).
Medical/Science: PubMed Central (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc).
5. Reddit and Telegram groups
Subreddits (r/FreeEBOOKS) or Telegram channels share free e-books.
- Things to note:
Only use legal sources
Software like Calibre can be used to read EPUB, PDF, and Kindle formats.