If you don't already own a Kindle, we highly recommend that you purchase one.
Contents1. Overdrive:Borrow From Public Libraries2. Book lending:Lend your ebooks to others3. Instapaper:Send Web Articles to Your Kindle4. Kindle4RSS:Send RSS feeds to your Kindle5. Convert Online:Convert between e-book formats6. IFTTT:Automate Kindle Tasks7. KBoards:An online forum for Kindle8 users. r/Kindle:A Subreddit for Kindle9 users. Kindle Chronicles:A podcast for Kindledix users. The Official Facebook Page:A Kindle CommunityUse these sites to get more from your KindleKindles have dramatically longer battery life than smartphones and tablets, and let you carry thousands of books wherever you go. Ultimately, owning a Kindle can help you read more books in less time.
However, as great as Kindles are out of the box, there are a collection of websites you should use to get even more out of your Kindle. The following Kindle websites are the perfect companions for your eReader.
Anyone can browse OverDrive's vast selection of ebooks and see samples of any title, but you'll need a library card to check one out on your Kindle. The borrowing period generally depends on the library you use to consult the ebook.
It's also worth mentioning that this Kindle-friendly site also lends audiobooks. There are several differences between podcasts and audiobooks, but podcast lovers will always feel right at home with an audiobook.
AdvertisementAfter all, both let you drive your car, exercise, or work while listening to something compelling. And since audiobooks are really expensive, you can save a lot of money by borrowing them instead.
Book lending is an interesting service that complements, rather than overlaps, OverDrive. While OverDrive is all about borrowing from a public library, Book Lending offers a group of users who share their ebooks with each other.
As a participant, you can set up your ebooks to lend and choose to borrow ebooks that others have set up. Just keep in mind that during the 14-day loan period, you cannot read the e-books you have loaned. Since e-book lending is a feature of Amazon, there is no risk:book lending simply matches borrowers and lenders (and vice versa).
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Instapaper is a simple service that lets you store web articles in one place. This way you can read them all at once when you have free time. It also has a bunch of other cool features, like letting you share those articles with other people and exporting them so you can read them on other devices.
As a Kindle user, Instapaper is great because you can set it to periodically send your articles to your Kindle device in a readable format. So when you're browsing the web, you can save articles for later, then wake up to your Kindle full of articles. This essentially turns your Kindle into a morning newspaper!
Many years ago, KindleFeeder exploded in popularity. This site let you set up RSS feeds, turn them into an “electronic periodical” ebook, and send them to your Kindle device every night. Unfortunately, the site stopped accepting new registrations in 2013.
Kindle4RSS is a similar but lesser-known alternative that serves the same basic purpose. After setting up a set of RSS feeds, you can send them to your Kindle.
You can send up to 25 articles at a time with the free plan, and each delivery comes with a “Table of Contents” for easy navigation. All images are included in delivery, and it can also convert partial text streams to full text, which is surprisingly convenient.
Not all e-book formats are created equal, and not all e-books are produced in all formats. Imagine you come across a free offer for a highly anticipated novel that is only available in LIT or FB2 formats. Or maybe you have an older Kindle that can't read a newer Kindle format. Anyway, an online converter is the solution.
Online-Convert is one of the few high-quality online e-book converters that you can use for almost any format. While there are other such tools out there, this is the easiest we've found.
Supported formats include AZW3, EPUB, FB2, LIT, MOBI, PDF, etc. You can convert files from any supported format to any other supported format listed on the site.
IFTTT is an automation service that lets you set up “triggers” and connect them with “actions” that are performed whenever the given trigger occurs. For example, an IFTTT recipe sends any article from Pocket marked as “Kindle” to your device.
You can search the IFTTT site for pre-existing recipes, but it's more effective if you learn how to create your own IFTTT recipes. Since the site supports thousands of different triggers and actions, your imagination and ingenuity are the only limits of what you can do.
It may seem strange that thousands of Kindle users log on to KBoards every day to discuss all sorts of Kindle-related topics, but it happens. Here you will find subsections dedicated to specific devices, activities and ebooks.
In other words, it's the perfect place to ask for technical support, learn about Kindle tips, discuss books, and chat with other members of the Kindle community. The sections for device reviews, device trade-in, and finding cheap Kindle books will also be helpful.
Not a Reddit fan? So feel free to ignore this one. Reddit is one of the top 25 websites by global traffic, so it should be your first stop whenever looking for an active online community. As of this writing, r/Kindle has over 81,000 subscribers and dozens of new threads every day.
Most new threads are support requests, but the subreddit can be a great way to stay up to date with Kindle-related news. You'll also find new device reviews, occasional links to Kindle book deals, and a monthly "What are you reading?" thread which may lead to some interesting new reading.
The Kindle Chronicles podcast has been around since 2008, which is an incredible run for any podcast, let alone one that focuses on such a niche topic as the Kindle. Each episode has a guest who talks about various topics related to Kindles, eBooks, eReaders, Amazon devices, etc.
Some of the latest episodes aren't as Kindle-focused, but you can always delve into the podcast archive and listen to just the Kindle-related episodes.
Facebook isn't everyone's favorite social media site, and that's understandable. However, it has an active Kindle community. The official Amazon Kindle page gives you your daily dose of Kindle news and book recommendations, and also allows you to interact with other Kindle users.
If you're not comfortable interacting with such a large community, Facebook is home to several small clubs and Kindle reading groups. Just search for “Kindle” in Facebook's search bar and you'll see several communities dedicated to sharing free e-books and discussing Kindle-related topics.
Whether you want to chat with other Kindle users, convert file formats, or borrow eBooks, these Kindle websites are essential bookmarks. And if you want to get even more from your Kindle, check out these apps and sites that all Kindle owners will love.
