There’s one guarantee when you’re a student. You’re going to need different kinds of books. Lots of them. But, perhaps your new flat or house isn’t blessed with space. Or perhaps you have too much other stuff taking up room for texts. Maybe you’re looking to save money on books. Well, fear not. Here are some of the best alternatives to a physical text to get you through university.
Kindle
Kindle’s come in at around £150. They’re expensive, but they might save you some money in the long run. Kindle’s are really light weight, so they’re perfect for sticking in a backpack or a tote bag. Amazon also run the Kindle Store, where you can buy all the books that you need. The texts on here are slightly cheaper than those you buy in real life, so you’re saving some money! If you need to do any annotation, you may just need an accompanying notepad to jot ideas down. You can highlight bits though. So, whether you annotate your books for pleasure or purpose, you can do it!
Audible
Another Amazon book service! Audible, as its name would suggest, is all audio books. Lots of people who enjoy reading struggle with picking up a text and reading the pages. If this is you, then audible is for you! Audible offers a free 30-day trial, and is then £8 a month. There’s always some kind of deal with audible too. Some texts are included in your subscription, but some you do have to purchase. Either way, if you want the benefits of reading without using a book, use audible! Again, if you’re having to annotate or make notes, you’ll just need a notepad to use too. You may also be able to find some audio books on Spotify.
E-Books
Kindle’s are just one example of using an e-book. There are so many out there! During my time at university, I often found that Google Books was a great help. Google Books doesn’t just have regular text on it, it has textbooks too. A lot of the online databases have much older texts that you may need for university. More often than not, these books aren’t in publication, so being able to access them online is even better.
If you’re a student who doesn’t love a physical text, use this list! There are so many alternatives out there to using a textbook. You want to make university life as easy as possible for yourself. If that’s finding alternatives to physical books, then do it!