Just as we’ve seen iPods and mp3s replace CD players and CDs over the past decade, eBooks and eReaders have grown in popularity.

Whether you have a Kindle, a Nook or an iPad, it’s not necessary to spend a bundle on reading material. You also don’t necessarily need a tablet. It’s possible to download the programs associated with these eReaders on most mobile devices and computers.

I asked Shoptimist blog readers about their eBook habits and got some great responses. Even skeptics who thought they would never replace their paperbacks have enjoyed their space-saving eReaders. After doing some research and taking the advice of readers, I’ve compiled this list of the best options out there for buying or borrowing eBooks. Where possible I’ve included a short blog reader review.

Local library

Roanoke Valley libraries have an extensive collection of eBooks available for download — and it’s all free. Readers can check out up to three books at one time, though the lending period may vary from book to book.

Once the lending time is up the books will be removed from your device. Searching for books is similar to searching in a regular library, so the process is familiar and easy.

Additionally, this service works on numerous eReaders, mobile phone devices and desktop or laptop computers.
Web address: www.rvl.info
App: Overdrive
Blog reader Jbx2 says: “I will pay a few dollars for a book from Amazon but a lot of the new releases I will get electronically through the library. … You get two weeks to read them and then they will come off your Kindle. You can also return them early if you finish them early. Sometimes newer releases take a little longer for the library to get in electronic form, but to me it’s worth the wait. Overall, it’s been a great investment.” (Note: The lending period is different from book to book.)

Amazon

Amazon was mentioned the most in blog comments by Shoptimist readers. The site regularly offers a selection of free books and puts eBooks on sale often, some up to 80 percent off. There are also magazines available to read for free.

Anyone with a Kindle (Amazon’s own eReader), an Android or Apple mobile device, a desktop or laptop computer can access these titles.

With the Amazon Cloud you can store your downloads — a nice backup for anything that is accidentally deleted from a device. Anything on the Cloud can be restored.

If you’re an Amazon Prime member and have a Kindle, you can also access The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. Here you can download one book per month for free and keep it for an unlimited amount of time. When you’re ready for your next free book you must “return” the previous free download.
Web address: www.amazon.com
App: Kindle Cloud Reader
Blog reader 3rd Fred says: “I’ve had a Kindle for about two years now. Have bought virtually all the ‘books’ from Amazon. There are some great buys for 99 cents to $4.99. A few duds too. But where else can you get a good edition of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare for about $2?”

Baen

If you’re a fan of science fiction or fantasy reads this is the site for you.

There are eBooks available for purchase here, but there’s also a wide selection of free downloads. One major negative to this site is you can’t sort titles by price, aside from looking at a separate list of free books. Books available for purchase generally range from about $4 to about $15.

Books are available for download on Nook, Kindle, and Apple and Android mobile devices. There are also some downloads that can be read on laptop and desktop computers.
Web address: www.baenebooks.com
App: None needed

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble created its own eReader called the Nook, so owners of that device tend to prefer this retailer’s selection of downloads. Some titles are available to download for under $2.99, and many other eBooks can be purchased for under $5.

Don’t have a Nook? You can still download the Nook App and read these selections on Apple and Android mobile devices, as well as desktop or laptop computers.
Web address: www.barnesandnoble.com
App: Nook
Blog reader Fincastle Mom says: “Before the library (and still do many now) I got free books from Barnes & Noble website. I love that I can delete a book (very satisfying when they aren’t any good!) and I can ‘test drive’ authors and books before I decide that I want to spend money.”

BookBoon

This site describes itself as “Books for Business Professionals,” which is pretty appropriate as it has a wide selection of textbooks, business books and travel guides. Titles range from guides to navigating Microsoft programs to college texts to world travel guides, specified by different cities, regions and countries.

One major positive of this site is that everything is available to download for free. There’s also no registration required. Any device that has Adobe Reader can open titles from BookBoon.
Web address: www.bookboon.com
App: None needed

BookBub

BookBub is a service that will email you the best book deals of the day.

In each email you’ll receive around 10 to 15 books ranging from free to about $2.99 per download. The site checks various sites for the best deals and then sends readers the link to each deal.

If you prefer Barnes & Noble over Amazon it’s no problem. If both retailers are offering the deal BookBub will supply both links for downloading. In addition to the daily emails, you can also browse the website for more deals.

The biggest positive of this service is that it sticks to one email per day — no spammy messages here.
Web address: www.bookbub.com
App: None needed
Blog reader Mary J. says: “You sign up, tell them your preferences, then they send you one (and ONLY one) email a day with selections from the categories you picked. Like other folks have experienced, some are duds, some are stellar. I’ve actually gone back and bought more of an author’s back list because I got one of their books from Bookbub and loved it.”

Books-A-Million

Like Barnes & Noble, this brick-and-mortar retailer is trying to keep up with the times by offering eBooks.

Downloads can be read on most eReaders (Books-A-Million does not have its own), as well as Apple and Android devices. Prices are a little higher on this site for new releases and popular titles, but it is possible to view a selection of special deals with downloads as low as 99 cents.
Web address: www.booksamillion.com
App: None needed

Free-eBooks.net

This site offers both free and paid memberships, but if you don’t want to pay it still has plenty to offer.

With a free membership you can access an unlimited amount of books in HTML format, which is supported by most eReaders, mobile devices, and desktop and laptop computers. Free memberships also give you access to five books each month that can be viewed in PDF formats; these downloads can be printed.

You can search the collection by genre or keyword, and textbook titles and magazines are included, but this site is more difficult to navigate than Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

With a paid membership, which is $7.95 per month or $39.97 per year, members get unlimited downloads of all formats, plus space on the website to store their favorite titles. The website says paying members also get priority when it comes to customer service.
Web address: www.free-ebooks.net
App: Free eBooks

GoodReads

This site has been popular among avid readers for years, but now it’s not just for sharing reviews of your latest read.

GoodReads now offers a list of eBook titles. If you’re browsing with no specific book in mind it’s handy because the titles can be sorted by price. Some classics are available for free and can be downloaded via PDF (these can be read on any computer with Adobe and can also be printed) or onto eReaders. Other downloads have a fee that starts at 99 cents.
Web address: www.goodreads.com/ebooks
App:Goodreads

Project Gutenberg

Are you a fan of the classics? If so, this site has everything you’re looking for — and it’s all free. The site is easily navigated and not cluttered with ads like some of the other smaller sites.

Downloads are available in multiple formats, so you can read these titles on most eReaders, desktop and laptop computers, and mobile devices.
Web address: www.gutenberg.org
App:Top10 Project Gutenberg
Blog reader Dusty says: “Gutenberg.org is a great place to get free books if you’re down for some classics.”

What is your favorite eBook site?

On ThursdayKrispy Kreme will be giving customers who purchase one dozen Valentine doughnuts 12 cards that are good for a free doughnut of your choice.
Photo courtesy of Krispy Kreme.

Valentine’s Day is coming up on Thursday. What better way to celebrate than with some freebies?

First of all, there are tons of free printables available. Coloring pages, cards, activity sheets — you name it. With a quick Google search you can come up with endless results.

 Also, on Thursday Krispy Kreme will be offering customers who purchase a dozen Valentine doughnuts — which are  in delicious heart shapes — 12 Valentine cards, each of which are good for a free doughnut. Co-workers, friends and family members will love getting a special tasty treat and a coupon for a treat in the future.

Don’t want to wait for Thursday? Now through the 14th Starbucks is offering customers a sweet new BOGO deal. Print this coupon or show it to the barista on your phone and you can get the select featured drinks buy one, get one free after 2 p.m. The participating drinks include caffe mocha, vanilla spice latte and hot chocolate.

 Need some romantic tunes? Amazon is offering this download of “Valentine’s 2013 – A TuneCore Artist Hip-Hop / R&B Compilation” for free. If you’re interested in this deal download it soon, you never know when the price will change.
* Before downloading be sure that the price reads “FREE” in red print or else you will be charged.

Know of other holiday freebies or deals? Share them in the comments section below.

To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember the last time I bought an actual CD. Amazon and iTunes are my go-to spots for digital music these days.

That could change now, though, with the release of AutoRip from Amazon.

Now, many CDs available on Amazon will come with a free MP3 copy when you purchase them. The digital songs will automatically be uploaded to your Cloud player, and from there you can add them to your iTunes (or whatever program you prefer).

I think this is great. I actually prefer hard copy CDs because I know that if there’s a freak computer accident I still have copies of my music.

However, it started to seem silly to buy the hard copy and immediately toss it aside after uploading it to my computer. Now I have no excuse. I can keep the back-up, but still automatically download the songs to my iPod. This is also especially convenient because my car doesn’t have an iPod jack, just a CD player.

Participating CDs will be marked with the “AutoRip” icon that you see above.

For more information about this offer from Amazon, click here.

Will you be taking advantage of this offer?

Video stores have long been a thing of the past. I remember spending many Friday and Saturday nights during my childhood and early teen years at the local Blockbuster, wandering through the aisles and arguing over which video to rent before heading back home to pop the VHS into the VCR.

Now movies are rented from kiosks placed outside grocery stores, drug stores and even fast food restaurants. For about $1 a night, a new release will glide out of the machine on a DVD.

But how long before these kiosks disappear, too? Instant video streaming is hot right now and more and more companies are vying for your attention.

Here’s what the most popular companies offer:

Amazon

Amazon.com offers instant video purchases and rentals of both TV shows and movies. With an Amazon Prime membership, instant streaming is unlimited. Otherwise, most rentals start at $3.99 for popular titles, though there are some offered for less or free. These rentals will be available for a 24-hour viewing period after purchase. Digital movies can also be purchased for prices comparable to physical DVD prices.

Supported devices: Kindle Fire, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, iPad, Roku, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes and computers.

Cost: Unless you purchase a membership for Amazon Prime at $79 per year (includes free two-day shipping on most products and other perks), Amazon instant streaming is pay-as-you-go. Select shows and movies are free.

Site: www.amazon.com

Blockbuster

The former brick-and-mortar retailer now offers movie rentals and purchases on demand. This service is not as tech-friendly as others, as it’s only available for streaming on Mac or PC computers. Once you have chosen a rental, you have 30 days to start watching and 24 hours to finish watching once you’ve started. You can re-watch rentals as many times as you want during that 24-hour period.

If you are a registered member of Blockbuster.com, select movies are available to stream for free. Many of these freebies are similar to DVD extras: featurettes, behind the scenes video and interviews with cast members.

Supported devices: Mac or PC with Flash 10, supported browsers include Internet Explorer 6 and above, Firefox 3 and above, and Chrome 5 and above.

Cost: Rentals come in three categories: Free, $2.99 or less and $3 or more. Movies available for purchase range from $9.99 or less to $20 or more.

Site: www.blockbuster.com/download

Hulu

Hulu offers tons of clips and trailers for popular TV shows, video games and movies for free. Select movies can also be viewed in their entirety for free, though most are not popular or new releases. Much of the free selection includes documentary and independent films. A larger selection of entire TV shows is available for free compared to movies, though most are only available to view for a limited amount of time.

For more features and new releases, you can subscribe to Hulu Plus and access full seasons of television shows and a larger selection of movies.

Supported devices: Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, set-top boxes, mobile phones, Roku, Apple TV, and more.

Cost: Hulu Plus is available for $7.99 per month. Select shows and movies are free. Note that there are ads on Hulu and Hulu Plus.

Site: www.hulu.com

Netflix

This service was the first to experience an explosion in its instant streaming sector. However, when the company raised prices and lost the rights to stream certain titles in 2011 it took a big hit.

There are still plenty of subscribers, despite the limited selection of new releases on instant streaming, and more will consider joining now that the company has made a deal with Disney to begin streaming its films in 2016. Of course, a lot could happen between now and then.

Currently you can stream entire seasons of TV shows (no ads) and select films. There is a huge selection of documentary and indie films. DVDs can still be sent to your door for an additional subscription cost.

Supported devices: iPhone, iPad, Android, PS3, Wii, Xbox, Roku, Apple TV, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and computers

Cost: $7.99 per month (streaming only); for an additional $7.99 per month, you can add unlimited DVD rental (one out at a time).

Site: www.netflix.com

Redbox

Verizon has collaborated with Redbox to offer instant streaming through Redbox Instant by Verizon.

The new program is still in the beta version with select users testing out the features, so changes could be made before it’s offered to the public. According to the website, popular titles will be made available to rent or purchase via instant streaming, plus credits will be provided for subscribers to rent DVD titles at Redbox kiosks.

Supported devices: No information available yet.

Cost: $8 per month

Site: www.redboxinstant.com

Vudu

Like Amazon, Vudu offers instant streaming a la carte — you only pay for what you watch. The website claims that Vudu offers the most HD movie titles, and new titles are added each week. TV shows and movies are available to rent or purchase, though the selection of TV shows is smaller than that of the movies. The company just added TV shows to their selection in the fall of 2012 and more shows are being added.

Once you have chosen a rental, you have 30 days to start watching and 24 hours to finish watching once you’ve started. You can re-watch rentals as many times as you want during that 24-hour period. However, some documentaries have a 48-hour viewing period.

Supported devices: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, HDTV, Blu-ray players, Android tablets, Roku, iPad and computers.

Cost: Many rentals are $2 for two nights, though the cost of select titles can be more or less. Each day there is a new featured 99-cent rental. The purchase price of TV shows and movies varies.

Site: www.vudu.com 

Have you tried any of these instant streaming services?

Once I find a retailer that has a website that’s easy to navigate, commonly offers coupon codes, offers free shipping and has great customer service there’s a 99% chance I’ll become a repeat customer.

To my surprise, I found all of the above this week on Kmart’s website. I’m not a regular Kmart shopper, but I’ve been searching for an affordable microwave for a few weeks now and spotted one in the store’s ad.

The microwave was already $50 off. Then, I found a coupon code for an additional $5 off and I received free shipping. On top of all that, I’ll get over $10 back in Shop Your Way Rewards.

What made this deal even more awesome was that I got the microwave delivered the very next day since it was shipped from a nearby warehouse. Next day delivery. For free. I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced a 24-hour turn around without having to pay a significant amount more.

Next time I’m searching for a basic, name brade product you can bet I’ll be checking out Kmart again.

Here are some other sites I brag on whenever I get the chance:
*Nordstrom: Free shipping and free returns, plus awesome sale prices on some brands not normally sold around Roanoke.
*Drugstore.com: There are always promos running and coupon codes to be found. I also get free two-day shipping on most products with my Shoprunner account.
*Amazon: For such a large company, the customer service is great. They get back to you quickly and get things sorted out without causing the shopper a big headache. I also love the Prime service. Before I was a Prime member, I utilized the Amazon Student service and Free Super Saver Shipping often.

These are just a few of my favorites.

What sites do you love or loathe? Let it out in the comments section below.

This week is the cut-off for many companies for guaranteed shipping by Christmas. Also, today is Free Shipping Day. There are over 1,000 retailers offering free shipping and you’ll get these orders by Christmas Eve. Some of the retailers participating include: Kohl’s, Oriental Trading Company, Land’s End, Office Max, Best Buy, Gander Mountain and more. Many of these stores will also be offering special discounts in addition to free shipping.

Now, below you’ll find some of the most important dates if you have other gifts you’d like to arrive by Christmas.

According to the USPS website:
*The cut-off for most Express Mail Military Service is today. Some cut-offs have already passed.
*The cut-off for most international shipping (Express and Global Express) is between today and Dec. 20, depending on where you’re shipping to. Some cut-offs have already passed.
As for Domestic shipping:
* Dec. 20 is the cut-off for First-Class Mail Service
*Dec. 21 is the cut-off for Priority Mail Service
*Dec. 22 is the cut-off for Express Mail® Service (Some Express Mail destinations may have extended service commitments)
*Dec. 19 is the cut-off for Destination Network Distribution Center (DNDC) Drop Ship
*Dec. 21 is the cut-off for Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) Drop Ship
*The cut-off for Parcel Post Service has already passed.

UPS:
* Dec. 21: Normal pickup and delivery service for air, international and ground packages.
UPS Next Day Air packages picked-up today will arrive Monday, Dec. 24. UPS 2nd Day Air packages picked-up today
will arrive Wednesday, Dec. 26.
* Dec. 22: Delivery of UPS Worldwide Express, UPS Next Day Air and UPS 2nd Day Air packages processed and labeled for Saturday Delivery. Pick-up service available for air and international packages only.
* Dec. 24: Normal delivery service for air, international and ground packages.
Pick-up service provided to scheduled pick-up account customers for air and international shipments if prearranged by Friday, Dec. 21. UPS On-Call Pick-up service and all UPS Drop Boxes also are available for air and international
packages to all customers.

FedEx:
* Dec. 17: Last day to ship FedEx Ground and Home Delivery
* Dec. 19: Last day to ship FedEx Express Saver
* Dec. 20: Last day to ship 2Day
* Dec. 21: Last day to ship overnight

Other popular retailers that you may have ordered from have these deadlines:
Toys R Us:
*Dec. 18 is the last day to order using standard shipping
*Dec. 19 is the last day to order using expedited shipping
*Dec. 21 is that last day to order using express shipping
*Free store pick-up will remain available through Dec. 24

Amazon:
*Gift cards (that come with a nifty gift box) will be available with free one-day shipping through Dec. 22
*Dec. 18 is the last day to order with free Super Saver shipping
*Dec. 19 is the last day to order with standard shipping
*Dec. 20 is the last full day to order with two-day shipping
*Dec. 21 will offer two-day shipping through 7 p.m. and is the last full day to order with one-day shipping
* Dec. 22 will offer one-day shipping through 3 p.m.
*Dec. 23 has local express delivery available when possible

Target:
* The last day to receive Seasonal Shipping is Dec. 19.

 Walmart:
* Dec. 19: Last day to order using the “homefree,” site to store and standard shipping options.
* Dec. 20: Last day to order using expedited shipping.
* Dec. 21: Last day to order using rush shipping.
* Dec. 22-24: Items with same day store pick-up will be available.
* Dec. 24: Items labeled “as soon as today” that are ordered by noon will be available for pick-up before 6 p.m.

Graphic by scottbrand.com.

If you haven’t signed up for Scott Shared Values yet, now is a great time.

The site is offering a free $5 Amazon mp3 credit to members who answer one simple question about their buying habits — that’s it!

Once you answer the question you’ll be given a one-time-use code to enter on Amazon and retrieve your $5 credit.

Your mp3 credit won’t expire until Jan. 31, and Amazon runs specials on individual mp3 songs and albums all the time, some as low as 99 cents or $2 per album!

The site was a bit slow when I was entering my codes (presumably from all the sudden traffic), so do be patient.

Now through Thursday you can earn a free $2 MP3 credit from Amazon.

All you have to do is click here, name your favorite song of the moment and then share the information on your Facebook wall (you can always delete the post right after if you don’t want to continue using the app).

The credit will automatically be added to your Amazon account and you’ll be streaming free music before you know it.

Just be quick! You must use your credits by Thursday.

Note: Amazon MP3s can be streamed through iTunes. I’ve found that Amazon is often cheaper than iTunes and it’s become my go-to place to buy music, but I still keep track of all my files through iTunes.