You don't have to have an e-reader to read e-books...

It is true, you do not have to own a kindle or a nook or other e-readers to read e-books. Many of you who have Android phones or iPhones and iPads may already know this, since ebooks are available through apps to these devices, but did you know you can also download an app to your personal computer(PC) or laptop?

E-books are available in a variety of file types that allow you to read them on almost any device. Nook and kindle give you the option to download an application to your computer and it stores all your e-books there. There is a site called smashwords.com that offers e-books in the following file types:

.mobi for kindle
Epub for Apple, Nook, Sony, Kobo, Stanza, Aldiko, and Adobe Digital Editions
PDF for personal computers and you can print!
RTF most word processors
LRF for older Sony readers that do not support Epub
Palm Doc
Plain Text for computers and to read online

PDF is a good file to select for your PC, but you can also select RTF (rich text file) or Plain Text.

Goodreads.com is another site that allows you to purchase printed books or e-books online and has a commuinty for readers to interact with each other and their favorite authors.

The point is that you do not need to be left out of the e-book era simply because you cannot afford an e-reader. Bonus: a lot of these places offer some awesome e-books for FREE! So check them out, pick your device and happy reading!