I've read 34 books this year and these are my favorite e-readers

Read our full review of the Kindle Paperwhite.

Who it's for:

The Kindle Paperwhite is for everyone. It hits all the marks and is the gold standard of e-readers. Getting books onto your Kindle is easy, whether buying through the Kindle store or borrowing through Libby. At 6.8 inches, it's just the right size that feels nice in your hand, especially since it's lightweight and your arm won't get tired while holding it up. Plus, it's the best choice for people on the go. With its compact size, it even fits in a small purse, and because it is waterproof, you'll never stress about spilling water on it.

Why we like it:

The Kindle Paperwhite was the last e-reader I tested, so I'd seen it all when I got to it. Immediately, I was struck by how zippy it was. Having gone through a series of e-readers that lagged on menus and turning the page, the Kindle Paperwhite zoomed through, switching between books and menu screens. And despite working hard, its battery life feels never-ending, lasting not just weeks but months at a time.

The matte screen is fantastic. It's just the right size, with customizable fonts in case you need to increase the size. I could read comfortably in any environment, as the screen looks just like a printed page despite being high-tech. Plus, the screen is responsive, quickly reacting to taps and swipes when you want to turn the page.

As an avid reader, my bank account simply can't handle my habits, so thankfully, there's Libby. Getting my library books onto the Kindle Paperwhite through Libby is simple. I just hit "Send to Kindle" on the Libby app, and they're in my Kindle library the next time I open it as long as my Kindle is connected to WiFi.

The Kindle Paperwhite is a significant improvement over the flagship Kindle because it is waterproof. While not everyone is concerned about reading at the beach like myself, the Kindle Paperwhite's waterproofness is a significant perk in the case of accidents like spilled water bottles in backpacks.

If I were to think of ways to improve the Kindle Paperwhite, I'd maybe wish it had side buttons to turn the page like the Nook Glow does. However, the Kindle's touchscreen is so responsive that you don't need it — it's just a personal preference of how you like to turn the page on your e-reader.

Read our full review of the Amazon Kindle Scribe.

Who it's for:

If looking through your bookshelf, your books have dog-eared pages, highlighted lines, and scribbles in the margins, your instinct might be that an e-reader isn't for you, but I'd like to introduce you to the Kindle Scribe. With an included pen that magnetically attaches to the side of this e-reader, it's ready for all your handwritten thoughts. The pen moves nicely across the screen, mimicking the texture of writing on paper. In addition to a library of books, the Kindle Scribe also comes with a journal section where you can take notes. The notes feature is especially great for students who want to handwrite notes and convert their handwriting into text.

Why we like it:

The Scribe is shockingly big at 10.2 inches compared to the Kindle Paperwhite. That screen size does make it a little more awkward to hold, but for writing or annotating, it's optimal. Unlike other tablets (I'm looking at you, iPads) that require you to buy a pen separately, the Kindle Scribe comes with a pen that conveniently attaches to the side so it doesn't get lost. However, it's not the most secure magnetic hold, so be careful of bumping off the pen accidentally.

Writing on the Kindle Scribe is a joy. Before testing this e-reader, I used my iPad and Apple Pencil to annotate readings, but I never loved the feeling of it because the screen felt too slick for the Apple Pencil. The Kindle Scribe does not suffer this problem, as the matte screen lends some friction to the pen, making it feel like you're writing on paper. I really enjoyed writing with the pen, and I swear my handwriting looked better on the Kindle Scribe than it does on my iPad.

Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the Scribe's battery life is excellent, lasting 12 weeks. Where it starts to differ is the user interface. In comparison to the Kindle Paperwhite, I found that the Scribe's processing ran slow. It often lagged when starting to wake up or switching between journals or books. This is especially disappointing considering the price, which is over double that of the Paperwhite.

However, if you want to take notes but still want the convenience of an e-reader, I don't think you can go wrong with the Kindle Scribe — make sure to grab it when it's on sale during Prime Day.

Read our full review of the iPad Mini.

Who it's for:

Tablets are an incredibly versatile device, but we all have our go-to use. If you, like me, use your iPad to read, you gotta go for the iPad Mini. The other iPad models start at 10.9 inches, which is a lot of screen when you just want to flip through your e-book. Speaking from experience, holding a 10.9-inch iPad feels more like holding up a magazine than a book, so at 8.3 inches, the iPad Mini is a more comfortable handle for readers. Plus, it has an anti-reflective coating to protect from glare.

But the iPad Mini isn't just a glorified e-reader, it's still a versatile tablet. Like any iPad, you can read on the Kindle Apple, but you can also stream your favorite shows — a level of flexability that a standard e-reader simply can't match.

So when should you avoid the iPad Mini? If you're after a tablet that can double as a laptop, this won't be for you. Eight inches might be plenty of room for reading or watching, but it's going to feel tight when you want to flip between email and Slack. Plus, it's not compatible with Apple's Magic Keyboard, but you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard in a pinch.

Why we picked this:

The iPad Mini exists in a weird plane in the iPad line-up. Loaded with an A15 chip and 5-core GPU, it's more advanced in some ways than the iPad 10th generation. But on the flip side, it's missing key features like a landscape view camera, headphone jack, and Magic Keyboard compatibility. When we calculate all that, it's clear that the iPad Mini is a great tablet, while the rest of the iPads in Apple's line-ups are capable of being great tablets and laptops.

Above all, I love the iPad Mini for reading. Previously, I read with my iPad 9th Generation, which works great but is just too big. When I'm in bed reading, my wrist feels strained with a standard-sized iPad. So when I switched to using the iPad Mini, I was delighted by its light weight; it weighs just over half a pound. At 8.3 inches it's about an inch and a half bigger than a Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, but having used both, the hand feel is negligible. Plus, unlike the iPad 10th generation, it has an anti-reflective coating to help you read in any lighting. The iPad Mini, while great for reading, doesn't have the matte screen of other e-readers, which at night leads to some eye strain. If you want to give your iP

Who it's for:

If you're a Barnes & Noble customer, then you might be inclined to go for a Nook. If so, go with the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus. With its soft glow, the anti-glare screen reads well in any environment, especially at night. If you miss the buttons on old Kindle models, the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus comes with page forward and back buttons on each side, negating the need to swipe ahead or back (but you can still do that if you prefer). It's also waterproof, making it safe for your summer vacation. However, be wary that it runs a bit buggy, so don't expect brilliant computing power here.

Why we like it:

The Nook certainly didn't provide the smoothest reading experience among all the e-readers I tested. It runs slow, taking several seconds to load books from the library and even lagging when turning the page. The touchscreen is pretty unresponsive; several times, I felt like banging my fingers against the screen to get it to respond. Plus, I found it doesn't automatically connect to WiFi, and I had to reconnect it whenever I came home from using it in the wild.

However, negatives aside, the Nook GlowLight 4 Plus has its merits. It has the most storage of any traditional e-reader I tested at 32GB (the Kindle PaperWhite Signature Edition also houses 32GB of storage). Plus, I love the page-turning buttons on each side. Since the touchscreen tended to lag, I preferred using the side buttons; the top moved a page forward, and the bottom moved a page backward. Plus, it's nice to have the buttons on both sides as I read at night in bed, and I can comfortably use the controls no matter what side I'm lying on. When I eventually started testing the Kindle Paperwhite, I quickly realized how much I missed the buttons of the Nook.

Like the Kindle Paperwhite, the GlowLight 4 Plus is waterproof, which is not true with all Nooks. Although its battery life is shorter than that of the Kindle's, it still lasts for about four weeks, meaning you're only charging it about once a month.

Keep in mind, if you're a frequent Libby user, it's extremely difficult to upload the ePub files to the Nook requiring several steps and access to a Windows computer to do so.