Books. They have been a part of our lives from the very beginning. Remember the first picture book that your parents read to you? Erm, maybe not. But I’m sure you’ll remember the first picture book that you’ve read to your child. I surely do.
It was my favourite pastime on lazy afternoons, to go wandering around the book store, and discover new books to read. I bought the titles that I like to keep, and the rest were mostly rented due to lack of storage space. I could spend hours reading a book at home, and I really enjoyed it.
Well, those were the days when I was still single and had plenty of time on-hand.
Recently, I was introduced to Booktique – the latest eBook store by StarHub. To my absolute delight, it brings back the same excitement of discovery, and the joy of reading again.
Booktique is a major eBook store with over 400,000 titles from major and independent publishers. It has a large catalogue ranging from international bestsellers to local literature. You can explore the different genres from Fiction and Biographies to Cookbook and Business Guides, all at one place now.
Excited? Yes! Booktique Reader is available on both iOS and Android platforms. You can read it on the go – on your tablets and smartphones! You can form discussion groups on your favourite books, and share notes, highlights, bookmarks, reviews and even spoilers (ssshhhh!) with your friends. Booktique makes reading as social as you are!
Step-by-step Instructions:
I’ve been using Booktique for the past two weeks, and I’m really impressed. It’s very easy and user-friendly. Here are some quick step-by-step instructions:
1. Go to booktique.sg. You can login using your Hub iD or Gee iD. If you don’t have it, you can easily register for one by clicking on “Register for an ID”.
2. Go to “Store” to choose your favourite eBooks. For your convenience, the book genres are listed on your left hand navigation bar. Or you can use the search bar on the top right.
If there is a specific title that you are looking for, you can key that in under “Advanced Search”. Alternatively, you can key in the specific genre you are looking for. Example, keying in “Kids” yield 5,938 matches!
3. Once you’ve chosen your eBook, you can purchase it by clicking on the “Buy this eBook” button.
4. Next, your shopping cart will show up. You can make payment via credit/debit card or StarHub mobile bill (if you’re a StarHub Mobile subscriber).
5. After your purchase, you can download the Booktique Reader from your computer or e-mail the download link directly to your tablet.
6. After you’ve installed your Booktique Reader, you can login again using the same Hub iD or Gee iD.
7. Your purchased books will appear in your library.
8. Click on the settings button on the top menu bar to change your settings for the text size, theme, etc. If you choose the night mode, your page background will change from white to black, and the font colour will change from black to white.
9. Click on the notes button on the top menu bar to make a note or highlight, as well as to read the notes written by yourself, your friends or your groups.
10. Lastly, we all love activity feed! Booktique has it too, you can view or even start your activity feed by clicking on “My Booktique”.
Well, by now, I’m sure you have an idea how Booktique works. It’s really easy to use. To excite you further, I have GOOD NEWS for you.
For a limited time only, you can get a FREE* book from Booktique. Simply SMS in the following format to 9024 5851.
“SMARTIES <space> Book number <space> Name <space> Email”
Book number can be obtained from here:
Please remember to use the above format in your SMS code when redeeming. After which, you will receive a coupon code. Login to Booktique and you can enter the coupon code to have the book added to your library.
This promotion will end on 24 April 2013. So, hurry up! Grab this awesome opportunity and enjoy a new reading experience with Booktique. Trust me, you’ll like it.
* Limited number to give away per title, so, please act fast!
Now that I’ve experienced Booktique, I realize that buying a paperback book is probably the last thing I’ll ever do. And here’s why:
1. Enjoy a new reading experience – it’s interactive and social!
Yay, reading can be as social we are now! It’s no longer a solo activity. That’s the major advantage over paperback book. Booktique enables personal sharing of notes, highlights and reviews. We can form discussion groups on our favourite eBooks, and share our reading experiences with our friends.
2. Reading an eBook is convenient
Carrying stacks of books isn’t the most glamorous and comforting task in our everyday life. Now, we can get rid of the bulkiness and weight with Booktique. Wherever I go, I just shove my iPad or mobile phone in my bag and take them with me. I can read multiple books and on multiple devices everywhere I go. Sounds cool? You can do it too.
3. It’s better for the environment
EBook readers do use electricity, but very little as compared to the immense amount of paper from millions of trees needed to make books. EBook is, therefore, an ecologically-safe option. The more eBooks that we use, the more paper we’re saving and the better the effect on the environment.
4. The ease of purchase
If you’re a busy working mother like me, I’m sure going to a book store is the last thing in your mind. Now that I’m with Booktique, there are no more trips to the book store, and no more waiting for a book to be returned. I can buy my favourite eBook within minutes from Booktique whenever I want, and it’s so hassle-free!
5. Having a portable library in the cloud
It is made possible today with the wireless technology, Internet-enabled devices and Booktique. We can enjoy a portable and limitless catalogue of books in the palm of our hands that is accessible anytime and anywhere.
It’s certainly a new reading experience that all of us will enjoy. Reading has never been this fun and interactive before!
All in all, Booktique is my lifestyle choice. I can read in cafes, MRTs, and everywhere I go. And I strongly encourage you to try the new Booktique Reader, it’s a great experience and I’m sure you’ll prefer reading an eBook to paperback book in no time.
