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

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:

There are so many devices that the modern person is meant to have. If adding an e-reader seems superfluous, I'd recommend a tablet that allows you to read books, stream shows, and browse the internet. The best tablet for reading? It's the iPad Mini.

But why is this iPad better than any other? It's all about the size. At 8.3 inches, it comfortably sits in your hand and is about the same size as a paperback.

Why we like it:

Before testing these e-readers, I read using my 9th-generation iPad, and my main complaint was always the size. After 30 minutes of reading, my hand and wrist would strain holding up all 10.2 inches of the screen. That's why the 8.3-inch display of the iPad Mini was such a treat. Reading with the Mini made me feel like I was holding an actual book rather than a laptop screen.

Unsurprisingly, the iPad Mini has the most computing power of all the e-readers on this list. It jumps between apps and turns pages without an ounce of hesitation. Plus, it offers the most expansive ways to read books. You can read using Apple's built-in Apple Books app or download and read within the Kindle and Libby apps. And unlike most e-readers, you can read comics and graphic novels in full color. Plus, it has far more storage than any other e-reader at 64GB — another big reason to take the tablet route.

Despite my love of the iPad Mini, I have some beef, most of which is with the screen. While I love its overall size, it has a substantial glare problem. I've found this to be true with any iPad I've read on; the slick glass screen has a glare in almost any environment. That's no surprise in the sun, but even at night, I found the screen to be a little too shiny, causing my eyes to have some trouble focusing. This does have a fix; if you want your iPad screen to look more like the matte of a Kindle, a screen protector such as Paperlike creates that effect.

Additionally, compared to e-readers, which provide months of battery life, the iPad Mini only gets you hours. If you're reading for a couple of hours a day, you're probably only charging the iPad once a week, which isn't a big deal but certainly more than a traditional e-reader.

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.