Alexa Reads Kindle Books
The virtual assistant on Amazon Echo devices is Alexa. Alexa can read almost all of the ebooks available in the Kindle bookstore. The Kindle bookstore has over 12 million ebooks for sale. To read ebooks you must enable the Kindle Assistive Reader. This can be done by simply asking Alexa to read a Kindle ebook. You will be asked to approve turning on the Kindle Assistive Reader. You need only do this the first time you read an ebook. After that, Kindle ebooks will be read automatically by Alexa upon request.
Alexa has a very pleasant reading voice. You can bring up an ebook from your Kindle library by telling Alexa: “Get My Kindle Book.” You can also get your Kindle book by asking Alexa to get the book by its title or author.
Alexa’s reading speed can be increased or decreased in steps of 25%. For example, if you say, “Alexa read faster,” reading speed will be set from 1.0 to 1.25. You can also move forward or backwards a chapter by saying, “Alexa, previous chapter” or “Alexa, next chapter”. You can also move within a section by saying, “Alexa, back 20 seconds” or “Alexa, go ahead 30 seconds.”
Audible Audiobooks On Echo
If you have purchased audiobooks from Audible, you can control its playback with the Echo. Alexa commands for audiobooks are similar to the commands for ebooks. “Alexa, get my audiobook.” “Alexa, read faster.” “Alexa, start over.”
Bookshare Books On Echo
Bookshare.org ebooks and audiobooks can also be read with the Echo. You must enable the Bookshare Reader in the Alexa app. You can create a Bookshare reading list for Alexa at the Bookshare.org website. You can also search and download books using Alexa within the Bookshare Reader on the Echo. A comprehensive explanation of reading with the Echo can be found at Bookshare.org.
National Library Service Audiobooks On Echo
Currently, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is running a pilot project to download and read NLS audiobooks on the Echo.
James Nuttall, PhD 