Each week, we cut through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.

Raise your hand if fall inspires fantasies of cozying up by the fire with a good book. Now raise your hand if you have a fireplace and space for a home library. Because e-readers are often more practical, I just spent more than a month testing six e-readers to find one that didn’t make me miss turning paper pages, and I think I found a model most people will love.

Testing involved hours swiping through mysteries, nonfiction, romances, graphic novels and kids’ books on Amazon Kindles, Rakuten Kobos and a Barnes & Noble Nook. I also tested their durability by knocking them off my nightstand and submerging the waterproof devices in a bathtub, and in an unexpected stress test, my 18lb cat stepped on several devices.

But for me, the most important feature in an e-reader is the ability to find something I actually want to read, which is one of the reasons the Kobo Libra Colour won our top pick. It easily connects to your local library through a free app called Libby, which makes checking out free e-books painless.

Looking for your next page-turner, or one to give as a gift this holiday season? After devouring more than 70 books this year, I have some suggestions:

****** The Scammer by Tiffany D Jackson (YA): Jackson takes inspiration from a stranger-than-fiction event at Sarah Lawrence College and weaves it into a suspenseful thriller set at a historically Black university.

*** ***The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (fantasy): The Kingdoms takes place in a world where France won the Napoleonic wars, but the arrival of a mysterious postcard hints that another reality may lurk below the surface.

*** ***A Gentleman’s Murder by Christopher Huang (mystery): The second book in the Eric Peterkin series is due in January, so now is a great time to dive into the debut, which evokes the golden age of detective fiction in London after the first world war.

The Guardian’s book reviewers have also picked out some gems:

*** ***The Rose Field by Philip Pullman (fiction): “Things are falling apart in the final volume of The Book of Dust, the second of Philip Pullman’s magisterial trilogies set in a world that appears, here more than ever, as a charged and slanted version of our own.” [Full Review]

*** ***Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (memoir): “Throughout the book, Giuffre beguiles, apologises and cheerfully breaks the fourth wall in an effort to soften the distaste she assumes her story will trigger.” [Full Review]

*** ***Hekate the Witch by Nikita Gill (fantasy): “She depicts Hekate less as a sinister deity than a traumatised youngster looking for love and a sense of belonging, and whose divine powers alarm the Gods of Olympus.” [Full Review]

**At home: **a guide for better sleep

Illustration: maystra/Getty Images

Do you fall asleep the minute your head hits your pillow? Congrats, please tell us your secrets. If, like a normal person, you struggle with insomnia, we’re here to help.

One of our editors, Danielle Renwick, spoke to sleep experts who shared their best advice for achieving quality rest. And while a fancy sleep tracker may not be necessary, a mattress with a good return policy should be a non-negotiable, and a good sleep mask is an easy win for many people.

Read the full story here: ‘The bedroom should be an oasis’: five common sleep problems, solved by experts

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Put to the test: slow cookers

Photograph: donnafotopro/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The slow cooker is our surefire hack for putting together crowd-pleasing dishes and easy weeknight meals.

But with so many models on the market, we wanted to find the very best. So, longtime food writer and recipe developer Elizabeth Brownfield got to work, putting 10 slow cookers through a rigorous testing process – one that included preparing pounds of potatoes, parsnips and pot roast.

Read the full story here: The best slow cookers in the US for every type of home cook

On the go: plane essentials

Photograph: Swell Media/Getty Images/Uppercut RF

Tim Stevens, a seasoned traveler and tech journalist, spends nearly as much time sitting on an airplane as he does on his couch. So we asked him to share his must-haves for plane travel, and what we should leave at home (sorry, over-packers).

Read the full story here: Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home

Quick fix: power generators

Photograph: Alan Truly/The Guardian

Do you live in an area prone to power outages? It turns out, you don’t need an expensive home generator to keep the lights on. In fact, your car and an inexpensive inverter might just do the trick.

Alan Truly, a tech journalist, shared his favorite products and strategies for keeping your home running during an outage, including some battery and solar options that don’t require a drop of gasoline.

Read their tips here:** **Three affordable ways to keep your house running during a power outage