The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word KINDLES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
K
I
N
D
L
E
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "ways to read novels nowadays" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ways to read novels nowadays = kindles.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does KINDLES mean?
KINDLES noun- (collective) A group of kittens.