not arguing, but what do you use instead (other than your local book store)?

Tangential question for people browsing this post: would you recommend a different Linux distribution over Debian and Ubuntu for OP? If so, which one and why?

An email client isn’t exactly something that’s self hosted. But Apple Mail works perfectly fine on iOS and Mac OS. Fastmail has push support too.

I’d argue it’s perfectly fine for beginners with time and desire to learn. The Arch Wiki is a great resource.

Hey, if you’re comfortable and happy with Windows, and don’t feel the need to switch, then don’t feel pressured. If you want to try Linux for fun, try a distro like Arch, that gives you a lot of control and a lot to play with.