Google offers good services. I can't say a single bad thing about the quality of anything they offer. However, you pay for that with your privacy. So if you are aware of being watched all the time, then they are great to use.All in all, I don't think there's much choice of search engines. Either you are willing to accept being spied upon and you use Google, or you aren't willing, and you use DuckDuckGo.
(And I fully agree that books are still an option. In fact, I have four shelves overfull with books right next to me 
. And the library at our college is not only full of books, but it also has a lots of super-comfortable sofas and armchairs. In the breaks between the classes, I would often just go there, pick a random math book and sink into a sofa )
