I had read about the whole pageturning via the touchscreen at some book blog.

Basically, when reading, if you tap anywhere in the touchscreen area, the book menu will appear. However, if you flick your thumb upwards (to move forward) or downwards (to go back a page), you'll be able to turn the pages without having to use the side buttons.

In all honesty, I tend to flick/swipe either of my thumbs while reading more often than not. It might take a few tries, but it's a neat thing to do.