Windows 10 iTunes has no Book section

I do dialysis three days a week, five hours a day. My iPad is incredibly useful for that, enabling me to watch Netflix and read books while stuck in a chair. As my left arm cannot move with needles in it, I cannot use my PC, so the iPad is a terrific aid to me. I use a Sospendo device (about $40 on Amazon) to hold the iPad at a good reading/viewing height and angle. I'm a computer programmer who has worked on both Windows and iOs platforms, so I'm not exactly a n00b.

Just a couple of months ago, I was able to move free epub format books (I get some from my writing and book publishing groups) from my Windows 10 laptop into the Book section of my iTunes library and then synch that to my iPad and read it using the Books app during dialysis. I've also checked out digital books from libraries and read them using the Libby app. But my five year old laptop is on its last legs, so I just upgraded it to the gaming laptop I've always wanted (it's a lot cheaper of a midlife crisis than a car, which my wife appreciates).

There is no books tab in iTunes on the new laptop. My old method of dragging the .epub file into the iTunes Book library section and then synching to the iPad doesn't work.

I've also tried getting the Kindle App, renaming the epub and emailing it to my Amazon Kindle address without success. I've seen some people selling software to convert epubs to something more Apple compatible, but I have no confidence they will work and am reluctant to pay for them (on a license, no less, instead of owning them forever with a purchase) to then find out they don't really work.

I have seen no recent posts on this problem, although it seems to have happened with some past Apple updates. If you know a fix, please help me.