For several years, I resisted getting an eReader.
I just kept repeating, “I love the feel of a book in my hand. I don’t think it seems the same. I’m not going to do it.”
But one day (after peer-pressure!!), I finally relented. I’m so glad I did! I have been able to download many amazing free eBooks on my Kindle, and I’ve really grown to love using it. I generally even prefer my Kindle now. It is super-easy to highlight parts I want to remember, and I can quickly pull up those highlighted parts later. I can also make notes right in the eBook. Plus, it’s helping me cut back on physical clutter–which is a huge journey I’ve been on over the past three years!
Now, I realize not everyone wants to go out and purchase an eReader, but guess what?!! You don’t have to in order to get access to these free eBooks! If you have a computer, you can download the Kindle app and read right on your computer or tablet. You can also read “in the cloud” or on a smartphone. You can find all of the eReader apps for Kindle here.
Once you have a way to read your eBooks, you can check out this list of my favorite places for homeschoolers (or anyone, really) to find free eBooks!
Best Places to Find FREE eBooks:
1) Project Gutenberg is probably one of the biggest (and best) free ebook websites. The site contains over 45,000 books and continues to grow. They are all free and available in various formats including Kindle, ePub, HTML, and text documents.
2) Amazon is one of my favorite places to look for free eBooks. When you go to the “Kindle Bestsellers” list, just click on the “free” button to find the top free eBooks for the day. I usually sort by non-fiction or children’s or whatever I’m looking for so I can find it quickly (and avoid some of the icky-looking titles). If you have AmazonPrime, you can also use the Kindle First program which lets you download one of four new release titles for free. You also get to check-out one free book each month with AmazonPrime.
Amazon also operates Audible.com and you can get a free audiobook from there, too (just be sure to follow the directions and read the fine print)!
3) BooksShouldBeFree.com has thousands of public domain audiobooks available for free. You can also download eBook versions, too. These are great if you have an auditory learner or need something to listen to on a long car ride!
4) ManyBooks.net has more than 29,000 eBooks available for free! I’m pretty visual, so I like that they have thumbnails to go with the titles. You can also easily see what the most downloaded eBooks are for each week.
5) We Give Books is one of my favorite sites for free children’s eBooks. You read the books right on the site, but they have some great classics and new books, too.
6) DailyLit is quite interesting. It sends you a small snippet of a book to read each day (they say it should take under 20 minutes to read). Most of the books available are fiction, but they do have a handful of non-fiction titles. With our busy lives, this is a pretty unique concept! However, if you end on a suspenseful note and want to read more, you can just push “Next Installment” and get the next part of the story right away!
7) Feedbooks has a good selection of public domain eBooks, too. I generally avoid other sections of the site because of iffy content.
8) Smashwords has a large selection of free eBooks. It’s a little harder because you don’t really have any reviews to go by when picking out a book from an author you don’t know. I do appreciate that you can filter out adult content.
9) Your own Local Library may have access to free eBooks. Our library utilizes a service called Sunflower eLibrary. I can check in with my library card number and check-out a certain number of eBooks from the site. It works great and I’ve read quite a few books through it. I recommend calling your own local library to see if they have the option of free eBook check-out!
10) Blogs are a great source for finding free eBooks. Every few days I post a list with free eBooks over at MotherhoodOnADime.com. The list changes rapidly, and these don’t stay free very long. I tend to focus on Christian fiction and non-fiction, but I do also throw in some cookbooks, health, etc. You can also find a free list of eBooks every day over at MoneySavingMom.com and most days at FreeHomeschoolDeals.com.
Am I missing any? Let me know if you have a favorite site where you can access free eBooks!
Disclaimer: Please be advised that you must be choosy when picking out free eBooks. My inclusion of these sites on my list doesn’t mean I like or agree with all of the books they have chosen to include on their site. You do have to pick through with a critical eye. Narrow down your search and focus on choosing the books that work best for your family!