Does your reading addiction have you in financial straits too?
- Apr 29
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 16
I love to read! PDFs, journal articles, dissertations, books (oh, the smell), Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Boox—I purchased a Samsung Fold the year it came out just so I could read comfortably on my cell phone and tablet. I love to read. I even read multiple books at the same time! I’m sure this habit developed from my childhood experiences. Living in abject poverty, the library became our safe haven. When we finally secured housing, luxuries like a TV or cable were out of reach. Books were my Netflix. Reading was my strongest suit in grade school; I took AP English just because I heard you actually read books for assignments.
I passed this love for reading on to my sons. They were reading by the age of two! At ages four and six, they would read to other children at Barnes & Noble. We spent countless hours at libraries, even having our favorite spots. Below is a picture of the Austin Library, which features a rooftop deck. The boys loved this place so much! To this day, as they prepare to venture into college, they still prefer the solace of a library to study or meet friends.
They too have an unhealthy love of books, especially Manga. Our household appreciates Asian culture; my oldest speaks Japanese, and his cell phone settings are in Hiragana. I never argued over what they read, as long as they were reading. When I was pursuing my PhD, we would have reading time together. I was studying, but they felt included because they were close by. Whether we were in line or waiting for our team to kick off on the weekend, we were under a tree reading.
Where to Read Free Books Online
Best for: Contemporary books
BookBub offers new free and discounted titles daily via our daily deals email and website. Sign up (for free!) to get started. After signing up, you can select your favorite genres, authors, and books. This helps our editors tailor the deals to your preferences. Each morning, you’ll receive a hand-curated selection of discounted and free ebooks delivered to your inbox. If a book you’re eyeing isn’t on sale yet, you can wishlist it, and we’ll send you an email alert when it’s discounted.
Pros:
New free books added daily
Available on all major ereaders (and your mobile device)
Free books in every genre
Cons:
Cannot read in the app
Best for: Classic novels
At Project Gutenberg, you can download and read over 57,000 free domain books. You can even read free books online without downloading them, and find free books online for kids! This project started in 1971 to digitally archive books in the public domain. It’s a fantastic resource for classic titles by authors like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare!
Pros:
Thousands of free titles
Free ebooks for kids
Cons:
Must download books in their PDF version, then send to ereader
No contemporary fiction
Best for: Recent releases
With a library card from your local library and the Libby app, you can read thousands of free books online. Just like your local library, Libby boasts titles ranging from the buzziest new releases to comforting classics. After downloading your titles, you can access them anywhere—during your commute, on the beach, or in the car. The options are endless! You can even download free audiobooks and magazines. It’s a trip to the library without ever leaving your couch!
Pros:
Access to bestsellers and recent releases
Can read both in-app and on ereader
Cons:
Must have a library card
Long wait times
Must return the book within the outlined period
Best for: Contemporary novels
Barnes & Noble is the biggest bookstore chain, but did you know that if you have their Nook (or even the Nook app on your phone), you can download free books online? Their online store offers a huge collection of free books in various genres, from suspense to romance to contemporary fiction. There are new books to download daily.
Pros:
Thousands of free books
Free books in every genre
Cons:
Must use the Nook ereader or Nook app
Best for: Bestsellers, contemporary novels, and nonfiction
In addition to their priced books, Kindle has a selection of over 80,000 free ebooks. You can download these books to your Kindle device, or if you don’t have a Kindle, you can use the Kindle app on your phone or tablet. There are new free titles added daily. Kindle also offers flash deals where an ebook will be marked down to free for a brief period.
Pros:
Thousands of free books
Free books in every genre
New free ebooks added daily
Cons:
Must use the Kindle ereader or Kindle app
Best for: Contemporary novels
Are you a Kobo user? Good news! There are free ebooks for you to download to your Kobo device. You can count on their large collection of free offerings, as well as new titles to discover daily. You also don’t need the Kobo to read free Kobo books; you can download their app to your mobile device or tablet.
Pros:
Free books in every genre
Hundreds of books to choose from
Cons:
Must use the Kobo ereader or Kobo app
Best for: Young adult books
Riveted by Simon Teen, a young adult imprint of Simon & Schuster, offers one full-length title each month that visitors can read for free on their website. In addition, several multi-chapter excerpts are available for their new releases. One past selection was even Better Than the Movies! You might find yourself spending hours perusing these engaging titles, from laugh-out-loud romantic comedies to action-packed dystopian sagas. This is a great place for kids to read free books online, as it only shares young adult titles.
Pros:
Contemporary novels and bestsellers
Cons:
Only young adult fiction
Must read on their website
Best for: Contemporary novels, classics, and nonfiction books
Much like Libby, all you need is your library card to access free ebooks with Hoopla. Once you connect your card, the digital public library is in the palm of your hand. You can find recent bestsellers, classics, and lots of genre picks. You can also download free audiobooks and stream other content like movies. When you find the ebook you’d like, you can download it directly to your ereader linked to your Hoopla account.
Pros:
Access to bestsellers and recent releases
Easy to use for a variety of ereaders
Access to the library’s entire digital catalog, including free audiobooks and movies
Cons:
Must have a library card
Must return the book within the outlined period
Best for: Children’s fiction
The International Children’s Digital Library is a free online library designed for children ages three to thirteen. It was developed to overcome language barriers in modern society. The site offers its titles in over 59 languages, making it an amazing resource for anyone learning a new language—young or old!
Pros:
Free children’s ebooks
Available in many languages
Cons:
No adult fiction
Best for: Indie novels and author support
The Smashwords website and app offer a distribution platform for independent authors and publishers. While some titles are paid, a significant portion are free, including many first-in-series offerings. Smashwords is also a great platform to self-publish, emphasizing getting emerging authors as many eyeballs on their writing as possible. There are dozens of genres to choose from. Once you find a title you like, you can either read the book in-app or follow some steps to download it to your ereader.
Pros:
Discovering new-to-you authors
Lots of series
Self-publishing opportunities
Cons:
Indie fiction only
Best for: Romance and fan fiction
Wattpad is an inviting community of 65 million users who love all things books! Amateur and professional writers worldwide publish their short stories and full-length novels on the platform. There’s also a community feature where you can interact with your favorite authors, enter writing contests, and more. On Wattpad, you can see how many people have read the book, the average reading time, the genre, and more. There’s also fan fiction! And you can read directly in the app.
Pros:
Romance readers’ paradise
Large community of readers
Cons:
Not all free books are finished products
Can only read in-app
Best for: Educational and classic titles
Open Culture is a fantastic website to explore for free ebooks, free movies, free audiobooks, and more! They focus on educational materials, and you won’t be bored with all the choices. In terms of books, they offer many classic titles, poetry, and nonfiction. If you have children (or just enjoy a good storytime), you can also check out their collection of free kids' ebooks. There are 800 free ebooks to choose from.
Pros:
Free ebooks, free movies, and free audiobooks
Free ebooks for kids
Cons:
Must download books in their PDF version, then send to ereader
No contemporary fiction
Best for: Romance books
Looking for a free romance ebook? Check out Harlequin’s collection! Their website allows readers to filter by reading length, trope, and mood. Most of these are novellas, but some series are updated regularly, so you can check back periodically for new chapters. The stories are by established Harlequin authors, so you can expect a swoon-worthy romance to read.
Pros:
Free novels from an established publisher
Cons:
Romance only
Not all books are finished
Best for: Classic novels
Can’t make it to Washington, DC, to sift through the Library of Congress’s impressive stacks? Good news: You can browse them online! The Library of Congress is an incredible place to find free classic books. It’s also a great resource for anyone interested in educational titles or other informational material (think academic journals and papers). All the free books on their website are digitized editions of physical books, so you’ll have to either read the novel on their website or download it as a PDF.
Pros:
Thousands of free titles
Educational and informational material
Cons:
Must download books in their PDF version, then send to ereader
No contemporary fiction
Best for: Indie fiction
Free-Ebooks.net boasts an impressive collection of over 50,000 free books in a wide variety of genres. These books can be downloaded directly from their website, and you can either choose to read them on your device or send the content to your e-reader.
Pros:
Discovering new-to-you authors
Thousands of books to choose from
Cons:
Indie fiction only
PS
If you need help keeping a database or finding recommendations, may I suggest one of these three sites/apps?
BookBub
Goodreads
StoryGraph
Reading opens doors to new worlds and ideas. So, dive in and enjoy every moment!
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