Enjoy free e-books, no e-reader required
Every week I round up freebies for our deals posts. In the process, I鈥檝e noticed there seems to be an almost endless supply of free e-books available online.
It鈥檚 almost enough to make me wish I had an e-reader. That is, until I learned I didn鈥檛 need to spend a couple hundred bucks to enjoy the Internet鈥檚 wealth of free e-book downloads.
E-reader manufacturers, as well as independent software companies, offer free reading apps that you can download onto your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. In other words, you could turn your phone or computer into an e-reader without spending a dime. Plus, that means one less electronic device to carry around and risk losing.
Of course, e-readers still have their advantages. Their screens are bigger than most phones, and they鈥檙e more portable than most computers. But what鈥檚 free is free. And even if you already own an e-reader, you can still add a free reading app to your phone and computer. The free reading apps for Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader will sync your e-book collection so you can access it from multiple devices鈥�
E-reader alternatives
Kindle offers free downloadable reading apps for smartphones (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry); tablets (iPad, Android); laptops, desktops, and netbooks (Mac, PC); and MP3 players (iPod touch).聽Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson has criticized Kindle because it鈥檚 not compatible with library books, but I find Kindle offers a bigger selection of free e-books than the other brands of e-readers. And since most reading apps are free, there鈥檚 nothing stopping you from downloading Kindle鈥檚 reading app and one of the others.
Nook offers free downloadable reading apps for smartphones (iPhone, Android); tablets (iPad, Android); and laptops, desktops, and netbooks (Mac, PC).
Sony Reader offers free downloadable reading apps for smartphones (Android), tablets (Android), and laptops, desktops, and netbooks (Mac, PC). Yes, iPhone and iPad owners, you read that right: Sony Reader鈥檚 app is only available for Mac computers.
Other options: Do a Web search for whatever device you want to double as an e-reader (鈥渇ree e-reader apps for Android,鈥� for example) to learn your options.聽If you own an iPhone or iPad, you probably already know that Apple鈥檚 free iBooks is one. Google Play is Android鈥檚 equivalent. Kobo is another free reading app for phones 鈥� iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. It鈥檚 known for its collection of one million free e-books.
If you prefer to read on your computer, check out Adobe鈥檚 Digital Editions, a free downloadable software program.
Where to find free e-books
Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader offer free e-books on their websites.
Other options:
- eReader.com鈥榮 鈥淔REE eBooks鈥� page (eReader.com is the website of a Barnes & Noble-owned e-book publisher)
- Google Play鈥檚 鈥淭op Free in Books鈥� page
- Kobo鈥檚 鈥淔REE eBooks鈥� page
- Money Talks News鈥� page
- Sesame Street鈥檚 鈥淔REE eBooks OF THE WEEK鈥� page
- The University of Chicago Press鈥� free e-book of the month
- Your library鈥檚 website
What鈥檚 your favorite site for downloading free e-books?
Karla Bowsher runs the at , a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities as well as around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.
