It’s International Literacy Day! We wanted to share all the ways you can access free books. From physical copies to online, to downloads there are plenty of ways to access free books. We’ve rounded up some options for you to help you save money when you go on your next reading binge.
Local Libraries:
If you looking to check out physical books head to your local libraries. Libraries are a great way to access reading materials without having to pay the price every time you want the next book in the series. They’re also a great place to access children’s books, much like clothes children can grow out of books quickly so instead why not borrow them. Also, some local libraries are signed up to schemes that allow you to access free audio and eBooks from your phone as well. Why not pop into your local library to find out more.
Kindle Unlimited trial
Kindle Unlimited often has 1 – 3-month free trials, in which you can read an unlimited number of books during this time. It also gives you access to 100s of free out of copyright books that you can download onto your phone, laptop or e-reader.
Book Exchanges
Check out your local community pages to see if anyone is hosting a book exchange soon. You can take along one of your old books and exchange it for another completely free! If there aren’t any set up why not organise one between your friends.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook marketplace is a great place to check when looking for free books. Often people give away items for free if you can pick them up. This is also a great place to find bundles of books after people have had a clear out.
Community Libraries
Different to local libraries, these are set up by members of the local community often in rural areas. Set up in old phone boxes, bus stops and church halls these are great places to check out. You can borrow books and donate some of your own. Like a book exchange, you could investigate them more and see if you could set one up yourself.
Online Access
There are loads of options when it comes to accessing books online, so we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites.
International Children’s Digital Library
The International Children’s Digital Library is a non-profit organisation that aims to “promote tolerance and a respect for diverse cultures by providing access to the best of children’s literature from around the world.” With over 4000 books in 50 languages, you can improve your children’s language skills and allow them to read a diverse range of stories.
Oxford Owl
Designed by Oxford University Press, Oxford Owl is designed to help you support your child’s reading. It follows the oxford reading scheme and has a few books for each level to work through.
Open Library
“The ultimate goal of the Open Library is to make all the published works of humankind available to everyone in the world.” The Open Library holds millions of books that you can access by signing up to an account. Borrowing time varies between 1 hour to 14 days depending on how many copies of the book they have. It’s a great way to get a feel for a book before you commit to reading the full thing.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a resource that digitises out of copyright texts to make them available to all. With 60,000 free books there’s a lot to work through. There are options to read online, download to kindle or download eBook versions onto your device. It is run entirely by volunteers and was the first provider of free eBooks.
Internet Sacred Texts Archive
The internet sacred texts archives hold texts from all of the major religions as well as philosophic texts. These include multiple versions of the bible, the Qur’an, the Torah and more. There are pages dedicated to the age of reason, DNA, Mysticism and even Shakespeare. It is worth a look if you are interested in sacred texts.
Riveted
Riveted is run by the Simon & Schuster publishing house. Specifically aimed at teens, you can access 4 free eBooks a month without having to splash out the cash!
