While many bookstores are offering curbside services, if you are on a budget or haven’t read in a while, thankfully there are plenty of options currently to access free audio and ebooks from local libraries, retailers and other apps.
Browse online retailers such as Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Nobles, Apple Books, Google Books, Kobo and Audibile and search for “free books” to browse what is available. Apple for example has a “stay at home” catalog of free ebooks. There are some great children’s books including Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street. Bookbub & Baen have a descent list of options as well.
Sribd, is waiving their $9.99 subscription and offering a free 30 days trial, which will give access to millions of ebooks, magazines, audiobooks and more.
New and returning readers will receive a two-month free subscription to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, which has a library stocked with more than a million free titles.
There are apps that also allow you to connect to your local library such as OverDrive and Libby. From classic to best sellers, there are a ton of options, the only down side is that sometimes you have to get on a wait list, depending on the popularity of the book.
A free collection of stories is being made available for free by Audible to stream on your desktop, laptop, tablet or phone.
PBS Kids let’s your subscribe for a daily newsletter that is filled with activities and educational games for kids ages 2 through 8.
Cambridge University Press is opening its library of journal articles, college textbooks and key reference works to students for free until the end of May (although it has had to pause free access to textbooks while it handles the unprecedented demand for resources).
If you enjoy comics, check out Comixology & Viz Media for their selection of free issues from a variety of creators/publishers.
