How does a booklover pack for an extended out of state trip without going over the weight limit or leaving her beloved stack of books behind?
I’m the girl who never left the house–even for a grocery run–without a book in my bag. Packing for my first long trip posed a unique challenge. When it came down to deciding between clothing and books, books won. Who needs an extra pair of shoes when it means leaving out a favorite title that was beckoning from the bookshelf just feet away? I may have not been the most stylish girl that DC ever saw, but I did get to sit under a beautiful shade tree by the Potomac River and read a few lines from an old favorite while I rested my feet. I sometimes regretted not packing a second pair of shoes or a few extra shirts, but I never regretted having my books with me.
A decade later, I discovered a new invention that let me carry an entire library with me–along with that second pair of shoes, leaving room to spare! Thanks to the Kindle App and my first smartphone, I never lack for good things to read–or extra clothing!–on a trip.
It has never been easier to have unlimited reading material.
Services like Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited
give you endless books at your fingertips for one flat rate. Many local libraries also offer a free service called OverDrive that allows you to have access to thousands of Kindle books, as well.
Even if you don’t have a line item in your budget for eBooks, access to Amazon’s paid services, or a library card to login to OverDrive, there are many books you can still download to your Kindle App for free.
The first time I found a book on my wishlist available for free, I began to realize the potential for building a virtually free eBook library. I felt like I’d just unwrapped a perpetual Christmas package. What book lover wouldn’t get excited about free books and more free books?
Some authors and publishers put Kindle books on sale for free for a limited time.
It can be difficult to find the free eBooks you would like before the often very short free download window expires. But I’m not the only one looking for the best in free eBooks. The Facebook Community Free eBook Alerts for Christian Readers crowd sources free eBook deal recommendations. I don’t have to spend all my time searching Amazon for the latest deals; I just watch my Facebook notifications!
Thankfully, not all free eBooks are only available for short, unpredictable time periods.
There are literally hundreds of books–from classic fiction​ to modern day fiction, from entire reprinted series to firsts in new series–that are always free to download.
This ultimate collection of permanent Kindle freebies includes some of the Kindred Grace Team’s favorite titles. Having access to all these wonderful classics and firsts has given us many hours of reading pleasure.
Don’t forget to read all the way to the end for more great resources to help you build your eLibrary without breaking the budget!
Free Kindle Classics
- Aesop’s Fables
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
- Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott
- Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott
- An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
- Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott
- Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott
- Aunt Jo’s Scrap Bag by Louisa May Alcott
- A Garland for Girls by Louisa May Alcott
- Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott
- Emma by Jane Austen
- Lady Susan by Jane Austen
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- The Complete Works of Jane Austen
- Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
- Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë
- Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- A Lady of Quality by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Holy War by John Bunyan (also available in updated, modern English)
- The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (also available in updated, modern English)
- Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
- Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
- The Complete Works of Charles Dickens
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
- Elsie Dinsmore and more by Martha Finley
- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- The Little Colonel and more by Annie Fellows Johnston
- The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
- Malcolm and The Marquis’ Secret by George MacDonald
- Sir Gibbie and Donal Grant by George MacDonald
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- Anne of Green Gables and the complete Anne series by L.M. Montgomery
- Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
- The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery
- The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
- The Scarlet Pimpernel books by Baroness Orczy
- Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
- Heidi by Johanna Spyri
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
- Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter
- Michael O’Halloran by Gene Stratton-Porter
- Five Little Peppers and How They Grew and other books by Margaret Sidney
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- The Complete Works of Mark Twain
- Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
- Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
- Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
- Shepherd of the Hills and others by Harold Bell Wright
Free Kindle Fiction
- The Spice Bride by Karen Aminadra
- The Silver Horde by Rex Beach
- The Spoilers by Rex Beach
- Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer
- The Pepper in the Gumbo by Mary Jane Hathaway
- The Enchanted Barn and other books Grace Livingston Hill
- Ride With Me by Janith Hooper
- In Between by Jenny B. Jones
- A Rose Blooms Twice by Vikki Kestell
- The Twenty-Fourth of June by Grace S. Richmond
- In His Steps by Charles Sheldon (also available in new, abridged edition)
- Daughter of Twin Oaks by Lauraine Snelling
- Ireland Rose by Patricia Strefling
- Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes by Ella Cheever Thayer
- My Man, Jeeves and other Jeeves books by P.G. Wodehouse
- Psmith in the City and other Psmith books by P.G. Wodehouse
Free Kindle Mysteries
- The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
- The Wisdom of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
- Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
- The Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne
Free Kindle Fantasy
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Oz: The Complete Collection
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
- At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
- Lilith by George MacDonald
- The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
- Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Exile by Rachel Starr Thompson
- Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thompson
- Darkness Reigns by Jill Williamson
Free Kindle Non-Fiction
- Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe
- Trees Tall as Mountains by Rachel Devendish Ford (read Jeannie’s review)
- The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer (also available in updated edition)
What eBooks have you found for free lately?
Share the wealth in the comments–or over at the Free eBook Alerts for Christian Readers Facebook Group.
Alerts for Free or Discounted Kindle Deals
- eReaderGirl
- Money Saving Mom Blog
- Free Homeschool Deals
- Tyndale Ebook Extra Newsletter
- Inspired Reads
- Gospel eBooks
- Free eBook Alerts for Christian Readers Facebook Group
- eReader iQ
- BookBub Deals
- Get Free eBooks
- Amazon Kindle Daily Deals
Free eBook Lists
Where do you look for free eBooks?
We’d love to hear about your favorite resources!
Photography: JenniMarie Photography
Thanks to Gretchen Louise and Kelly Kathleen–both moderators of the Free eBook Alerts for Christian Readers Facebook Group–for their help in compiling this list of “permafree” Kindle books.
Hi Chantel,
Thanks for this list of reads. As far as fiction goes, I’m a tough customer. I’m also a writer wife and mom.
Blessings,
Stephanie
What a brilliant list – thank you so much! We only recently bought our first tablet, and I never would have thought to look on Kindle to find so many free books. We have a lot of travel coming up soon – now I don’t need to worry running out of things to read!
Dinah Maria Craik is also a classic author worth a read – author of “John Halifax – Gentleman”, and many others. Found several of her books on Kindle just now, much to my delight! Thanks again 🙂
Here’s another resource that features daily deals on Christian books (often they’re free!): http://www.inspiredreads.com/
Moving with books is very challenging. I can’t bear to get rid of any of them, and yet the are so very heavy! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
I still don’t read on it as much as I read paperbacks, but I’m getting more books I really want to read on there and am working on finishing them off this year. 🙂
You make me laugh. Reading blogs on it, though…it really is handy. 🙂
Katie, check out the iBook app on your phone, too! That is actually the very *first* place I discovered it looked like an open book. I know there aren’t as many free books, but I so love the page turning part. 😉
I don’t ever plan on going totally electronic. I just never could! But it sure is nice to pick up those free ones. 🙂
Aww, it’s cute! Don’t sweat it! It’s a great picture for a great post! Much Love!
Two places. I too use an iPad as my e-reader. I mostly use the Kindle app simple because it is so easy to find free books for Kindle.
First, while many classics can be found for free through your e-reader site (Amazon, B&N, etc.), sometimes you can’t find it. I LOVE http://manybooks.net to find Kindle versions of those books. I have gotten some George MacDonald books that were not available at the time on Amazon but were available at ManyBooks.net
Secondly, http://ereaderiq.com is AMAZING!! I import my kindle wishlist to it and get notified when the price drops (even goes free!)!! It is a free service and in the few months that I have been using it, I have been notified of 4 books going free (that were on my want to buy amazon wishlist) and 6 books that have dropped in price. It has been GREAT!!
One other thing I really like about using the Kindle over other e-readers is that they have a website where you can following along with notes that others are putting in their kindles! http://kindle.amazon.com not only lets you follow other people you like, but will allow you to follow authors who have authorized the sharing of the books they are reading. AND it will show you other people who are reading books similar to you. AND it is a great way to search all your books and the notes/highlights you have made!
Paula, wow! Great resources. I’m going to have to check them out! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I honestly don’t know what I would do without my e-reader. Another great site for free books (all the old classics) is Project Gutenberg. Their books work on all e-readers and not just the kindle.
Yes! this is where I’ve gotten most of Louisa May Allcott’s books and that has made me pretty happy. 😉