# Lets Share Free E-book Recommendations! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066 "2012-03-07T19:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/1 "2012-03-07T19:23:48Z")
I’ve been looking for good free reads for my Kindle. I have a lot of downtime at my job and a pulpy, fast read keeps me from going crazy with boredom. So I’ve been looking for genre fiction mostly- I know there’s tons of free classics out there but for my purposes I like fast paced popcorn reads. However a lot of self-published stuff is terrible, mostly for want of editing. I’ve found a few good freebies (as well as inexpensive-ies) and I’m hoping other people have too. These are the ones I’ve found so far, and are all free today at least: [LZR-1143-Perspectives](http://www.amazon.com/LZR-1143-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B004X29R8M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331147423&sr=1-1), a collection of 6 short stories about a zombie outbreak. Good zombie horror. [The Plagiarist](http://www.amazon.com/The-Plagiarist-ebook/dp/B004ZUZT5W/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_9) by Hugh Howey, which I haven’t read but I was so excited to see was free because his [Wool Omnibus](http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) was by far the best thing I’ve read this year. If you’re an Amazon Prime member you can read Wool for free through their borrowing program. [A Princess of Mars](http://www.amazon.com/A-Princess-of-Mars-ebook/dp/B002RKSDS2/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_21), which I haven’t read either but I’m pretty stoked about because it’s the first in the John Carter series, which has been on my list for way too long. Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/2 "2012-03-07T19:30:03Z")
[Starfish by Peter Watts](http://rifters.com/real/STARFISH.htm) released via creative commons. One of the best SF stories I’ve read in a long, long time. His other books are also creative commons. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/3 "2012-03-07T20:26:11Z")
So help an idiot out, please. How would I get/read that Creative Commons book on my Kindle Fire? ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/4 "2012-03-07T20:31:38Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > So help an idiot out, please. > > How would I get/read that Creative Commons book on my Kindle Fire? Download the Mobi file and put it on your kindle via USB, Mobi is the same as the AZW format used by the actual purchased kindle books. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/5 "2012-03-07T21:35:04Z")
On Amazon, I ran across [this collection of "50 Classic Page-Turners](http://www.amazon.com/50-Classic-Page-Turners-ebook/dp/B004YNJO3S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331154965&sr=1-1)." This particular edition is _not_ free, and I don’t know how well it’s formatted, but if you click the link you can look at the list of works included, and you can find editions of the individual works elsewhere that are free. Anyway, I haven’t read _all_ the books on the list, but some of them, at least, certainly do qualify as fast-paced popcorn reads. Other public domain popcorn reads that I didn’t see on that list include Arthur Conan Doyle’s [The Lost World](http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-World-ebook/dp/B004UJDLJE/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331154931&sr=1-4) H. Beam Piper’s [Little Fuzzy](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Fuzzy-ebook/dp/B002RKROIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331155121&sr=1-1) G. K. Chesterton’s [The Innocence of Father Brown](http://www.amazon.com/Innocence-Father-Brown-ebook/dp/B004UJIW2K/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331155164&sr=1-3) You can also find free SF at the [Baen Free Library](http://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx). I can personally only vouch for enjoying Murray Leinster’s [Med Ship](http://www.baenebooks.com/p-275-med-ship.aspx) and Lois McMaster Bujold’s [Warrior’s Apprentice](http://www.baenebooks.com/p-1290-warriors-apprentice.aspx) and [The Mountains of Mourning](http://www.baenebooks.com/p-622-the-mountains-of-mourning.aspx); perhaps others can tell us if there are other volumes there that are particularly worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/6 "2012-03-07T21:43:19Z")
> [@Rubixcube](#): > > Download the Mobi file and put it on your kindle via USB, Mobi is the same as the AZW format used by the actual purchased kindle books. Ah, excellent! Thanks much. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/7 "2012-03-07T21:50:20Z")
As **Thudlow** mentioned, lots of free stuff at Baen Free Library. I recommend [Wizards Bane](http://www.baenebooks.com/s-23-rick-cook.aspx?CategoryFilterID=1)by Rick Cook, [1632](http://www.baenebooks.com/p-379-1632.aspx) by Eric Flint, and [Pyramid Scheme](http://www.baenebooks.com/p-328-pyramid-scheme.aspx) by Flint and Dave Freer. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/8 "2012-03-07T22:21:50Z")
This was a fun read. [The Cannibal Islands. Captain Cooks Adventure In The South Seas.](http://www.amazon.com/Cannibal-Islands-Captain-Adventure-ebook/dp/B002RKSJK4/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331158460&sr=1-4) There are also several other free kindle books about the good captain as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/9 "2012-03-08T01:11:26Z")
What do I do to read free on the iPad? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/10 "2012-03-08T01:22:58Z")
[Three Men in a Boat](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/308) by Jerome K. Jerome. (also available free at the kindle store if you have a kindle). Nice, light, funny read. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/11 "2012-03-08T03:11:28Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > What do I do to read free on the iPad? I should probably let someone who has an iPad answer this, but I’ll note that there is a Kindle App for iPad (and probably other e-reader apps too, I would assume); so anything you can read for free on a Kindle, you can read for free on an iPad. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/12 "2012-03-08T07:31:13Z")
Yes, download the free Kindle app to your iPad, then follow the instructions to sync it to your Amazon account. Then you can go to the Kindle store at the Amazon website and “purchase” any of the many free books available there. When you purchase a book from the Kindle store, there is an option for where to send it–you choose to send it to your iPad. Then when you next open the Kindle app on your iPad, the book will download to it. ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/13 "2012-03-08T11:59:39Z")
What about us NOOK users? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/14 "2012-03-08T12:04:20Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > [Three Men in a Boat](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/308) by Jerome K. Jerome. (also available free at the kindle store if you have a kindle). Nice, light, funny read. There’s also “Three Men on the Bummel”, which is the follow-up. Perhaps a bit more polished, but somehow a little less magical at the same time, or so it seemed to me. There’s also more JKJ there for anyone else who (like me) is a fan. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/15 "2012-03-08T16:29:06Z")
> [@SticksAndString](#): > > What about us NOOK users? 😉 All the books at Baen Free Library can be downloaded in Nook format as well. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/16 "2012-03-08T18:59:43Z")
I second both “Princess of Mars” and “the Lost World”, both of which I recently read for free on my Kindle. I’m in the middle of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea right now—almost exactly at the half way point, but I can’t say I’d recommend it right now. Does anyone know if this ever gets any better? I’ve also downloaded some free Conan stories and H.P. Lovecraft stories as well. Most of this stuff I read as a teenager and was glad to be able to read it now for free, having gotten rid of a lot of my copies over the years in the interest of space. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/17 "2012-03-09T15:34:36Z")
I recently downloaded some of the Jeeves & Wooster stories from the Gutenberg project. Haven’t read them yet, but have heard good thinks about them. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/18 "2012-03-09T16:41:10Z")
They’re hysterical, Cumberdale. It’s sort of a creeping hilarity; often it just seems silly but by the time you’ve read a bunch of it, you’re breathless with goofy giggling. The sermon-betting story in _Jeeves_ is great. Thanks for the Kindle App for iPad info! I think I might already have that app on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/19 "2012-03-09T16:59:23Z")
Yeesh I just looked at Amazon and I’m totally clueless how to do this. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-share-free-e-book-recommendations/615066/20 "2012-03-10T04:45:00Z")
I read the first [Geek Mafia](http://www.feedbooks.com/book/917/geek-mafia) book for free from FeedBooks, and liked it enough to buy the second. [Cory Doctorow](http://craphound.com/?cat=5) offers several of his novels as free downloads. I’m not sure if _Makers_ is still free, but I loved that book like mad. It was magical and sad and scary and hopeful and made me an instant Doctorow fan. Similarly, the guys at [Machine of Death](http://machineofdeath.net/ebook) offer their book (a collection of stories based on the premise that there is a machine that will tell you how you’re going to die… Lots of funny, lots of poignant, lots of thought-provoking stuff) as a free download. Oh, and Ellen, if I figured it out I’m sure you can! I think I got the kindle app from the iPad app store first, and it walked me through the (relatively simple) process.