Good eReader and free books?

The least cost would be to load the Amazon Kindle app on your phone or laptop and borrow books from a library. Next is get Amazon Prime and go through all of their Prime free books.

I much prefer reading them on the Kindle paper white reader, it might still be on sale.

Bill

For a reader- pretty much any cheap android tablet will do. For free books, you could spend a lifetime reading the stuff at https://archive.org/, or your public library, for current, under copyright books.
I also prefer and use the Paperwhite, but they are not cheap.

Check out the Overdrive app / program. It should be available for most tablets and computers. Overdrive Overdrive provides access to Libraries with digital content... (most Libraries now-a-days). You can check out books on-line just like checking out hard copies when in the Library. No cost.

Something to think about (although many may disagree), the hardware is at least half the experience. Ya you can use the Kobo, Kindle or Overdrive apps on your PC, Tablet etc to try out reading books on a "device" for cheap or free What makes reading books on a "device" most appealing is the hardware. It would be really hard to judge if you like the format of ebooks based on this type of test in fact I would bet many people would decide they do not like it. I have a Kobo Glo and it is the primary reason I like ebooks for a number of reasons:
1) battery on eInk book readers lasts for almost a month
2) you can load many hundreds or thousands of (free, borrowed or paid) books on it
3) eInk ebook readers are the only format that closely replicates paper, does not cause eye strain, does not have glare and can be read outside in the sun
4) eInk with some form of glow screen also can be read at night or in low light without the need for lighting but is still just as easy on the eyes to read as paper or an eInk screen

Trying the apps out is a good first step but not the whole experience. Go to a book store and play with the eInk book readers, borrow one from a friend and read a chapter of a book or ask to play with one if you see someone reading from one at the next RV park you are at.

After you decide on the hardware, there are lots of options for free books:
1) Overdrive to borrow from your library for free
2) Project Gutenberg or other similar sites that offer free older books. There are thousands of older books (I think older than 1923?) after that they are public domain and can be downloaded for free.

Do you read outside or in bed in a dark room? I wish I had a Kindle paperwhite to go with my tablet. I like backlit to read in bed if DW is asleep. Eink/Paperwhites are better for outside where a backlit can be near unusable.

For cheap, I give another vote for Overdrive and a public library account. Overdrive is compatible with a variety of devices. I use it with an iPad and download books in Kindle app or use audio books right from Overdrive App.

Ed_Gee wrote:
Check out the Overdrive app / program. It should be available for most tablets and computers. Overdrive Overdrive provides access to Libraries with digital content... (most Libraries now-a-days). You can check out books on-line just like checking out hard copies when in the Library. No cost.

I use Ovedrive to download free books all the time. Audio books are also available for free!

There are well over a million free books available from the links at this site:

Free eBooks And Audiobooks To Read Online or Download

I am on my best and last NOOK, the HD+ with10" screen. Last, because they are not available any more, B&N sold them to Samsung rather than continue in the Tablet field. Mine is a full-featured tablet, minus a camera. H have maybe 50 books I have purchased stored on it, but read mostly books from OverDrive. They cost me nothing, are available to me anywhere I have internet access for download, and don't keep my starage cluttered up with books that I have finished reading. The NOOK screen designed especially for readability, is superior to any of the much more expensive tablets. I usually read several books each week, and usually have several checked out of my library(via Overdrive) and at least a dozen on hold. I also receive and read several monthly or weekly magazines in full color.

I have the Kindle app on my phone and on my tablet, but they do not even come close to the reading experience of the real Kindle. I just got a Paperwhite for Christmas, and am going to put my Kindle keyboard in the camper for those times we forget our Kindles.

Get a generic Android tablet---not a Kindle, not a Nook. You want something like a Samsung. You can use it for reading and a lot of other stuff as well. Do NOT get an Ipad!!! That way you can install 3 different apps that will let you read anything out there. The apps are Nook, Kindle, and Adobe Digital Editions.

Go to a public library and get a card. Then ask them about how to access e-books. I am 100% sure they will have someone there to help you.

I don't know how it works in all states... but in TN we have

TENNESSEE READS

which lets you download books and access them for up to 3 weeks, as many as 15 books at once. These can be in the Adobe Digital Edition (epub) or Kindle format. You can make a wish list for books you want to read later, or get on the wait list for books that are all "checked out". It is totally FREE.

In this system you can also get audiobooks, magazines, and streaming video.

There are also quite frequently Kindle books from the Amazon website which are cheap or free.

Several people have recommended the Kindle Paperwhite. The problem with that is that you can ONLY use it for reading Kindle books. You can't get anything in color, no periodicals, etc. With a Kindle Fire you can install the Nook app with some extra work. The Paperwhite LOOKS most like a printed page. But you can adjust the brightness and background color on a tablet to avoid eyestrain. You can also read in a dark room, since the tablet is backlit.