I've read over 90 books so far this year, but I've only paid for about a handful. The rest were free. There were some stinkers in there, but most were great books, and did I mention they were free?
You don't have to have a dedicated ereader to read free books. You can read books for the
kindle or
nook on your PC, your laptop, your phone, or your tablet. The apps to read these books are free too. You may have to open an account with the ebook store, but if the books you want are free you don't have to pay anything.
There are other sources for free books. A lot of public libraries can lend ebooks now, and you don't have to drive to the library to borrow them. Check with your local library to see if they have ebooks available.
Project Gutenberg has over 40,000 free ebooks.
The
Open Library boasts over 1 million free ebooks.
ManyBooks.net has more than 29,000 titles available for free. Google gets into the game with
Google Play Books. Google has lots of free books, but some are just samples so look before you download.
I wrote a
post about this back in January, but I just wanted to remind people that reading is so much easier these days, and free. I can start a book on my tablet or one of my PCs, switch to my kindle or nook, and continue to read on my phone if I want to endure the small screen.
I know there are purists who still want their books made of trees, but I prefer the electronic kind. The paper kind are are only free from the library, and I live 20 miles from the library. Did I mention I like free?
In book three Phoenix, Jade, Marcus, and Brynn fight their way through Egypt on a quest to free the goddess Anuket and restore balance to the region. Without Anuket the Nile River can't flood and Egypt is in the grip of a devastating famine. Warriors who die and come back to life are just one of the challenges they face.
In book four the four heroes are in India trying to restore balance. In order to do so they must return the Sudarshana given to Jade to the statue of Vishnu. The four find themselves in a full scale war with a snake goddess on the other side. Another gamer is introduced into the mix. The question is whether he's an ally or an enemy.
In book five Jade, Phoenix, Marcus, and Brynn find themselves in China to directly confront the evil Feng Zhudai. He must be defeated to bring balance to the world of the game and the real world from which Jade and Phoenix were pulled in. Feng Zhudai's power is their biggest obstacle. Will they defeat him and make it back to their world, or be stuck in the game forever? A great fantasy series. Very highly recommended.
Olivia Martin is a photographer. She's something of a loner, except for her best friend Juliet. Juliet is the outgoing vivacious one. Olivia is the reserved quiet one of the pair. Olivia starts to notice, and be noticed by, mysterious men. At least they seem like men. When one man in particular, Holden, begins to invade her dreams, she realizes her whole life is changing. Not necessarily for the better. The cliff hanger is like hitting a wall. Excellent book though. Highly recommended.
Princess Una of Parumvir just turned 18. Una wonders where all the suitors are who should be asking for her hand in marriage. She wants romance and flowers and moonlight serenades. She finds that giving her heart is more than she bargained for. Her life and her father's kingdom may be part of the bargain. What would a dragon want with her heart? A marvelous story. Very highly recommended.
Llandry Sanfaer is a shy Glinnish girl. The Glinnish have wings and their realm is in perpetual daylight. Llandry makes jewelry, and when she discovers a cave with some beautiful gems, she uses them in her work. But what are those gems really, and what is their power?
Lady Evastany Glostrum is from Glour. The realm of Glour is perpetually dark and the inhabitants are not winged. Eva is the High Summoner. When her best friend is murdered for the jewelry she purchased from Llandry, Eva is compelled to help the investigation using her powers.
This is one series I will pursue, even if I have to pay for the rest of the books. Very highly recommended.
Phoenix and Jade continue their adventures in the 80AD computer game. The object of this level in the game is to obtain the hammer of Thor. How many times they die and what monsters they have to defeat is the question. Again, a good fantasy adventure. Highly recommended.
Phoenix is 13. He's trying to adjust to a new step-father and having a hard time. One way he escapes is through computer games. His Mom just got him the new game 80AD and he can't wait to play it.
Jade is 13. She's the seventh of seven sisters and feels like an outcast. When she gets stranded at home alone, she's excited that her Dad gave her permission to play a new computer game called 80AD.
Phoenix and Jade are linked in ways they don't even understand, but when they encounter each other in the game 80AD they find themselves transported to the real first century Britain. In this real life adventure they're fighting for their lives against monsters, magic, and the Roman empire. If they don't win the game, their lives and the world they grew up in will be lost forever. This book is a good fantasy adventure with some interesting characters. The best part is the whole series is free. Highly recommended.
Midshipman Ichiro Sato is the youngest member of the crew, and is only on the survey ship Aurora as part of his Terran Naval Academy advanced training. Little does he know he's about to become one of the most famous humans in history. When the Aurora comes out of hyperspace she's jumped into a system with not one, but two planets that are in the habitable zone. The problem is they're both already inhabited, and the inhabitants are nothing the human race has ever imagined. I haven't enjoyed a hard science fiction this much in years. Very highly recommended.
Laney Cavanaugh and her sister Laci come back to Whitehorse Montana every year to visit their grandparents. This year their cousin Maddie is engaged to be married, but Laney senses some problems. Nick Rogers is the new deputy sheriff in town. When people start to get beaten up on Saturday nights, and someone is murdered at Maddie's engagement party, Nick and Laney square off. It turns out Nick has an even bigger problem than the troubles in Whitehorse, and it could catch up with both he and Laney. This book has lots of twists and turns, and plenty of characters. It's good solid entertainment. Recommended.
Jesse Sanders was the captain of the star ship Eureka. Then Jesse had the misfortune to get drunk on the colony planet Undine. The government of Undine was the planet's medical establishment. Alcoholism was a disease and the Meds couldn't let it go untreated. Jesse was arrested and missed his ship's departure window. Now he's been stranded on Undine, but a group called the Stewards of the Flame recruit him in a bid to defeat the control of the Meds. The potential exists for this to be a great book. It's not achieved. I read the whole thing to see how it developed, and even the ending left a lot to be desired. Not recommended.
William Hill has made it to the island. He and the other people there are stranded now, because the country has imposed martial law to try and stop the spread of the fever. The problem is, martial law does nothing to stop the spread of the strange creatures that accompany the fever. They're monsters from legend who feed on people's bodies and minds. William has a special connection to these monsters that he'll eventually understand. That is if he can believe the word of a talking nightmare. Plenty of action and plenty of scary. An amazing book. Very highly recommended.
The Fever is spreading fast. As it spreads to every continent and gains momentum William Hill decides he wants to die somewhere of his choosing. He heads to the island, the island his father took him to years ago. He's got a boat and provisions. What he doesn't realize is he's going to have company. This is a beautiful book. It has great characters and just enough scary to give it an edge. Highly recommended.
Landon Paddock threw away his wife and child after his parents were killed in an auto accident. He's the central figure in this book and not likable. He ends up fighting for his daughter and wife, and the rest of the town's people, when the town is invaded by demons. The religious aspects are secondary to the story. If the story line had been done by King or Koontz this could have been a winner. Not recommended.
Gemma changed the future, but chaos was the result. Witches, vampires, foreseers, and fey are all being given the mark of Malefiscus, and running wild. Gemma and her friends have to solve this while still trying to find that one loop hole that will allow Gemma and Alex to survive stopping the end of the world. Ignore some editing errors that are cropping up. Highly recommended.
Gemma is discovering new powers and new problems. Loop holes could be her salvation, but can she find the right ones. I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers. Book three is highly recommended too.
Gemma needs to rescue her mother from the underworld. She's getting better with her foreseer abilities, so she should be able to get into the underworld, but will she be able to get out? Another page turner. Highly recommended.
Gemma Lucas is a high school student in the little town of Afton Wyoming. What makes Gemma unique is that until recently she had no feelings at all. She described herself as an emotionless zombie. Then her emotions started to wake up. Gemma is in for some big surprises. She's about to discover that her emotions weren't the only things waiting to wake up. There is lots of action in this book and more than a fair share of teenage angst. The ending is abrupt and leaves the reader aching to find out what happens next. Young adult, but a good read overall. Highly recommended.
The year is 3040. Humans are dominant in the galaxy and expect to stay that way. Admiral Daniel Atgard commands the Apocalypse, a new breed of ship with some interesting state-of-the-art gadgets. When humans are attacked by an unknown alien species it's up to Atgard to save his ship, his crew, and the entire human race. This story was hard to put down. Highly recommended.
Anne Mason is going through a messy divorce. She sells her share in a software company and her house to get out of her marriage. Michael Brandt is her husband's attorney. He regretted taking the case before he even saw Anne. Once he did the sparks started to fly. Anne is kidnapped and Michael is there when she escapes. The trouble is her kidnapper keeps coming, and he's leaving Anne some presents that she doesn't want. Except for all the sex scenes the book is pretty good, but the ending is not very satisfying. Recommended with those caveats.
Dr. Giovanni Vecchio is a book dealer specializing in very old books. He has a cat named Doyle and a butler named Caspar. He's also a vampire. Beatrice De Novo is a senior who works in the Special Collections reading room at the Houston University library. Beatrice and Giovanni become friends when their paths cross in the reading room. Little do they know the twists of fate that will draw them together and change both of their lives. This is an amazing story. I couldn't put it down. Very highly recommended.
