Favorite Free eBooks

Posted by: billstephenson

Favorite Free eBooks - 01/08/11 10:18 PM

Every now and then I scrounge around gutenberg.org looking for books to read. They have a lot of out of copyright classics there.

A few of my favorites are:

The Lost World

Don Quixote

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc

King Solomon's Mines

I have printed copies of all of those, but I put these on an eReader because I can jump into those stories on any page and enjoy reading them again.

Anyone else have a favorites list of free books?

Posted by: BrianLe

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 01/08/11 11:57 PM

What a great idea for a thread --- thanks for starting this one, Bill.

Apart from Gutenberg, my favorite is the free library at baen.com. These are sci-fi books, and in some cases the first (or the first N) book(s) in a series to get you hooked, but in many cases not. It's a lot of free books, so folks that like sci-fi mind candy might appreciate this site. I've read enough of these that I made sure to buy some eBooks from them too, I just appreciated their approach so much that I wanted to do that.

On my Droid X I'm using the free Aldiko eBook reader, and via its "download books" button one can directly go out and find various free books. One site they lead you to is Feedbooks.com.

There's a lot of stuff out there; I hope others have some favorite options to share.
Posted by: PerryMK

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 01/09/11 05:49 AM

Maybe calling this a favorite would be a bit of a stretch, but it is free. If one can get through the various rants (mostly of the government conspiracy variety as I recall) there is some worthwhile frugal-homesteading information.

Homesteading Under $3,000
By James Dakin
http://www.lulu.com/content/501424


Posted by: prussicnot

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 01/09/11 07:32 AM

I read ebooks on my phone. I would be hard-pressed to name my favorite book, but my favorite authors are Richard Herley, Harry Collingwood, and Guy de Maupassant. I get most of my free ebooks at Mobilread, Memoware, or Mobipocket.
Posted by: Spatchka

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 04/30/11 02:48 PM

They may be dated, but still a good read.

How I Found Livingstone by Henry M. Stanley

Woodcraft and Camping by George Washington Sears

Knots, Splices and Rope Work by A. Hyatt Verrill
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 05/15/11 07:02 PM

Quote:
How I Found Livingstone


Thanks for pointing that one out. I finally downloaded that to my eReader today, but I read a bit of it a few weeks ago and the beginning had me convinced it should be a fun read.

While I was poking around I found the Journals of Lewis and Clark too. I've read an edited versions of them, and I'm not sure if this is or not, but I am looking forward to reading them again. It's been a long time and I really enjoyed it the first time.
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 06/14/11 12:00 AM

Well, I've had a chance to read "Moby Dick" and I'm about halfway thru "How I Found Livingstone".

Moby Dick was really a disappointment for me. I won't rattle on about it, but I'm pretty sure that guy invented more words than any author I've ever read, and he digresses from the subject more than that guy Mark Twain asked about "Smiley" in Calaveras County.

"How I Found Livingstone" is pretty interesting on many levels. It is such a vivid snapshot of the time and places Stanley visited, and at the same time, it is related by a personality that is also so different than those you'd encounter now.

Stanley was a racist, there is no doubt about that, but he had an amazing strong will and determination, and for the most part you believe he is trying hard to relate things honestly, as they occurred, and even with his high view and opinion of his race he is generous with his praise for those who've earned his respect, and honest in examining his own shortcomings and faults, and those of his same race.

Livingstone, I believe, was an incredibly talented explorer and he seems to have had an amazing grasp on humanity that Stanley certainly lacked before meeting him. I have a lot left to read with this book, I'm at the point where Stanley has found Livingstone, and now they are exploring together. I didn't know a lot more about these two other than Livingstone was a missionary and Stanley was sent to find him after he wasn't heard from for years, but there is a lot more to the story than that. I didn't even know Livingstone was an explorer, and I didn't know they explored together.

This is a very interesting part of this book because you can see how Livingstone is already influencing Stanley with his more compassionate approach to dealing with the people they encounter. I'm not sure what happens next, but it would seem at this point that Stanley will be a changed man after his encounter with Livingstone. Or, possibly I've mistaken Livingstone's passion for humanity and he is exposed as something much different than I expect. I have no idea of what happens from this point on.

Stanley's descriptions of the places he travels through are really wonderful to read. It's a bit difficult to follow all the native terms he uses, but some of them start to sink in after a bit. I know what "Boma" is now when he mentions it wink He describes the terrain, the difficulties they encounter, the climate and weather, the tribes and Arab traders, the food and agriculture, and how it all affects them on their mission to find Livingstone.

Using Google Satellite photos adds a great dimension to this story. They bring you so much closer to what they were dealing with and it's just plain old fun to follow his footsteps with it.

Stanley does a very good job of taking you there with him, when he went there. He lets you inside his personal experience and provides a raw account it. It brings you back to his time and adventure in a very intimate and real way.

There are few things better than a good book you get for free. "How I Found Livingstone" is certainly one worth getting.
Posted by: GrumpyGord

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 06/14/11 06:18 AM

I also am reading the free e-book, I have just started it. When I got the book there were also two free Livinstone journals which I have not started to read yet. Some of the reading goes a little slow because of the formal style of writing common to that era. I am also reading a book about some men shipwrecked off the coast of Africa during the same time period and again the formal writing style takes a bit of getting used to.
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 06/14/11 11:31 AM

Yeah, that older style of writing does take some getting used too. I've been reading old books, mostly classics, for so long now that some of the newer stuff seems strange to me laugh

Posted by: ndwoods

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 03/10/12 12:26 AM

I have read a whole bunch of cool free books lately on my kindle...

Thirty one years on the plains by william drannan (sorry, too lazy to use caps when I should-grin)

My life as an indian jw schultz

letters of a woman homesteader

The captured: a true story of abduction by indians

kidnapped and sold by indians by matthew brayton

9 years among the indians herman lehmann

These were all great books if you like amer hist....and true stories

Dee
Posted by: dkramalc

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 03/11/12 01:37 PM

Where did you find those books? I read the Herman Lehmann book recently (bought it from Amazon on paper) after reading Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne and seeing it mentioned.
Posted by: finallyME

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 03/13/12 10:21 AM

If you liked King Solomon's Mines, then you really need to read Allan Quartermain. I haven't checked to see if it is an ebook yet.

Just checked, Kindle has it for free.
Posted by: ndwoods

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 07/16/12 12:10 AM

They were all on Amazon free. All the Texas history series is free as well as classics....I do notice tho that some free books suddenly have charges, maybe they get too popular?
Posted by: BrianLe

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 07/16/12 02:08 AM

For kindle books, I've found this blog to be worth looking at on occasion --- for free books:
http://www.fkbooksandtips.com/
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 07/16/12 11:04 PM

Originally Posted By finallyME
If you liked King Solomon's Mines, then you really need to read Allan Quartermain.


I finally read it. It was a fun read too, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm reading "The adventures of Sherlock Holmes" now. It's fun too. I downloaded a bunch of Doyle books, not sure how many are Sherlock Holmes, but I do like his stuff, so far it's all been entertaining.
Posted by: Samoset

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 07/26/12 11:27 PM

In the back country on my Android I usually read something that will make the hair on the back of my neck stand up a bit. Like Jack londans White Fang the first few chapters will usually get an inquisitive peek out of my tent at the first twig snap or stray dog bark I hear;)
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 07/28/12 02:09 PM

I love that book. Haven't read it in a few years now, probably ought to crack it open again.

One of my favorite London short stories is "The all gold canyon". I haven't read it in a long time either, but I remember it standing out among the collection in the book I read it in.
Posted by: Gershon

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/15/12 05:48 AM

My son wrote a book for Kindle called LOST!

The book will be free today and tomorrow. (OCT 15 and 16).

It's about 4 characters done in parallel.

The first is a 19 year old girl who gets lost on the Colorado Trail. It gives a real good idea of what people might go through.

The second is about an anorexic girl.

The third is about a vocalist in a band who gets addicted to cocaine.

The fourth is a fantasy quest.

All four stories are tied together by the similar internal struggles the character have.
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/16/12 11:46 AM

That's awesome!

I got my copy and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I'll post a review when I'm done, but I'm impressed with anyone who takes the time to write a book so be sure to relay my congratulations to your son!

Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Gershon

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/16/12 04:07 PM

Originally Posted By billstephenson
That's awesome!

I got my copy and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I'll post a review when I'm done, but I'm impressed with anyone who takes the time to write a book so be sure to relay my congratulations to your son!

Thanks for sharing!


Thanks Bill,

The book is going viral with over 1,100 free books 'sold' today. It's currently ranked 474 out of hundreds of thousands of free books.

At around midnight tonight, the price will go up.
Posted by: rockchucker22

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/16/12 05:02 PM

Originally Posted By billstephenson
That's awesome!

I got my copy and I'm really looking forward to reading it. I'll post a review when I'm done, but I'm impressed with anyone who takes the time to write a book so be sure to relay my congratulations to your son!

Thanks for sharing!
I too downloaded a copy! Thanks!
Posted by: GrumpyGord

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/17/12 05:48 AM

I got it. It sounds interesting and at free how can you go wrong. For the folks who got the book: Give a review on Amazon which does much more for the author than posting here for a very limited group.
Posted by: Gershon

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/19/12 02:01 PM

Ringing the Liberty Bell will be free for 3 days. I helped edit this book over the winter, but the credit for writing it goes to Bert Nemcik.

The book is currently number 1 in the top 100 free books in "Democracy."

Bert "Shadow" is a long distance hiker and bicycle rider.

Take a look if you like.
Posted by: prussicnot

Re: Favorite Free eBooks - 10/22/12 07:10 PM

This was a double post, sorry.