Ultimate Ultimate List of Free Book Websites

see all lists on this blog by clicking here.

I wanted to consolidate all the websites I've linked to in the past, so I scrolled through and found them all and will be listing every single one on this page! Will come back and edit when I come across new ones that I haven't listed before, instead of making an entire post for one site.

List is alphabetized, with a link to my blog post next to it, in case you want to know more about the website itself before downloading anything. Each website listed is free of charge, though some may require an account. All links open in a new tab.

>> Remember to buy the books you enjoyed and appreciated so that we can keep supporting authors! <<

#

2novels (blog post) < has since been taken down

6booksy (blog post) < can't find anymore, probably taken down

7novels < renamed novels80, was then taken down

A

Allnovel (blog post)

allreadingworld (blog post) < has since been taken down

Around Date (blog post)

B

bestlib4u (blog post) < has since been taken down

Bibliomania (blog post)

Blakeney Manor

bluenovels (blog post) < has since been taken down

BookFi (blog post) < has since been taken down

Book Read Free

Booksee (blog post)

Books.org (blog post)

Book Tree (blog post) < has since removed its books

C

Calibre (blog post)

classicreader (blog post) < has since been taken down

E

East of the Web (blog post)

e-bestbooks (blog post) < has since been taken down

eBook Hunter, The (blog post)

English e-Reader (blog post)

EPDF (blog post) < need an account first, but is above-board and takes down books at the author's request

F

Feedbooks (blog post)

FictionPress (blog post)

freebest-books (blog post) < has since been taken down

freebooks.com (blog post) < says "coming soon"

FreeBookSpot (blog post)

freebooksvampire (blog post)

Free Booksy (blog post)

free-ebook-online (blog post) < has since been taken down

Free-eBooks.net (blog post)

free-online-novels (blog post) < has since been taken down

fullnovels (blog post) < has since been taken down

G

Global Grey eBooks

H

Hypertexted Literary Works (blog post)

I

Internet Archive (blog post)

K

khnovel (blog post) < has since been taken down

L

Libby (blog post) < being combined with OverDrive, need a library card

Libgen (blog post)

LibriVox (blog post) < audiobooks only

M

Manybooks (blog post)

N

Novel12 (blog post) - one of my favorites, because getting around the site is intuitive and easy. You  have to google it with the title of the book, you can't search on the site. Even though there's a search bar, it doesn't actually do anything

novelcool (blog post) < has since been taken down

Novel Free Read Online (blog post) - same format as Novel12

novellatime (blog post) < has since been taken down

novels80 < previously 7novels, has since been taken down

O

OceanofPDF (blog post)

Online Read Free Novel (blog post)

Online Books Page, The

Open Library (blog post)

OverDrive (blog post) < need a library card, is being combined with Libby

P

Page by Page Books (blog post)

PDF Drive (blog post)

Planet eBook (blog post)

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg Australia

Publicbookshelf (blog post) < has since been taken down

R

Read book online (blog post)

Read free novels online (blog post)

ReadsNovelOnline (blog post)

S

Sacred-Texts (blog post)

Smashwords (blog post)

Standard Ebooks (blog post)

U

Ultimate Collection of eBooks (blog post)

unglue.it (blog post)

W

Webfictionguide (blog post) < has since been taken down

Wikisource (blog post)

-

Specific links that only supply one book or series:

Scarlet Pimpernel blog post

Agatha Christie

Read It Yourself blog post

Jazz by Toni Morrison on CliffNotes

Read book online (only offers Agatha Christies and Sherlock Holmes)

Lists:

AlternativeTo (blog post)

TCK Publishing (blog post)

How To articles:

How to Keep Library eBooks Longer (blog post)

The Best Way to Access Free Audio Books and eBooks (blog post)

20 Online Resources for Free eBooks (blog post)

OceanofPDF: back in business!

I was combing through my old posts and landed on the one I made when I first found the site. Clicked on the link just bc I was curious, and it took me to the website! Looks different, so I wasn't sure if it was legit or not, but then I went ahead and downloaded a book (The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner bc ofc I did) and turns out it's up and running, works perfectly well!

Reading the Reddit thread r/piracy on the topic, it sounds like they have some of the latest releases as well, so go check em out.

LINK.  https://oceanofpdf.com/

Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher

https://archive.org/details/shadowspinner0000flet

https://read-online-books.com/book/read-online-shadow-spinner-free

Alternatives to Z-Library (EXTENDED LIST)

Each website listed is free of charge, though some may require an account. Don't forget to save your TBR list on a legal site, or a physical paper, so you don't run the risk of losing any of them. If you can't find a book on a legal site, try a pirating site, but always remember to buy the physical (or kindle) copies of the books you enjoyed and appreciated so that we can keep supporting authors!

Read Books Online for Free (list)

23 Books to Read When You're Stressed

Inspired by The Honest Avocado's list of "Five Books to Read When You're Stressed", I decided to make a (much longer) list of my own.  The links embedded in the title of each book will take you to Goodreads, for those of you who want to add any to your TBR list, and the second link that I give at the end will take you to a website where you can read it online for free.

Will be adding to this list as I come across more books! Will also flesh out the list so that there's more variety, and will probably add a reason for each book, so that you can read about each one, similar to the way Honest Avocado does their list.

1. The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley (z-lib.org) (OverDrive)

2. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (PDF)

3. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (PDF) (OverDrive)

4. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (the "sequel" to A Long Way From Chicago, and just as good, and relaxing) (OverDrive) (Archive.org)

5. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (PDF)

6. Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore (Archive.org)

7. I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño (I read this whenever I'm feeling sick, fsr it's such a calming book. Similar lull to The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell, but with less unhappiness) (World Documents)

8. Black Horses for the King by Anne McCarthy (Archive.org) (silo.pub)

9. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (PDF) (Yumpu) (All Free Novel) (PubHTML5) (onlinereadfreebooks)

10. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson (and every single book of that series, it's so relaxing and calming because it's set in such a sleepy town where nothing goes on) (Archive.org)

11. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (first three are really good at destressing) (OverDrive - there are a billion and one ways to read each of the books in the series online, so I'll leave that up to you. If you search each FULL title and then stick "read free online" to the end of each search, it comes up with the most options)

12. The Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright (same thing here as with the Penderwicks series - take the full title of each book and add "read free online" to the end of it and then hit search and it should pull up a bunch of options)

13. Kirie, Pirie, and Kalikoolin's Pipe by Edward Maze (no online version available)

14. Fair Weather by Richard Peck (Archive.org)

15. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (PDF)

16. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (PDF) (Yumpu)

17. Meet Me In St. Louis by Sally Benson (no online version available)

18. Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli (z-lib.org) (onlinereadfreebooks)

19. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier (onlinereadfreenovel)

20. The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts (z-lib.org)

21. Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff (z-lib.org) (onlinereadfreebooks) (OverDrive) (LearningAlly - only if you have an account)

22. Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff (z-lib.org) (onlinereadfreebooks)

23. The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr, Freymann-Weyr (z-lib.org) (if you make an account with Epic, where you can only read one book for free per day, but it's available there if you want to read it)

another list of more free websites 📚

https://www.planetebook.com/

https://libgen.onl/

https://booktree.ng/

https://alternativeto.net/software/z-lib/ (article listing alts for z-library, though z-lib is a great website and you don't need alts unless you've already maxed out of your 10 free books that day haha)

https://www.tckpublishing.com/websites-download-free-ebooks/ (another article list of 29 best websites)

and just as a Christmas bonus, I'm throwing in an article about how to keep your ebooks longer than you checked them out for: https://bookriot.com/how-to-keep-library-ebooks-longer/ as well as an article about how to best use libby, the free library app: https://timeinthemarket.com/libby-the-best-way-to-access-free-audio-books-and-ebooks/

read (almost) any Matt Haig books free online 📚

LINK.  https://booksvooks.com/author/matt-haig/

Links to Fiction Books I Want To Read Soon

All links open in new tab, unless specified. If you enjoyed the book, please consider buying it! My personal recommendation is (and will always be) Thriftbooks, an online resource for getting second-hand, steeply discounted books that would otherwise be left to gather dust as someone buys a brand new one off of Amazon. Please support your local book stores and libraries, as well as buying second hand to minimize the number of new editions and printings made every year! I've listed the lowest price of each book (usually condition is Acceptable, but Good condition is only a few cents more) so that you can compare prices to Amazon, but prices can get up to $50 for hardbacks, special editions, and newly released/published books. In general, if it's a book that's been around for awhile, or isn't in great condition, you'll get a great bargain, but keep in mind that it's not a new book and you will be paying for shipping ($5 if you're in the US, much higher if you're outside of it).

Note: if you make an account with thriftbooks, you get 8 points for every $1 spent, and a free book for every 500 points earned! If you're going to be buying books anyway, you might as well get points, and eventually a free book, for doing so!

✓ Greensleeves Eloise Jarvis McGraw (not yet available on Thriftbooks)

✓ Crossings: A Novel Alex Landragin (link will take you to BooksVooks which gives you the option to read the mobile version, read the PDF version, or download it. You need permission to access the downloaded file, and you can't highlight things in the "pdf" version, so I would pick the mobile version, personally. If you do go with the PDF, the book starts on page 11) ($5.79 on Thriftbooks) (I just bought it on Thriftbooks because if you're planning on reading the Baroness sequence and jumping around the book, you can't do that online, it isn't set up for that and nobody's page numbers line up with the book's. I'm working on it and hopefully my version will have this option so that you can click on a link and it'll either take you to a different spot on the same page or if that's not feasible on this platform, then the link will take you to an entirely new page)

✓ The Midnight Library: A Novel Matt Haig (alternate format - you can either read in continuous or swipe version) (PDF version here, format is good.) (also available on OverDrive) ($22.56 on Thriftbooks)

✓ The Priory of the Orange Tree Samantha Shannon ($8.59 on Thriftbooks) (can also download from Z-Library if you have an account. It's free, and you get 10 downloads per day if you have an account, and then you can access it on any platform)

Life of Pi Yann Martel (PDF version here, format is better.) ($3.99 on Thriftbooks)

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury (there are a bunch of different options for reading online, I picked my favorite non-PDF but if you don't like the format, just google "fahrenheit 451 read free online" and you can have your pick) (PDF version here) ($3.99 on Thriftbooks)

Far From The Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy (I usually pick the HTML version) ($3.99 on Thriftbooks)

The Madness of Crowds Douglass Murray (available on OverDrive) ($17.79 on Thriftbooks) (couldn't find it online, but idc bc my dad owns a copy so I'll just borrow it from him lol)

The Starless Sea Erin Morgenstern (alternate format) (PDF version) ($25.79 on Thriftbooks, so I would go to Amazon if you want to save money. Or look at eBay or FB marketplace)

The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern (downloaded from z-lib.org, just have to actually start it)

The March E.L. Doctorow (going to download from z-lib.org when I get around to actually reading it)

The Humans Matt Haig

Dune (Dune #1) Frank Herbert

Time Enough For Love Robert A. Heinlein

20 Online Resources for Free E-Books (Lifehack)

Read through the list and ofc there are some dumb ones like Google Books, Barnes and Noble, and Scribd, which are not helpful and rarely have what you're looking for, but there are some good (though typical) ones like Project Gutenberg, and a few that I hadn't heard of before today. On the plus side, because this is an article for the general public, they have to list the ones that are legal and above board, so if you're uncomfortable with reading a pirated copy off the internet, then this is the perfect list for you. Good luck tryna find modern literature, though.

LINK.  https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-online-resources-for-free-books.html

Read Agatha Christie Free Online 📚

Heads-up: when you click on a book and you get to the end of the page, there's a TINY link at the bottom, below the ad (or where an ad would be, if you have adblocker) that says "next page". You'll need a magnifying glass, but it's there if you look hard enough.

LINK.  https://blog.maxpay.org/category/agatha-christie/ (all 84 of her works are available!)

LEGAL Ways to Read Full Books Online

The list, in case you're in a hurry:

1. Project Gutenberg

2. Internet Archive

3. Open Library

4. Google Books

5. Smashwords

6. ManyBooks

7. BookRix

8. Authorama

9. Bookboon

10. Wattpad

11. Library of Congress

12. HathiTrust Library

LINK.  https://ebookfriendly.com/sites-where-you-can-read-books-online/

Other lists (mostly geared towards children, I think)

https://www.differentiatedteaching.com/free-websites-for-digital-reading/

1. Epic

2. International Children's Library

3. Magic Keys

4. iStoryBooks

5. Project Gutenberg

6. Planet EBook

7. Reading IQ

8. Amazon Free eBooks

9. Free-Ebooks.net

And for nonfiction:

10. NewsELA

11. Scholastic News

12. Freckle (formerly Front Row)

(they also have audio/digital books as well as books for test-prep practice if you scroll down far enough.)

https://www.techcrazyteacher.com/2017/04/16-fabulous-reading-websites.html (this one is for sure geared towards small children, and has 20 sites listed, so I won't even give you a sneak peak, you can look through it yourself.)

LIL PSA HERE!!

If you enjoyed a book you read online, please consider buying it! My personal recommendation is (and will always be) Thriftbooks, an online resource for getting second-hand, steeply discounted books that would otherwise be left to gather dust as someone buys a brand new one off of Amazon.

Please support your local book stores and libraries, as well as buying second hand to minimize the number of new editions and printings made every year! In general, if it's a book that's been around for awhile, or isn't in great condition, you'll get a great bargain. You will be paying for shipping ($5 if you're in the US, much higher if you're outside of it), as well.

Note: if you make an account with thriftbooks, you get 8 points for every $1 spent, and a free book for every 500 points earned! If you're going to be buying books anyway, you might as well get points, and eventually a free book, for doing so!

Agatha Christie books 📚

Free resource, you can read all 91 works of Agatha Christie's here, as well as choose which format to read them in (epub, mobi, pdf, online, etc)

I used the website to read One, Two, Buckle My Shoe in PDF format, it's not a scam site, just hard to get around lol I wouldn't suggest using the read online option, the format is a bit wonky and it's hard to flip pages. It's broken up weirdly and I have a hard time following what's going on. Your best bet would be PDF, but if they don't have that option for the book you're look at, I would probably look elsewhere. I tried both the epub and mobi format and it took me to a 404 error page.

Though it might be my wifi because there's a thunderstorm going on right now, and when I tried to get back to the main page of the website, it took me to the same error page so I give up.

LINK.  https://ebooks.darknetproxy.com/index.php?page=3&id=9289&db=0

(another list of Agatha Christies you can read, for free, completely legally. This is not a comprehensive list, but still includes links to the books you can legally read for free: https://bonafidebookworm.com/read-agatha-christie-books-online-free/)

Another link:

I haven't checked, so I have no idea, but the link below might have all of her books. I glanced through the list and there are a lot there, but a lot as in there were about 10 on that first page - so they might have all 80+ or they might not.

LINK.  https://arounddate.com/category/books/christie-agatha/

Standard Ebooks 📚

They have an extensive library, a whole plethora of free books, a bunch of classics, as well as lots of more obscure writings. All of these are out of copyright, so it's a completely legal way to read some older books. They have a newsletter you can subscribe to, and you can suggest books that aren't on the website (but are out of copyright), and there are lots of ways to get involved and help them out more than just reading the books they put on the website for you. Choice is yours. Either way, enjoy.

LINK.  https://standardebooks.org/

RGS website 📚

Someone compiled some books in one website, mostly from Project Gutenberg, but you might like his format better than Project Gutenberg so I'm linking it.

LINK.  https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/literature.html

websites that have The Scarlet Pimpernel series online for free 📚

 I always send people to blakeneymanor.com to read the Scarlet Pimpernel series, but there are other websites out there that not only have the TSP series but others as well and if you don't like the layout of blakeneymanor (I'm really picky about the layout I read in fsr. I don't care when it's a physical copy but it has to be one I like when I read on the computer because otherwise I have a hard time focusing on what I'm reading. Don't ask me why), here are some alternate options

LINKS.  The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel (PDF)

Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel

Standard Ebooks TSP series for free

Agatha Christie - Read Free Online 📚

No ads, no pop-ups, and I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure they offer all of her books.

LINK.  http://onlinereadfreenovel.com/agatha-christie/

Gone With The Wind 📖

I'm reading this over June and July with a friend, and I might not be able to get to the library on time, so if you're in the same boat, here's the link. It's Project Gutenberg so no sleazy ads, no shady sites, just a normal run-of-the-mill place to read a book for free on your electronic.

LINK.  http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200161h.html

Update: I'm really enjoying it so far - I'm already finished with part two and it's only the seventh! I thought I would kind of dislike it bc it's about the USA's Civil War and it's a HUGE book - but I was actually hooked after the first couple chapters, which is mind-blowing to me bc honestly I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, especially giant-size historical fiction. I finally understand what all the hype was about and if you're in the same boat as I am, find someone to read it with so that you'll actually stick with it even if you're not a huge fan of it, and then just go for it. If you're reading it online, I would highly suggest getting a hard copy to read bc I find it extremely hard to enjoy a book if it's through a screen. fsr it's so much easier if I have something to hold, and pages to flip - and the book is so long that I think it's easy to get bored, disinterested, and/or discouraged when you're reading it online, partially bc you can't see the progress you're making as easily as you can when you have the actual material. Just some advice, take it or leave idrc.

(btw it's only an update because I wrote the first part of the post - including the link - way back at the beginning of May, before I'd started the book and now that I've started it I'm "coming back" to update, even tho it's not really coming back if it's all going up on the same day 😂)

Another update (June 28, 2019): please nobody read this book. To take a page out of Lemony Snicket's book: if you've never read this book and you're curious, good for you and don't be. Please take my advice and don't even think about reading it unless you like unsatisfying, inconclusive endings that leave you with too many questions, a hatred for all books in general especially this one, and an apathy for life. Literally. I did not care about anything after I read that book - I wasn't interested in my favorite movies, sports, activities, and especially not books. I was so disinterested in everything, it was like I was a zombie, just going through the motions, doing nothing, thinking nothing, feeling nothing, caring about nothing, I did not care about anything, I kind of just wanted everything to go away and I hate this book, don't read it. It took me three days (and counting) to get over the book. It's been three days and I'm still not over it, I can't get it off my mind, every day I wake up and remember the ending and it's a drag, just don't read it please just don't. You might not know why (because I don't give away spoilers) but just trust me when I say you don't want to read the book. You might love it up until the ending but you won't love the ending. ofc, five star reviews come from somewhere so I guess there are still a lot of crazy people around who love the book, and also it became a classic somehow but just don't read it. plz I'm trying to save you, just take my advice and leave it alone. ig if you're reading it w other ppl it's less of a drag bc then you can talk about it but then in that case wait until they've caught up w you so that you can talk it out w them. Just warning you, I would stay as far away as possible from that trash novel.

Agatha Christie Novels - Read Free Online 📚

I haven't checked, so I have no idea, but they might have all of her books. I glanced through the list and there are a lot there, but a lot as in there were about 10 on that first page - so they might have all 80+ or they might not, but if you're trying to find an Agatha Christie somewhere, anywhere, check these guys out bc chances are it's there.

LINK.  https://arounddate.com/category/books/christie-agatha/

John Grisham Novels - Read Free Online 📚

If you want all of the John Grisham books ever (or maybe just almost all, I haven't checked), maybe try this website which has all of them (or maybe just almost all, I haven't checked). Now you can read all your favorite Grishams! (or maybe just almost all, I haven't checked.)

To read, click one of the names on the list, then the green "read free" button at the top of the description. Enjoi.

If you want to go next, hit the blue "next" button at the bottom of the page. For easy access to where you left off, click on the drop down menu left of the next button, and skip ahead. No ads, no pop ups either, and it's pretty straightforward, no beating around the bush. I love sites like this, just hope it stays up.

LINK.  https://readfreenovelsonline.com/author/291-john-grisham