Thursday, July 14, 2011

Tools For Curing Boredom: Free Kindle Books, Free Kindle Software

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded the PC version of Kindle from Amazon.com.  Kindle is actually a tablet that you can buy for use in reading books in digital format.  With a Kindle, you can download books instantly from Amazon and a few other sites, then read them on the tablet.  Alas, these Kindle tablets cost $139 to $189 (approximately) depending on the model.  However, you can download the Kindle software for free from Amazon.com, and read downloaded books on your laptop instead of an actual Kindle.

Along with the Kindle software, I automatically received three free Kindle books, Robert Louis Stephenson's "Treasure Island," Jane Austen's "The Pride and the Prejudice," and "Aesop's Fables."  I have downloaded three books from Amazon (that I paid for), but there are many that are available for free.  I have downloaded (for free) such books as:
  • "Life on the Mississippi" by Mark Twain
  • "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • "The Art of War" by Sun Tsu
  • "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" by Benjamin Franklin
  • "The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," by Daniel Defoe
  • "Slave Narratives:  A Folk History" from the Works Progress Administration (1930's)
  • "The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells

Here is a link to free Kindle books:  Classics and Others (you will be amazed at what's available...Dracula, Gulliver's Travels, and more)

I have found that it is easy to read Kindle books off of my laptop.  There is no eye strain and I complete books quickly.  Other features include:
  • Automatic bookmarking, allowing you to resume reading at the place you left off
  • Highlighting text digitally, for passages you want to revisit
  • Dictionary for fast lookup of new words - you just highlight the word with your cursor and a dictionary definition will pop up
Of course, Amazon's gambit worked.  Now I want a Kindle, so it will be easier to read in bed, on the couch, or wherever.  There are many used ones available at Amazon and eBay, but I will probably opt for a new one, the cheaper version, at $139.  You can buy them at Staples (office supply) and one is right down the street...
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2 comments:

  1. Always On Watch7/16/2011 12:53 PM

    Everybody that has a Kindle keeps telling me that I must get one.

    But I'm not sure that I can get used to not having a physical book in my hand.

    Did you have any adjustment in that regard?

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  2. Stogie7/16/2011 1:02 PM

    AOW, I had no trouble adjusting at all. In fact, I feel I read the book faster from the Kindle format. The page doesn't move, you don't lose your place and the page turns instantly with a mouse click.

    Last night I finished "War of the Worlds," a fascinating read.

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