Where to find good, cheap and sometimes even free books to load up your Kindle

Whether or not you've gone hog wild and decked out your Kindle, you can easily recoup the modest investment by loading it up with very affordable, and sometimes even free, e-books. I'm going to provide some links to where you can find those books. In the few weeks that I've had my Kindle, I'm reading more than ever. With the price of gas nowadays, buying an e-book from Amazon or elsewhere can even be cheaper for me (who lives out in the rural farmland of western Ohio) than driving into town and borrowing a book from the library. So, since my husband is now referring to my Kindle as my 'crack', I've decided that I'll be the enabler and get more of you hooked on this wonderful little device known as the e-reader.

First, let me suggest that no matter how cheap the book, always download a sample before buying. It only takes a few minutes to check out the synopsis, skim over reviews and then read a few pages. If you like what you find, by all means click away. If not, press 'delete'. Check out reviews, but keep in mind these were written by folks who may or may not have the same tastes as you. This is why the sample is important. Sometimes even negative reviews can be valuable to you as a reader/potential customer. If someone writes in their review how the graphic battle scenes disturbed them so much they had to give up on the book, I'm going to download a sample - because I LOVE battle scenes! Just remember: sample, sample, sample.

Now, here are some links to check out:

BLOGS:

Kindle Nation Daily - News about Amazon, Kindle and Kindle authors, traditionally and indie published. Tons of information available here.

Kindle Author - A place to discover new voices in Kindle books.

Kindle Obsessed - A showcase of both indie and trad published e-books.

The Indie Spotlight - Features on indie authors.

Daily Cheap Reads - Kindle books for $5 or less, indie and trad published.

The Frugal eReader - E-books for under $9.

Indie eBooks - A blog focusing on indie authors.

Bargain eBooks - Another blog featuring $5 or under bargains.

Red Adept Reviews - Want an honest opinion? Check out this well-respected review site.

Pixel of Ink - More bargain e-books!

E-Reader News Today - Reviews and bargain book alerts.

Note - For reviews of historical fiction books, please check out my blogroll to the right!



SITES and FORUMS:

Smashwords - Type in keywords or check out the various genres and bestseller lists. This isn't the most consumer-friendly place to navigate, but if you use the right search words you can hit on the topics you're interested in. You can usually download the first 20% (or more) of books here and find different formats (PDF, EPUB, PDB, LRF) in case you happen to have a different type of e-reader than Kindle.

Kindleboards' Book Bazaar - Check here for Bargain book finds and the Master List of Kindleboards Authors by Genre.

KindleBook Forum - Admittedly, this can be a lot to wade through, but if you're looking for a diamond amidst the heap of coal, you just may find it here. Various threads here on books under $3, under $1, or for specific genres.

Amazon's Most Popular Free Books and Games - Start here. Yes, you can get games for your Kindle, too.


Well, that should keep all you Kindle-holics busy reading for awhile. Just don't ignore your family... or your pets, your house, your job. Power down the Kindle and go for a walk every now and then.

Happy reading,
Gemi