Everything from where to find free books to tips on getting started

Book lovers the world over are joining the Kindle craze. Electronic readers are all the rage for reading books, newspapers and magazines on the go. If you were lucky enough to become the proud owner of a Kindle recently we’ve got great guide for you on where to find affordable or free books and how to get the most out of your new shiny gadget.

Free books: There are a ton of resources out there offering free books to Kindle owners. If you don’t own a kindle you’ll be pleased to know that these books can also be uploaded to most smartphones too. Kindle owners will need to transfer the books manually using a computer and USB cable.

1. Project Gutenberg: This virtual treasure trove of literature offers 33 000 free e-books for e-readers. The site has everything from the classics to more modern offerings. Books are available in Kindle, HTML and simple text formats.

2. Google E-Bookstore: Scroll on over to the ‘free’ section of the site and feast your eyes on the thousands of free, scanned copies of books. You’ll spend hours sifting through and downloading from this gem. Books are available in Kindle-friendly PDF formats.

3. Internet Archive: This is a real find for lovers of the classics and off-the-beaten path stories. This site offers millions of primarily rare, out-of-print works in multiple languages and formats. The site is a great resource for academic work. Books are available in Kindle format and many many others.

4. Open Library: With over 20 million user-contributed items in multiple editions and formats this site is all about sharing. Upload your own finds to the site and browse the offerings recommended by like-minded readers. Books are available in HTML and simple text formats.

5. ManyBooks.net: Here you’ll find almost 30 000 titles just waiting for you to devour them. Many of the books found here have been pulled from Project Gutenberg but you’ll still find some unique offerings. The site also has a great collection of little-known Creative Commons works.

6. Free Kindle Book Every Hour: This blog-type library offers readers a free Kindle book every hour or every day. Most of the books are free all of the time but some are offered as a limited time only free download – so you’ll probably find some gems that you wouldn’t get free anywhere else.

7. LibriVox: If you’re the book-on-tape kind of guy or gal then you’ll love this find. This site offers thousands of free audiobooks to give your tired eyes a bit of a rest.

Other resources: A part from scoring free books there’s also a ton of other things we had to share with you when it comes to operating your Kindle. Here’s a list of ‘need to know’ facts and tips.

1. Subscribe to Your Favorite Periodicals: You’ll find there are a huge list of newspapers, magazines and blogs available for subscription on Kindle. Most come with a 14-day free trial subscription and is delivered automatically as updates are released. Make sure you check these out – even if you don’t intend subscribing after the trial. You never know what you might find.

   

2. Play Time: Besides reading, there’s plenty of other things you can do with your Kindle. You can also download dozens of games such as word puzzle and crossword games. Many of these are free and are a great way to pass the time. You can also listen to MP3 files, browse the web (the web browser is very basic but it’s good for simple Googling), look up words in the dictionary, and browse Wikipedia. Readers can also look forward to a great new function which will allow you to lend books to friends and family for 14 days.
3. Social Media Updates: I bet you didn’t know that you could update your Facebook account from your Kindle. You can push social media updates from your Kindle to both your Twitter and Facebook accounts. The device is set up to make it easy for readers to share snippets of text from books they are reading but you can share anything you like really. To try it out simply go to Menu > Settings > Social Networks > Manage. Here you can authorize your Kindle to access your social networks.
4. Share Your Experience: See what your friends are reading, keep track of what you’ve read, organize your books into virtual bookshelves, or join a book club to discuss your favorite reads at GoodReads.com. This is a great place for book lovers to gather and share with readers from all over the world.

So if you have any questions or would like to share your tips on Kindle ebooks, please leave them in the comments below!