Jenniferreads

Have you every walked into a bookstore and been overwhelmed by all the books that you wanted to read and the lack of funds available to buy them? Or maybe felt guilty about spending money on yet another book? This was me in the heart of 2020 when things (like the library) were closed. I would finish a book in a couple of days and could not justify buying another at least not for a little while. I needed to find a way to read more on a budget.

After searching for ways to read on a budget, here are my top 7 tips.

1. Your Local Library
   • For those that love the smell and weight of a physical book, the most obvious way to get free books is your local library. Most libraries have websites that allow you to reserve the new releases or popular books that I was never able to find when I went in person and browsed. As my books become available, the librarian sets it aside and I could pick them up. My only challenge is remembering to return them!
2. Thrift Stores, Used Books Stores, and Library Sales
   • If you love physical books and want to grow your own personal library collection, thrift stores, used books stores and library sales are a great way to do that. PangoBooks is my favorite online version where you can both buy and sell books.
3. Libby
   • If you enjoy ebooks and audiobooks more, the Libby is a game changer for me. Using your local library card, you can connect to your local library’s digital library subscription to read for free. Using your Libby you can read ebooks, audiobooks and magazines either through the Libby App or the ebooks can be delivered right to your Kindle or Kindle App. Again, you will need to place holds for those new releases, but you can have a number of holds at a time. Look for a later post on tips on how to use Libby.
4. Little Free Libraries
   • Little Free Libraries are small mailbox size libraries usually sponsored by local neighborhoods or community members that provide a way to share your books with like minded readers. These libraries are usually a take a book, share a book honor code. While not all libraries are listed, Little Free Library can help find some close to you. It took me awhile scouting my local libraries out to find one that matched my reading.
5. Amazon Prime
   • While not technically free because you will need an Amazon Prime account, Amazon offers two options of “free” books.
     • Amazon First Reads is a program that provides early access to a selection of books, typically about five to seven titles, to be published the next month across genre’s. I feel like it is my reward for being a Prime member. You are able to select one, and on rare occasion two, new books per month. This book will become part of your permanent Kindle collection.
     • Prime Reading is a program that allows a Prime member to borrow up to 10 books at a time. These books are a rotation of new and backlisted books to choose from that are typically only available for a limited time. Once you download them to your Kindle, you can keep them for as long as you want, however, you can only have 10 total. so you will want to read and return these to take full advantage of this program which I typically fail to do.
6. Kindle Unlimited
   • Again, Kindle Unlimited (KU) in not technically free, but allows you to read on a budget if you read more that one to two books a month. For a monthly fee of $11.99 as of this writing, KU will provide access to over 4 million digital books, magazines and thousands of audiobooks in a wide range of genre’s. There is typically a 30 day free trial period when you sign up to determine if this is a good fit for you. Some genres are more represented than others and I did not find this as valuable as others have.
7. NetGalley
   • For those readers who like to be on the cutting edge of new releases and are true book advocates, NetGalley offers a free to read program. As a member, you can request and be approved for pre-released or just released digital review copies of books, typically called “galleys.” These copies are typically offered in exchange for a review on the NetGalley website, social media or blogs. I was hesitant to participate in NetGalley thinking I needed more following of couldn’t keep up, but have really enjoyed it. More to come in a future post.

While I typically use reading as an escape, the importance of books and access to books cannot be underestimated. Developing and sustaining a reading habit does not have to cost a lot. I hope this list helps you achieve your reading goals on a budget. Do you have any other tip on reading on a budget?