Some websites let you download or borrow e-books for free for a limited amount of time. Amazon’s BookLending.com and Lendle let you borrow and lend Kindle titles for 14 days. You can get free e-books to keep forever at Open Library, Project Gutenberg, Free-ebooks.net and Google’s Reader Store.

Library members will soon be able to rent digital books for the Kindle eReader, thanks to Amazon. Launching later this year for Kindle hardware and free Kindle app users, the Kindle Lending Library will let you borrow eBooks from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries.

You can borrow eBooks from most public libraries and read them on your Kobo eReader. Most public libraries use a service called OverDrive to catalogue and manage eBooks. These instructions will guide you on how to borrow eBooks from your local library using OverDrive.

People who don’t need a hard copy of a book, or who don’t typically re-read books can benefit from renting eBooks. Some of the advantages include: Free or Low Cost. You can rent eBooks for free or for a few dollars.

You can borrow books, audiobooks and even kids’ books, all without spending a penny. Hoopla Digital offers a wide assortment of ebooks you can borrow free of charge — provided your library is connected to the service.

Kindle. Kindle is the most widely used application for free eBooks around the world. There are a huge variety and collection of free books on this app.

The result: Libraries typically pay between $20 and $65 per copy—an industry average of $40, according to one recent survey—compared with the $15 an individual might pay to buy the same ebook online. Instead of owning an ebook copy forever, librarians must decide at the end of the licensing term whether to renew.

11 Sites That Offer Free E-Books

• The National Emergency Library.
• Your local library’s website.
• Amazon.
• Barnes & Noble.
• Kobo.
• Google Play.
• Project Gutenberg.
• ManyBooks.