Kim Komando - Daily Downloads

Freebies for book lovers and readers

We're all reading more than ever. And a lot of it is done online. The Web has a wealth of news and other articles. But you can also find and read entire books.

Of course, reading on your computer isn't always the best experience. But if you have the right tools, it can be a real pleasure. If you're an avid reader, you'll want to check these out.

Times Reader—The New York Times features all the news that's fit to print. And the newspaper really is a fantastic format for reading. But many people tire of carrying it around. Times Reader puts the newspaper format on your computer.

There are limitations. You'll get full access to front-page stories. But other sections are locked for paying subscribers. You can still read the stories. But you'll have to click through to the New York Times Web site. It's a bit of a hassle. But it's really not that bad.

NetBook—What if you had an entire library on your computer? I'm not talking about a personal library. I mean more than 30,000 books on tap for free. Project Gutenberg is a massive catalogue of public domain books. And all of them can be accessed online.

But digging through them online isn't as easy as you'd like. NetBook is a handy solution. You can search all of Project Gutenberg. Then, click on any book to open it. You won't find the latest bestsellers. But there is a wealth of classics worth checking out.

LibraryThing—Reading a book is generally a solitary activity. But it doesn't have to be. Book clubs are a great way to share your passion for reading. But finding one near you might not be easy. LibraryThing is the next best thing.

It's a social network for book lovers. First, you catalogue the books you love and own. The site then matches you with other users with similar tastes. You'll get book recommendations. And you can make friends on the forum. There's always a lively discussion about something you're reading.

Feedbooks—Finding a good book isn't always easy. You could forage through a bookstore. Or, you might have luck scouring Amazon. But you'll usually be looking at the latest bestsellers. This is a shame, because there are thousands of classics worth reading.

And you can get many of them for free. Feedbooks is a great source for public domain books. You'll find amazing works from the likes of Shakespeare, Twain and many more. Read them on your computer. Or, you can load them on a number of e-book readers.

Sigil—E-books can be a great way to read. You can read them on a computer or load them on an e-book reader. And they're a lot more portable than a regular book. It's a really handy format. So, why not use it yourself?

This program lets you create your own files in e-book formats. You could write your own book and distribute it online. Or, create personal notes and documents you can carry on an e-book reader. Or simply use it to open and read e-books you've downloaded.

Instapaper—There is an endless stream of great articles online. In fact, there are way too many to read. It's tough to even read everything on your favorite sites. I mean, come on, we're all busy. So, it would be handy to save things that look interesting for later.

Instapaper makes this easy. Save a link to any article with the touch of a button. It will be saved to your free online account. Then you can come back at your leisure. You won't miss out on your favorite reading.

Cost: Free
System: Windows XP, Vista and 7, Mac OS X
Download HERE