It's been more than a year that I did a round up of some of the best free classic downloads available from Amazon. Sometimes it is hard to find the classics that we want to read, and my library in particular is not very good at stocking copies of true classic literature. I'm not sure if they made a "relevant, contemporary" cull of all their classic books or if they just don't have a need to have multiple (or any) copies of certain older books. Ideally, I always look in the library first because I love paper books. I've been to the library a couple of times this week because I'm doing some research on Australian during the world wars and during the Great Depression, and although there's plenty of books on Australian history, the classic novels I was looking for weren't there.
This week I was looking for Villette by Charlotte Brontë and found the complete collection of Brontë's novels (including the unfinished Emma) on Amazon for free. Sadly this collection is no longer for free, but I thought it was high time to do a little round up in case you were wanting some free downloads to read in the coming weeks, especially if you have long driving trips or holidays and don't want to carry a bunch of books with you. The best way to download these Amazon ebooks is using the free Kindle app which is available for Apple and Android. So let's dive in to the books that I've downloaded this week! (Note: All my downloads were from Amazon Australia, however as far as I can tell they are also available on the US site, although some are not for free this week. My apologies if they're not).
The Complete Novels of Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre, Shirley, Villette, The Professor, Emma (unfinished). There were also a couple of biographies on Charlotte that looked interesting (one by Elizabeth Gaskell - this cost $1.09 - and another by Clement King Shorter - free at the time of publication). As I mentioned, this collection now costs $3.49 but I've put it here anyway because I was able to get it for free, and if you're interested you might want to keep checking Amazon for another free deal.
Agnes Grey - Anne Brontë - Because I was on a bit of a Brontë kick, I thought I'd get Agnes Grey too!
Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy - I've been waiting to watch the movie version of this until I read it. I got the download for free but splurged and paid $2.99 to get a the audio book so I could listen while I work/walk. So far, I'm loving the character descriptions!
An Old Fashioned Girl - Louisa May Alcott - Winter is always my favourite time to revisit Little Women, but this year I thought I'd branch out and read An Old Fashioned Girl. I read a beautiful review earlier this week on it and can't wait to dive in.
Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton - I mentioned in this week's Bitesize Inspiration that I had recently read Kerfol by Wharton and was wanting to read Age of Innocence. Amazon Kindle had it for free, so score!
Arsène Lupin - Maurice Leblanc - I've long been a Lupin fan, and really enjoyed the Netflix version. Happy to now have this collection on my phone!
The Richest Man in Babylon - George S. Clason - I devoured this one in a weekend! If you haven't already, then I strongly recommend you read this for its valid and relevant financial advice, even in today's world.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie - This is a great book to introduce you to Christie's wonderful writing and the brilliance of Inspector Hercule Poirot.
The Secret Adversary - Agatha Christie - If Poirot isn't your cup of tea (and he isn't for everyone!) then try Christie's dynamic duo, Tommy and Tuppence!
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell- One of Gaskell's classic novels which I'm really looking forward to getting into.
Have you read any of these classics? Do any of them tickle your fancy? Please share any other great freebies you've found on Amazon lately!
I have a copy of the Bronte bio by Gaskell. Just haven't read it yet, though! Also An Old Fashioned Girl by Alcott was one of the few books I owned in girlhood. I loved Little Women and appreciated all the sequels but I confess I have an especial fondness for An Old Fashioned Girl. I think it's likely my favorite of all the Alcott novels.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that Terri. I'm almost finished Far From the Madding Crowd (which I'm loving) and will start on An Old Fashioned Girl next. Books we loved in childhood hold such a special place in our hearts, don't you think? I might have to reflect on some of my childhood favourites with a blog post. Thanks for the idea!
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