10 Places to Read for Free in Quarantine

When the pandemic started getting more real with each refresh button and terrifying stats, I was affected more than I thought I would be. I could not read. I warmed up to reading soon enough — soon equals many weeks — thanks to Ottessa Moshfegh, the creator of the best quarantine novels. But that’s a story for another day. It is surprising that people, readers and non-readers alike, had conflicting opinions on spending time while staying at home. Some, like me, complained about being too anxious and unable to read, but many others were grateful for all the extra time to catch up on their reading. There were chats, discussions and disagreements about quarantine reading.  But in any case, it never hurts to know how to read for free in quarantine. As we bookworms unanimously agree, there is no news as good as access to free books to read while staying indoors.

Maybe books, being so demanding of our attention, help us escape reality for a while. We all read for different reasons in isolation — to evade boredom, to find familiar phrases and comfort in re-reads, to finally pick that book you’ve been keeping aside for years, or simply to escape from the ugly virus stress that is eating everyone alive. Ever since the world came to a stand still and people all around the world have been advised to stay indoors, it has been difficult getting accustomed to a new order. We can no longer go outside as much as we want, or meet friends. Grocery trips are minimal and rushed. There’s sour dough baking, art classes, virtual tours in museums or stress cleaning doing rounds on the internet. On the ugly side there are Zoom meetings that could’ve been an email (we never learn), more home cooking (and cleaning up the mess) than you ever imagined and tiredness. Who knew we would be confined to our homes for so long? 2020 has been unexpectedly miserable but thank god for books that make things a little bit better. Even better when the books are free.

Where to get Free Books and More for Quarantine Reading

If you are in self isolation or quarantine — and lucky if you haven’t fallen sick — you might already have at your disposal free resources and classes on the internet. But too many books is never a bad thing. Read online now or hoard (yes, hoard) them to read later. Here is a list of fantastic places to get free books during quarantine. Stay indoors, stay safe and read for free.

1. Seagull Books

Seagull Books publish world literature in stunning cover designs. Their splendid Covid-special comfort plan includes free downloads of seven books every week, one for each day of the week. The titles change weekly, so that’s a gold mine of books we are looking at here.

This week’s free books include Gabor Stein’s two works — The Book of Mordecai and Lazarus — translated by Adam Z. Levy and Ottilie Mulzet that ‘trace the legacy of Holocaust in Hungary’. I own this book in a hardcover. It is special because it was on my wishlist for a long time and I finally bought it from the Mumbai bookstore, Wayword and Wise. Sigh! Remember the good old days when you could walk into any bookstore and buy what you like? For now, Seagull titles are a soothing balm to the book lover’s soul. I was lucky enough to snag another wishlisted Karimayi in a previous instalment of free books.

I am sure you’ll be pining to adorn your shelves with Seagull’s physical copies when the world is back up and running again. For now get acquainted with literature from different countries — novels, poetry, interviews.

Check this week’s free downloads from Seagull Books here.

2. Scribd

I have been using Scribd for many years now and it really changed the way I read. It has a good depository of new releases as audiobooks and the narrators are, almost always, very good. There are wonderful new translations (e-books and audiobooks), books from small press, excellent cookbooks (including Bake with Shivesh by Shivesh, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson) and many magazines to browse through. Scribd also comes with perks to access other awesome services in movies, documentaries and comics — Mubi, CuriosityStream, ConTV+ Comics are free for Scribd subscribers.

Some audiobooks I recommend starting with on Scribd are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed (even if you’ve read the book, the audiobook is a whole new experience), Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett.

I wrote in an old post about what I liked and disliked about Scribd and whether it is worth the money here. Now the good news — I have an affiliate code that you can use to get TWO months of free Scribd services (instead of one) at no extra cost to you.

You can sign up for Scribd using my code to get TWO months FREE here.

(Don’t forget to set a reminder to discontinue in case you are not satisfied. You need to enter your card information to sign up for the free trial. But I guarantee you will want to continue even after two months)

3. Granta Magazine

Granta Magazine is offering one issue from the archives free every week. This week it is Granta 8: Dirty Realism. According to the magazine, “This issue defined a new school of American writers when it was first published in 1983.” It features Raymond Carver, Angela Carter, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Tobias Wolff. Last week the 40th Birthday special issue was free and it was fantastic. You can read still pieces from this issue available in the online edition here (Some of the articles are locked now as this was last week’s free issue). Also if you’ve been pining to get a subscription, Granta has a special offer of £3 for 3 months.

Get this week’s free Granta Magazine here.

4. Archipelago Books

Archipelago Books is offering 30 e-books for free. And… Most of them are translations! The website says the offer is valid until April 2nd, but the titles are still available. Grab them before the offer ends. You have to sign in, along with your address and email address, to claim your free books. To begin with, may I suggest A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa, trans. by Daniel Hahn. I LOVE this book and own a paperback. I was super thrilled to download an e-copy today. The book is like no other I have read. Cinematic and wonderful, it is a great pick to read for free in quarantine. Also their list of translations looks fantastic. Wait, I already said that.

Check the free books by Archipelago Books here.

5. The Book of Hopes

This collection of stories, essays, and poems edited by Katehrine Rundell and featuring over 110 illustrators and writers is a wonderful read. I dipped into a few random pieces yesterday night and enjoyed them. The collection published by Bloomsbury is dedicated to all health workers.

Read The Book of Hopes for free here.

6. Storyweaver

I love children’s books and I will never forgive myself for discovering Storyweaver pretty late. This is a database of free children’s books divided into four reading levels. More reasons to read Storyweaver? They contain translations (you can read a book in English and the same book in another language), excellent illustrations and feature books from around the world. You can even read and then order a physical copy (if available; Many of the Pratham titles are very good and have physical copies too).

Some of my favourites include Uma versus Upma by Meera Ganpathi, Ammachi series by Rajiv Eipe and Who stole Bhaiyya’s smile by Sanjana Kapur. The Novel Corona Virus book (Get it here) might be a good read for present times.

Check Storyweaver here.

7. Marvel

Marvel’s digital comics subscription service, Marvel Unlimited, is now offering free access to some of the iconic comics from recent years. The free access includes comics of Avengers, Spider Man, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, X-Men and Black Panther. The free access will be valid until May 4, 2020. You have to download the Marvel Unlimited app for Android or iOS to read the free comics.

Read more details about the free Marvel comics to read in quarantine here.

8.Dark Horse comics

Dark Horse comics is offering free comics until April 30. The popular titles include Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, Avatar and American Gods. There is also a good selection of kid’s comics including Frozen, The Little Mermaid, and Incredibles. The site requires you to sign in to access the comics.

Check the free comics by Dark Horse here.

9. Librivox

Librivox was my constant companion when I loved listening to classics on audio. I have indulged in the Austen, Gaskell and Bronte books here. It has been a while since I used the service, but that’s because I moved to reading/listening to newer books and I am pressed for time. Librivox is free and I highly recommend their recordings. Often they have more than one version of a classic with different narrators, so I recommend listening to a sample to choose the best. (There would always be one audiobook narrator who is really good and a mark above the rest). I want to listen to at least one classic this year and no doubt, I will be using Librivox. Get hold of this app to read for free in quarantine and also to keep close when the isolation days are over. Also, aren’t classics really the best thing to listen to while doing household chores?

Check free audiobooks on Librovox here.

10. Gutenberg

Couldn’t end the list without mentioning this classic resource. I don’t think Gutenberg needs further introduction. It is a massive resource of books, fairy tales, classics, children’s literature, history, travel, religion and even old periodicals. You can download the books in various formats or read online for free.

Check Gutenberg library here.

PS: The Book Satchel is not responsible for changes in the free distribution of books or policies of the websites mentioned. While we have verified that free books are available, some websites might need you to sign in or give additional information to claim the books.

Featured image by Kinga Cichewicz