It’s my new years resolution to read more books this year, and I’m including audiobooks (let’s not get into the debate!), but due to budgets getting tighter, buying books and reading can often fall further down on our list of priorities.

Reading is a skill that improves memory, builds a robust vocabulary and helps to expand our understanding of the world; it’s important for everyone, at all ages.

I’ve scoured the internet for some of the best book and audiobook freebies, so we can all read more this year!

(Psst! If another of your new year’s resolutions is getting fitter, I’ve also compiled a list of every gym offering a free pass or trial that you should probably check out)

Read for Free: How to get Free Books and Free Audiobooks

BookBeat – 45 day Free Trial

Book Beat are offering a huge 45 days of free audiobooks for new customers!

Just sign up to Book Beat to begin your trial. Simple!

Popular titles you can listen to for free include The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Housemaid, Yellowface, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, A Little Life and loads more.

I’ve used Book Beat and I really like the way it works – you are allocated an amount of reading credits, and then you can use these towards each hour you spend listening to different audiobooks. It’s much more flexible than other providers I’ve used, and definitely worth trying!

Click here to sign up to Book Beat and start listening for free.

Little Libraries

Little libraries are the cutest community creation; once I became aware of them, I see them everywhere!

Little Libraries are small outdoor communal book shelves which are often created by members of the local community, to allow members of the public to swap their second hand books. Pop by your nearest little library for a browse, or bring a few of your to leave for someone else to enjoy.

It’s one of my bucket list items to create my own little library, so watch this space…

You can find your nearest little library here.

Audible – 1 Free Audiobook Credit (or 2 for Prime members)

New customers can try Audible Premium Plus for 30 days, completely free. This 30 day trial includes a credit for one free audiobook for any premium titles, (or 2 if you’re a Prime customer!) The book is yours to keep too, even if you cancel the subscription.

You’ll also be able to access the Audible Plus Catalog of podcasts, audiobooks, guided wellness, and Audible Originals, and these require zero credits, so there’s plenty to get stuck into!

Hail Mary, Red Rising, and Daisy Jones and the Six are just a few on my ever growing audiobook TBR list at the moment, and I’ll be making the most of this trial to listen to one for free!

Sign up to Audible and choose your free audiobook here.

Book Swap Shelves

Similar to little libraries, book swap shelves can be found in your local supermarket, train station, café, community centre and more; I’ve seen more and more of these community initiatives popping up and I love it!

I always make sure to donate some of my books to these shelves when I spot them, as I know I have appreciated them in the past and it’s good to pay the kindness forward.

Dolly Parton’s Free Book Club

Dolly Parton (yes, the incredible country singer) has been running a free children’s book club since 1995, called the Imagination Library, and she has donated a total of over 1 million books.

Absolutely incredible!

Well this book club is available and completely free to sign up to, and each child registered will receive one book per month from birth to age 5.

I don’t think she gets enough credit for this honestly; what a fantastic thing to do.

You can sign up to the Imagination Library on behalf of your child here, and you can receive a maximum of 60 free children’s books in total.

Free Trial with Readly

If you are a fan of flicking through a magazine on holiday, in the bath or whilst out and about grabbing a coffee, but you’ve been trying to cut down and save money, this is the perfect app for you!

Readly offer unlimited access to over 7,000 magazine titles, including Good Housekeeping, Hello!, Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan and more. It’s a great opportunity for brides-to-be looking for inspiration to dip into wedding magazines, or for first time buyers to research home decor – individual magazines can be pricey, so this is a much more cost effective way to read multiple titles.

The app has an audio player so you can listen to articles, too!

Readly are currently offering a one month free trial for new customers. Go go!

Arrange a Book Swap with friends

This is an oldie but a goodie!

If you are part of a book club, you could suggest each member brings a book to swap, or you could ask your friend group or family to swap some of their favourite reads; it’s always fun reading a book that’s been highly recommended by a loved one.

Use your Local Libraries

Okay okay we all know about this one. Did you know you can borrow audiobooks and e-books from the library now too?

Apps like ULibrary, BorrowBox and Libby mean you can request and enjoy books remotely, with no trip to the library required.

Super easy if you have a busy schedule; just download the book and get started.

Free Lego Magazine

Did you know you can get a free lego magazine sent directly to your home 5 times a year, completely free?

Well, you can! It’s perfect for kids ages 5-9, and it’s filled with activities, ideas for builds, posters and more.

You can sign up to receive the Lego magazine here.

Borrow Audiobooks from your Local Library

Many public libraries offer apps you can use to borrow e-books, audiobooks and other digital titles, completely free!

Examples of popular apps include Borrowbox, Libby and ULibrary – become a member at your local library, download the supported apps and you can start selecting from your TBR list.

Even more ways to Read for Free

Want even more ways to listen to audiobooks and read for free? Try these:

• Check out Spotify for free audiobook versions of well known children’s books
• Browse freecycle sites; Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, or any other community groups
• You can find free audiobooks on Youtube

Want more freebies?

If you’re looking to save more money in London, then look no further; these guides will help!

• Take a look at some of the best ways to get a free hot drink in London
• Save money on dining out and grab a free alcoholic drink whilst you’re out, too
• Bag the cheapest cinema tickets in London if you fancy seeing a movie
• Grab some free theatre tickets by signing up to be a seat filler

Read for Free: How to get Free Books and Free Audiobooks

There are so many ways to read for free; before buying your next book, try these tips and see if you can bag one without spending a penny instead.

Check out these free money offers for the best freebies and deals around, and follow me over on Instagram & Twitter for daily money saving tips and tricks! 

You can also sign up to my freebie club newsletter for the latest free stuff, deals and hacks… see you there!