There is a free app at iTunes called "Free Books - 23,469 classics to go." I'm hesitant to install it until I know how it's going to behave. If anyone has experience using this app, I'd be most grateful to have the answers to a couple of questions about it.
I used to use this app. I took it off the iPad because I got into the "too many books, too little time!" trap. But, it worked well when I had to read Huckleberry Finn for my book club. So, I feel experienced enough to answer (plus, I just re-downloaded it - so I could "cheat" and give you real answers).
For example, how does book selection work? Do you scroll through or search a list 24k titles long?
Yes.
You can either search through genres, titles, etc. There's a genre scroll bar at the top of the app, plus there's a search function.
When you select a book, does it "open" and then reside on your iPad's book shelf?
Yes. Well, actually, the book downloads from wherever the app's server is, THEN it resides on your iPad until you delete it. It's a quick download. Although, obviously, you'll need Internet access to download, once the book is on the iPad, you won't need the Internet to read. Do note that the book is inside the app and the only way to access it is to open the app. It won't go into iBooks or Newstand, for instance.
Do each of the 24k+ books open individually?
Only if you download them. The app is not putting 24K+ books on your iPad. You get them one at a time. And, again, you can delete any book (off your iPad, not from the app's servers) whenever you wish. Not that e-books take up a lot of space, but it's a good feature.
It actually has a pretty good selection, as long as you remember that it's probably all free books (like Gutenberg or the out-of-copyright classics). But, the app allows you to change the font, highlight, etc. you can read either in portrait or landscape mode.
In fact, answering this post made me realize that I did (do?) like having access to all these free books. So, thanks for the opportunity to re-discover it.
Hope this helps and happy reading.
Marilyn
