This handy list lets you quickly go through the best books that you can download for free with your Amazon Prime membership.
Prime Reading is one of the services included in Amazon Prime membership. It’s hard to understand why it’s still so underestimated. The service gives unlimited access to a list of customer-favorited Kindle books, as well as comics, magazines, and audiobooks from Audible.
The Prime Reading catalog includes between 1,000 and 3,000 items. The list is rotating, which means that – just like on Netflix – some titles are coming and some are leaving.
Some users wonder what is better – Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited. If you are an avid reader, you should have no doubts: the latter service is much better because it includes over a million books.
However, Amazon Prime Reading works surprisingly well for people who read occasionally, want to have access to versatile content, and share their account with family members.
If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you should definitely check out what’s currently available in Amazon Prime Reading. The list is being refreshed every month. Although the number of eligible titles is growing, many interesting books are gone forever.
However, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern: some books – the ones that are most popular – stay longer on the list. Harry Potter series, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, or Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are on Prime Reading since the service was launched in October 2016.
The list you will see below includes most loved Amazon Prime eligible books, based on the time they have stayed in the catalog as well as customer reviews.
For more recommendations, check out the ranking of 100 best books in Amazon Prime Reading. This list is based on the current number of downloads, and is being updated every hour.
How to download Prime Reading books
There are two ways to do it:
- Via Amazon website – when you choose the book from the list below or the catalog of Prime Reading eligible books, you will be directed to the book’s product page. Click on the button saying “Read for Free,” and make sure to select the right device from a drop-down list under the button.
- Via Kindle app or e-reader – in a Kindle app (no matter whether it’s for iPhone/iPad or Android), tap the Discover icon on the bottom bar and look for “Prime Reading” link. On your Kindle, go to “Home” view, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, select Kindle Store and look for “Prime Reading” link.
How to sign up for Amazon Prime Reading
As I have mentioned above, Prime Reading is a part of Amazon Prime multi-benefit subscription. Most probably, you will join or rejoin Prime not only because of access to a few thousand digital books and audiobooks – for $12.99 per month you get much more than that.
Free delivery on 100 million products, original TV shows on Prime Video, plus several shopping benefits and exclusive deals – these are the most common reasons to buy the subscription.
To get the membership, visit Amazon Prime sign up page, select the plan (you can go for a monthly payment but you can also pick up one of the tailored subscriptions), confirm you credentials, and you are ready to enjoy free digital books, comics, and magazines!
25 best books on Amazon Prime Reading
The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale is one of Amazon’s most popular books. It’s a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast.
Set in the near future, the tale describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead.
The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions.
The Sun and Her Flowers
Rupi Kaur
From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry.
A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself.
Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell
George Orwell’s 1984 takes on new life with extraordinary relevance and renewed popularity.
Lionel Trilling said of Orwell’s masterpiece, “1984 is a profound, terrifying, and wholly fascinating book. It is a fantasy of the political future, and like any such fantasy, serves its author as a magnifying device for an examination of the present.”
Though the year 1984 now exists in the past, Orwell’s novel remains an urgent call for the individual willing to speak truth to power.
Divergent
Veronica Roth
This first book in Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy – a dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love.
Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.
The Selection
Kiera Cass
Discover the first book in the captivating, #1 New York Times bestselling series by Kiera Cass.
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.
What the Wind Knows
Amy Harmon
This Washington Post bestseller follows Anne Gallagher who grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes.
The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.
As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him.
The Color Purple
Alice Walker
Celie has grown up poor in rural Georgia, despised by the society around her and abused by her own family. She strives to protect her sister, Nettie, from a similar fate.
While Nettie escapes to a new life as a missionary in Africa, Celie is left behind without her best friend and confidante, married off to an older suitor, and sentenced to a life alone with a harsh and brutal husband.
In an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear, Celie begins writing letters directly to God.
Born Survivors
Wendy Holden
In Born Survivors, a renowned biographer Wendy Holden recounts this extraordinary story of three children united by their mothers’ unbelievable – yet ultimately successful– fight for survival.
Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain.
Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband.
Upstairs at the White House
J.B. West and Mary Lynn Kotz
In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.
J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies.
Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.
True Fiction
Lee Goldberg
The New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg returns with a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.
When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn’t an accident.
Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn’t imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done… and who is behind the plot.
The Killer Collective
Barry Eisler
In this fast-paced thriller, sex crimes detective Livia Lone, assassin John Rain, and former Marine sniper Dox form an unlikely team, determined to unveil one government conspiracy after another.
Facing uncertain loyalties and conflicting agendas, smoldering romantic entanglements, and brutal betrayals, the group edges closer and closer to the once untouchable big fish of the US government.
This gripping read has been leading the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestseller charts for a reason.
The Atlantis Gene
A. G. Riddle
Off the coast of Antarctica, a research group discovers a strange ancient structure buried deep within an iceberg. At the same moment, in Jakarta, Indonesia, brilliant geneticist Kate Warner has just come up with a breakthrough treatment for autism. Or so she thinks.
What Kate found is far more deadly – not just for her, but for the entire human race. Her work could unleash the next stage of human evolution. And it holds the key to unlocking the mysterious structure off the coast of Antarctica.
As the first book in A. G. Riddle’s bestselling Origin Mystery series, this is the novel that started it all. Fast-paced and packed with action, it reads just like a well-made thriller movie.
A Criminal Defense
William L. Myers, Jr.
When a young reporter is found dead and a prominent Philadelphia businessman is accused of her murder, Mick McFarland finds himself involved in the case of his life.
The defendant, David Hanson, was Mick’s close friend in law school, and the victim, a TV news reporter, had reached out to Mick for legal help only hours before her death.
Mick’s played both sides of Philadelphia’s courtrooms. As a top-shelf defense attorney and former prosecutor, he knows all the tricks of the trade. And he’ll need every one of them to win.
Unlimited Memory
Kevin Horsley
Did you know most people never tap into 10% of their potential for memory?
In this Wall Street Journal bestseller, you will learn how the world’s best memory masters get themselves to concentrate at will, anytime they want.
When you can easily focus and concentrate on the task at hand, and store and recall useful information, you can easily double your productivity and eliminate wasted time, stress and mistakes at work.
Download and read this book and you will know how to use advanced learning strategies to learn faster, remember more and be more productive in everything you do.
The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
Chris Anderson
Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience’s worldview.
The book is an insider’s guide to creating unforgettable talks. It explains how the miracle of powerful public speaking is achieved, and equips you to give it your best shot.
There is no set formula; no two talks should be the same. The goal is for you to give the talk that only you can give. But don’t be intimidated. You may find it more natural than you think.
The Storyteller’s Secret
Sejal Badani
From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.
Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
This classic self-help book has transformed the lives of Presidents and CEOs, educators, parents, and students.
In short, millions of people of all ages and occupations have benefited from Dr. Covey’s 7 Habits book. And, it can transform you.
The edition that’s available in Prime Reading is full of highly readable and understandable infographics. You will learn how to be proactive, how to put first things first, think win-win, and begin with the end in mind.
The Whole30
Melissa Hartwig Urban and Dallas Hartwig
Since 2009, Melissa Hartwig Urban’s critically acclaimed Whole30 program has quietly led hundreds of thousands of people to effortless weight loss and better health—along with stunning improvements in sleep quality, energy levels, mood, and self-esteem.
The program accomplishes all of this by specifically targeting people’s habits and emotional relationships with food.
The Whole30 features real-life success stories, an extensive quick-reference FAQ, detailed elimination and reintroduction guidelines, and more than 100 recipes using familiar ingredients, from simple one-pot meals to complete dinner party menus.
The Giving Tree
Shel Silverstein
As The Giving Tree turns fifty, this timeless classic is available for the first time ever in ebook format. This digital edition allows young readers and lifelong fans to continue the legacy and love of a household classic that will now reach an even wider audience.
Since it was first published fifty years ago, Shel Silverstein’s poignant picture book for readers of all ages has offered a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return.
Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids
Rob Elliott
What happens to race car drivers when they eat too much? They get indy-gestion. Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids provides children ages 7-10 many hours of fun and laughter.
Young readers will have a blast sharing this collection of hundreds of one-liners, knock knock jokes, tongue twisters, and more with their friends and family!
This mega-bestselling book will have children rolling on the floor with laughter and is sure to be a great gift idea for any child.
Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1
Kieron Gillen
The original Dark Lord of the Sith stars in his first ongoing series! Ever since Darth Vader’s first on-screen appearance, he has become one of pop-culture’s most popular villains.
Now, follow Vader straight from the ending of A NEW HOPE (and the pages of the new STAR WARS comic book) into his own solo adventures — showing the Empire’s war with the Rebel Alliance from the other side! But when a Dark Lord needs help, who can he turn to?
As Vader pursues a very personal vengeance against the Rebels and investigates the Emperor’s secret machinations, he clashes with weapons scavenger Aphra and deadly Battle Droids, and returns to Geonosis to build an army.
Sh*t My Dad Says
Justin Halpern
Tuesdays with Morrie meets F My Life in this hilarious book about a son’s relationship with his foul-mouthed father by the 29-year-old comedy writer who created the massively popular Twitter feed of the same name.
After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is “like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair,” has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began to record all the ridiculous things his dad said to him.
The Man in the High Castle
Philip K. Dick
This harrowing winner of the Hugo Award is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas.
The Man in the High Castle is a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake. It’s America in 1962. Some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war – and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.
The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-volume epic saga set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth – home to many strange beings, and most notably hobbits, a peace-loving “little people,” cheerful and shy.
In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care.
Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potters series is on Amazon Prime since the very begging of the service in 2016. Besides Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, you can read free of charge also other books from a series.
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle.
Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
How to find book best sellers on Amazon
If you want to go beyond what’s available in Amazon Prime Reading, check out a few handy lists that put together most popular books and hot new releases available currently on Amazon.
Amazon Charts – innovative Top 20 lists that are updated weekly and include latest trending books across all reading formats: print, Kindle, audiobooks, and digital subscriptions. The charts will let you quickly spot most popular titles, based not only on sales but also user statistics, such as the speed of reading or number of pre-orders.
Today’s Top 100 Book Best Sellers – every major category in the Amazon store has a dedicated list of best-selling items. Top 100 lists get updated a few times a day, so they are a great tool to find the hottest titles. The lists, both for print and Kindle books, are split into genres and subgenres, making it easy to find most popular titles in your favorite category.
New York Times Best Sellers – Amazon runs special sections featuring books that made it to weekly best sellers lists complied by The New York Times. The NYT lists can be found in both print and Kindle sections. We link to the latter directory. It features books from combined charts (print and ebook editions) for both fiction and nonfiction.
Best books on Amazon Prime Reading – infographic
Here is a quick visual overview of the most popular Prime Reading books of all time. Feel free to share it with your friends and followers!
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