As a kid, I often went to a thrift store to buy used books to read. Today, it’s still worth the trip to Goodwill or Salvation Army to find books for those of us who read a lot and/or are on a budget.

However, if you’re looking for new releases, you can find deals on websites such as Book Sirens, Goodreads, and Book Bub.

Most give readers free copies (usually e-books) in exchange for writing unbiased reviews. Authors furnish books to them in hopes of garnering reviews, which are “golden” to writers, increasing their rank on Amazon and other websites.

Think writing reviews takes lots of time and more skill than you currently have?

Next week, I’ll tackle that question.