Free books

for frustrated writers,
for adventurous readers.

This site hosts original text works – nonfiction, fiction or poetry of any length, published or unpublished – submitted free by the author. The author gives up no copyright or any other right to his or her work. This site and the author agree that no work may be reused commercially, that no modification of the work is allowed except for style formatting and that any noncommercial reuse give credit to the author.

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Submit text works in one of three categories – nonfiction, fiction or poetry – to sidleavitt@yahoo.com. Simple text is preferred. Any images or graphics within it cannot be reproduced. For details on author certification and permission, click on the 'Contact details' link.

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Readers are free to download any listing from the 'Works' section in the righthand column, subject to the aforementioned restrictions, and to provide comments to the site administrator at sidleavitt@yahoo.com for publication in the 'Comments on works' listing. To comment on any excerpt or other post shown in the center column, simply do so directly beneath the post by clicking on the '(No) Comments' link. Unless otherwise specified, all comments will be published, subject to libel guidelines.

About us...

Readersandwritersblog.com is a nonprofit website intended to give writers a place to publish their work at no cost and readers a chance to read that work and, if they choose, to comment on it. We also seek out well-written sites and post them on our blogroll. The site's founder and unpaid administrator is its first nonfiction contributor, Sid Leavitt, a retired newspaper editor who lives in Lake Katrine, N.Y.

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We try to post new blog entries every three and a half days – at 12:01 p.m. Sunday and 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

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Fiction

Sniper in the Mist (by chapters or full text) by Joseph Cigan: A story about snipers who threaten not only our bodies but our minds, maybe even our souls, as well. (34,000 words so far, most recent post April 17, 2008)

The Unearthing (by chapters or full text) by Steve Karmazenuk: A story filled with fantasy, heroism, adventure, mystery, maybe even a bit of the supernatural — all revolving around an unnatural object found buried in the dust of New Mexico after War Three. (122,150 words so far, most recent post May 11, 2008)

Disconnected (by chapters or full text) by J. Cafesin: The story of a young woman in crisis. (13,310 words so far, most recent post May 11, 2008)

Waiting for Spring (by chapters or full text) by R.J. Keller: The story of a newly divorced woman, numbed by years of rejection, who trudges out of one small Maine town into an even smaller one where she is forced to confront her pain. (1,430 words so far, first post May 11, 2008)

Short Stories by James L. Fox (by title or all titles). James L. Fox, a retired manufacturing manager, industrial engineer and jack-of-all-trades, offers a variety of tall tales from his hermit’s lair in the Mojave Desert. (Most recent story May 8, 2008)

Presumed Guilty by Marjorie Pagel: A short story about a murder or two is narrated by the convicted murderer’s sympathetic pen pal. (1,110 words, posted Nov. 8, 2007)

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Some public-domain selections of the Woodstock Readers Group, an ad hoc circle of writers, editors, artists, publishers and others who enjoy reading:

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov: The Russian playwright’s classic tragicomedy reflects the decline of the aristocracy, the rise of the bourgeoisie and the futility facing both classes in Russia at the turn of the 20th century. (16,500 words)

The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol: In a precursor of the modern short story, the 19th century Russian author tells the tale of an impoverished clerk who scrimps and saves to buy a badly needed new winter coat. (11,750 words)

The Redheaded Outfield by Zane Grey: The great Western writer played semiprofessional baseball at one time and loved writing about it. (49,650 words)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: The holiday classic, in full. (25,000 words)