Do you know you don't need a Kindle to read any Kindle book? Amazon has a freeware program called Kindle for PC which allows you to download Kindle books to your desktop and laptop.
You can also read Kindle books on an iPhone or Android or even a Blackberry. That's how I started out. It can be kind of hard to read one on your computer, but at least the software gives you the feel for what reading an e-book is like.
The link for it is here: Kindle for PC
There's also Nook for PC program from Barnes and Nobles, too. The link is here: Nook for PC
With these installed, you can now download free or cheap books from these two sites. That's a good deal to me.