As I mentioned yesterday, I attribute part of my ability to read as much as I do to the use of different media. I have five apps on my phone through which I read, but I have other bookish apps that I use just as much (if not more). Today I want to talk about the five I probably use the most and why I like them.
[Aside: While I do have Audible and Kindle on my phone, I didn’t list them here because I’m trying to wean myself off Amazon, which is not easy because many of the indie writers I like to support only sell through Amazon currently and also because Amazon owns so many things.]
- Goodreads – Yes, I know – owned by Amazon. And I’m open to alternatives, but I haven’t found any that can come close to everything I have through Goodreads. Most of the tracking I do, I do through this app. Because of Goodreads, I can tell you every book I’ve read since 2012. I also have a gargantuan TBR list stored there. Best of all, I get a lot of recommendations from people I’ve met through various walks of life – online friends from fandom/writer groups/book clubs, face-to-face friends, coworkers, friends from grad school, writer contacts, and a unique group of like-minded readers whom I met through the app itself. It’s social media for readers, which some days, is the only kind of social media I’m into.
- Scribd – Through this paid subscription (currently about $10 a month), you can choose from their large selection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, short stories, essays, etc., and there’s no limit to how much you can read or save to read later. I don’t find every book I want to read there, but it’s my frequent go-to for book club selections when I have already exhausted my book budget for the month and there is a waitlist for them at the library. Or when someone else puts a hold on a library book I’ve started and I can get it to them faster by finishing the book on Scribd. I also use it to keep track of specific TBR lists (e.g., my books about joy that I’m reading this year). As with most subscriptions, there’s no guarantee that any book that is available now will always be available, but I use the app enough that it definitely saves me time and money in the long run.
- Kobo – This is my “ultimately replace Audible and Kindle” app. It offers the same kind of subscription for audiobooks (1 credit for a monthly rate), and you can either have an ebook subscription (all you can read for $10/month) or you can purchase the ones you want to keep individually. It gives you a list of titles that you can get for free (and also lets you prioritize your favorite genres), and each purchase also earns points toward free books. If I ever purchase another ereader, it will be through Kobo. I feel like it’s trying to be every reading app I love but in an even more organized and user-friendly way. It seems like it’s here to stay – so much that some of my fave indie authors have worked their way over to also sell through Kobo, which is exciting.
- CloudLibrary – This is the ereader/audiobook app that our local library uses, so it’s the one I use. My current selections through CloudLibrary are the audio version of a print book I’m reading at night because I’m at a part that is very exciting and I have errands to run this afternoon, which will delay my getting-home time and I don’t want to wait until I get home to hear what happens next, my current lunchtime book, and the next book in the Phryne Fisher series because the library doesn’t have a print copy. It’s free through my library login (also free). Selection, of course, varies according to what the library purchases. It’s worth checking out which ereader your library uses (I also like OverDrive and Hoopla but don’t use them very often).
- Libib – Y’all. I have a lot of books. So many that when I’m out and about at bookshops or library sales or garage sales that I find myself veering toward when that stack of unwanted books looking for a home catches my eye on the drive-by, I don’t always remember off the top of my head what I have and don’t have at home. Especially if it’s by an author I particularly like (and thus compulsively buy). So I am cataloguing my collection, slowly and surely, through Libib. You can also keep track of the music, games, movies, etc., you own, if that interests you. The free version does limit you to 5,000 items, which is plenty at this stage of my collection (really, if I ever need more, I should just quit my job and become a library). Also, you can share your shelves with others (useful for people who browse bookstores on my behalf). If my home ever catches fire, this is what I’ll use to rebuild my collection/annoy my insurance company (because priorities).
Do you use these apps? Others? What do you like about them?
M. Suzanne Terry 
Leave a Reply