Whether you still like reading physical books or have switched over to ebooks, or you read both, this whole app and digital revolution has definitely affected the way we read, what we read, how to find our next read, how to share what we read, etc. Basically, reading is now not just a personal pursuit, but it has also become a social and community activity. And for reading advocates everywhere, anything that gets people reading and keeps the love of reading alive is most welcome. If you’re trying to kickstart a reading habit, getting more people in your network to read, just starting to get into a digital reading habit, or you just like getting reading-related apps on your phone, here are some apps that you can try out to fuel your love for books and for the reading habit.
Goodreads (free)
If you don’t have this app yet, then you have to pause now and download it as it’s the granddaddy of all book-related apps. Think of it as a Facebook for books. There are more than 50 million active members on this social network. You can see what everyone else is reading, keep a list of the books you’re currently reading (and update your progress) or those that you want to read. You can read reviews from actual readers before deciding on buying or reading a book. There are also giveaways, contests, and even a yearly reading challenge where you yourself set your goal and then see your progress as the year goes along.
Kindle App / Amazon Shopping App (free, with in-app purchases)
If you get most of your ebooks through Amazon (or have your ebooks in mobi format) but you don’t want to have a separate Kindle reader, then you must have the Kindle reader installed on your gadget. But if you don’t do ebooks but buy most of your physical books from Amazon itself, then you can get the Amazon App instead. You can use your 1-Click ordering here, and keep a wishlist of the books that you want to have someday. The only thing you can’t do on the Amazon app is buy your ebooks there, so the Kindle app is the one for that particular activity.
Moon+ Reader (free, $4.99 for PRO)
If you prefer your ebooks in various formats (mobi, epub, pdf, cbr, txt, html), Moon+ Reader is one of the more popular ones out there. Aside from reading your local, stored books, you’ll also get access to thousands of ebooks in its database. There are a lot of customizing available in terms of format, gestures, shortcuts, etc.
Audible (free, with in-app purchases)
If reading isn’t your thing, but you still love books or stories, then you might want to give Audible a try. There are 180,000 audio books for purchase, and you get to track your reading list and habits, a social aspect to share what you’re reading/listening to and see what other people on Audible are listening to as well.
Comixology (free, with in-app purchases)
If comic books, graphic novels, and manga are your things and you want to go digital, Comixology should be your thing. Not only can you buy and read all the newest (and older) issues from your favorite publishers (DC, Marvel, Image, Vertigo, etc), but you also get free first issues for some titles, exclusive digital-first titles, immersive reading, and their newest thing, a $5.99/month subscription service where you can read as many titles as you want from their selected library (excluding DC and Marvel though).
Shelfie (free)
Shelfie has become a term for taking a picture of your bookshelf to share on your social networks, but it is also an app that lets you “convert” your physical bookshelf into a digital shelf. If you take a picture of your shelf and upload it, it will tell you which of your books are available as ebooks and audio books and where you can buy them. But some just keep it as a digital record of what books you have. You can also log in with your Goodreads account to import your library there to this app.
Book Catalogue (free)
This is not an ebook reader, but a simple app to catalogue all your existing books, whether physical or digital. You can manually add books, or scan the barcode, sort them through title, author, bookshelves, synchronize with GoodReads, export data and backup. Plus, it’s open source so those who like to tinker with codes can do some improvements.
Others:
Scribd ($8.99/month, buffet access to more than a million ebooks)
Overdrive (access to 30,000 public libraries around the world)
Poetry (database of thousands of poems, organized by themes, shareable)
Libib (library cataloguing tool, but also for movies, music, video games)
Listy (Goodreads meets Instagram, but no Android version yet. Developers promise, soon)
Any other book-related apps that you’d like to recommend? Let us know in the comments section!
Play Books is kind of my go to app when reading.It’s great.