I’m sharing a few must have book apps for readers. We all use our phones throughout the day, so this selection of apps will make your reading life even better!

I have a few different categories to go through today, including library – related apps, reading tracking apps, and the best apps for reading ebooks or listening to audiobooks as part of a subscription.

Plus I have two bonus apps to share – there’s one app that iPhone users probably already have on your phone that will give you a free romance book each week! And another app I check a few times a week where you can buy books from other readers at amazing prices – or sell books to earn a little extra cash!

 

Bookish Apps For Readers

 

Apple Books

I know you’re probably most interested in that free book each week, so I’ll fill you in on that secret first. The app is Apple Books (which is just called Books) and I believe it comes automatically downloaded on each iPhone, so you just have to find it on your phone! Within the Books app, you can head to the Bookstore tab and select Romance from the Sections. The Romance section includes a free romance book each week that you can simply download and start reading! The types of romances vary, so you’ll find all sorts of different tropes and romance categories featured.

I’d also recommend browsing through the rest of the app since their sales are always changing and you might find an eBook or audiobook of something on your TBR for a great price!

 

 

Library Book Apps

Moving on to library apps – there are 3 main apps that I use consistently and they are Libby, Hoopla and CloudLibrary. Your own library may partner with all 3 of these apps or just one or two. You can easily find out by browsing your library’s website or talking to a librarian.

 

Libby App

Libby is hands down my all time favorite bookish app. When I tell you I use this app every single day, I’m being completely serious.

It is the best designed, includes the easiest search section, most fun to browse, and has the greatest selection of eBooks and audiobooks to choose from. Plus, one vital feature of Libby is that you can download eBooks to your Kindle and read there! The other library apps require you to read eBooks in the app directly. I’m not a huge fan of reading on my phone, so Libby’s ability to share books with your Kindle is a huge positive.

It is incredibly robust and has a number of little known features and tricks that readers adore. If you want to learn more, you can find my Top 10 Libby tips video on my channel page! Each library has a different partnership with Libby, so the books available, style of your library’s homepage, and number of hold slots you have will vary. Overall though, it is vital for any reader with a library card!

 

 

 

 

Hoopla App

Hoopla is the next most popular option – featuring eBooks and audiobooks as well. I’ve found the selection on Hoopla is generally less widespread, but there are always usually a few books and authors I’m interested in at any given time. Hoopla works a little differently in that your library buys a set number of checkouts each day for all of its patrons. Once those checkouts are used up, no one else can check out a book until it resets the next day.

I ran into this quite a bit and would often get a message if I tried to check out a book midday saying your library has exceeded the number of checkouts, please try again the next day. So it’s a timing game – if there is a certain book you have your eye on, you can open the app early in the morning to get one of those checkouts.

This means you never have to put a book on hold and wait weeks or months for the next copy – you might just have to wait until the next day and log on early. My own library recently got a grant to cover more checkout spaces, and since that happened I’ve never had a problem checking out a book whenever I wanted!

Hoopla has a decent search function but it’s not as easy to browse for books that might catch your eye. They do a pretty decent job curating books you might like based on past checkouts though and that section is usually where I find most of my next books I want to read! As I mentioned before, I don’t like reading eBooks on my phone so I use Hoopla strictly for audiobooks.

 

 

 

CloudLibrary App

This is my least favorite of the library apps, but I know it may be the only option for some of you so I want to still cover it! I think of CloudLibrary as a bit of a watered down version of Libby. It works the same way in that you can either borrow a book if it’s available or put it on hold and wait until a copy becomes available. However, the selection is significantly less and once again you can’t download eBooks to your Kindle

CloudLibrary also has a pretty terrible browse section, making it a better option if you already know a book title or author that you want to search for. You can’t deny though, that any opportunity to use your library card and read books for free is fantastic!

 

Reading Tracking Apps

 

 

Goodreads App

Goodreads is the obvious first choice. I do not use this app myself but I know it’s incredibly popular with lots of readers. Goodreads is familiar and fairly simple, but it doesn’t come with any fun features that some of the newer reading tracking apps offer.

 

 

 

 

Storygraph

StoryGraph is newer to the scene and is quickly growing in popularity! It has a TON of fun features, which readers are going to adore. It not only has the ability to keep track of the books you’re reading, it will also help you find your next read, join reading challenges, and read alongside a community of readers

Starting with the tracking, one feature I love that Goodreads does not offer is the ability to rate a book using half or even quarter stars! This is always one aspect of Goodreads that really bugged me, so I’m thrilled that StoryGraph lets you get more detailed with your ratings. They also compile your reading data and give you stats about your reading life, including various charts and graphs you can review!

As for finding new books, StoryGraph’s AI will help pick a book that’s perfect for you based on your past ratings. You can also browse by mood, which is such a fun and unique option. The reading challenges included on the app will help expand your reading life and participate with other book lovers! I know bookstagram and book blogging friends who have added their own challenges to this app that you can join and follow along!

The one downside I’ve heard is that Goodreads is better overall for reading and writing book reviews. So if you’re looking for stats and fun extras, StoryGraph definitely wins but Goodreads overall is better for reviews.

 

 

 

 

Fable App

The last reading tracking app I want to mention is Fable. I haven’t used this one myself but I’ve seen it pop up more often lately so it might be worth checking out.

Fable does have the ability to keep track of your reading but it also does so much more! It’s like social media designed specifically to talk about books and movies or TV shows. You can join different book clubs or share posts talking about your current read. It seems like a really fun way to connect with other readers. They also allow the ability to make themed lists and see other people’s lists, which can be helpful for picking your next read.

 

 

Audiobook / eBook Reading Apps

 

Everand App

Everand is the cheapest option on the market for listening to audiobooks or reading eBooks. At only $11.99 a month, you get one “unlock” to pick an audiobook or eBook of your choosing from their selections. I tried this out for a while and was very pleased with the selections of audiobooks available! In most cases, even the hottest new books were available shortly after their pub dates!

If you want to try it, they offer a full month free trial, which you can try out here!. You can also check out my full review video that covers all the features and my honest thoughts on my channel page.

 

 

Libro. Fm App

Yes  Audible is also an option, but for the exact same price you can get a Libro.fm subscription and a portion of your price will be paid to indie bookstores!! You can even pick which bookstore to support, so if you have a local indie you love, your subscription will support them!

It works very similar to Audible – you get one credit each month and can use it to listen to any audiobook. They have basically any book you can imagine, so you’re guaranteed to find a book you want to try! Also, Libro.fm runs tons of sales, where they’ll offer certain audiobooks for prices as cheap as $3 or $4! And when you buy one, a portion of that sale will go to indie bookstores too!

Libro.fm is unmatched and my all-time favorite alternative to supporting Amazon. As a bonus, all new customers will receive 2 FREE credits when they sign up for a subscription.

 

 

 

Book of the Month App

If you’re looking for physical books, Book of the Month is absolutely the way to go. Their subscription gives you one credit a month as well, and can be used on one of their hardcover book selections or an audiobook!

They always have incredible book choices and sometimes even put books in your hands before they’re released to the public! This is the one subscription I have used consistently for YEARS. I love having the option to choose a hardcover or audiobook or skip a month without losing a credit!

Plus, you can use my link to get your first book with Book of the Month for only $5! 

 

 

 

 

PangoBooks App

My last bonus bookish app is one of my all time favorites and one I use the most. It’s called Pangobooks and it’s a buying and selling app meant to connect readers. You will ONLY find books on this app, and I Love that it focuses simply on giving readers a platform to sell their books or buy used books at incredible prices.

I both buy and sell books through the app, frequently using the money I earn to turn around and buy more books.

One thing I love is that the people who use this app truly care about books, so I’ve found books are exactly in the condition they’re described as and packaged with care when they’re shipped! It feels like the best sort of bookish community.

 

 

That wraps up my list of my go-to bookish apps that I use regularly! Let me know in the comments if you’re going to check any of these out or if there’s any book related apps that I missed!

 

 

 

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