46. The Ultimate Reader Guide: Apps, Trackers, and Inspiration

Overwhelmed with everything out there? Start here. (Also featuring new book releases, last week's favorites, and Allison Saft)

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Goodreads kind of sucks. Even though it is unbearably hard to use, it is still the primary reading tracker for many people. However, there are some other ways and options to track your reading, which can be entirely too big and scary sometimes. Where do you even start? Why, here.

Disclaimer: None of these are affiliates or sponsored. This is entirely my personal opinion.

Goodreads

Let’s get her out of the way. Goodreads is the original and still the most popular despite how difficult it is for users to use. I’m honestly not sure why their developers haven’t addressed some of the issues, but I hope one day they will be able to have a revamp. I believe that people still use it because they don’t know about their other options, don’t want to relearn and re-upload to another platform, and due to the established communities on here.

To be honest, I stopped using Goodreads except for my ARC reviews. It became too much of a chore - it wasn’t fun for me.

Storygraph

The one I started with the best of intentions at the beginning of the year and forgot about! She’s a great option though. I find the app and service straight forward and easy to use. It splits into sections: currently reading, read recently, to-read, and any of your tags such as 5 star reads. The community is made up of your friends, where you can keep up with their reading. One of my favorites is that stats tab. Storygraph compiles your statistics into number of books read, number of pages read, average time to finish, mood graph, pace graph, page number graph, fiction/nonfiction graph, genres, tags, format, most read authors, and star ratings. It is so fascinating to see these! You can choose the section the stats are being viewed for, the year, and the month and it will automatically update. Finally, it also shows you the popular books this week, giveaways (this is a beta test on my profile!), your TBR, and a recommendation generator!

I think that Storygraph is a great competitor for Goodreads due to the compilation of statistics, ease of use, and the recommendation generator. One thing I’m going to keep an eye on is their paid tier plan - I’m curious to see what it includes and if they will keep the app as accessible as it currently is for free users.

Fable

Fable competes with Goodreads’ social aspect. It’s literally called “the social app for bookworms and bingewatchers.” There are genuinely so many book clubs on this app and I love it dearly. Chatting with fellow members and the platform are so user friendly. It almost reminds me of the Netflix home screen - you can browse your many options split into sections: new clubs, thrillers, sci fi, fantasy, inspiration, giveaways, TV … the list goes on. It is very simple to create your own book club as well! Wouldn’t that be such a fun thing for you and your closest friends? Especially if you’re like me and your favorite people are spread all over the place. Fable also offers a bookstore where you can buy ebooks to discuss and annotate. The annotation is definitely piquing my interest, as that isn’t something you can do on the (older) Kindles or iBooks. You can also chat within the ebook with friends.

I think that Storygraph and Fable can go hand in hand really well for readers. Storygraph is there to track your statistics while Fable is there for you to read and socialize with your friends. You can create friends online with similar interests!

Libby

Libby, my sweet. Please, please download this app. All you need is to input your library card number to gain access to the ebooks and audiobooks available. FREE ebooks and audiobooks! Right there at your fingertips while supporting your local library from anywhere in the world! Please don’t download books illegally! This does not cost you money. What a genius idea. I love, love Libby. It is so easy to use. One thing to remember is that - especially for popular books - there are wait times!

NetGalley

I hesitate adding this, but it technically is a resource. If you are an avid reader like myself, you might want to try gaining access to ARCs, or Advanced Reader Copies, to devour early. NetGalley is the primary provider that brings readers and publishing houses together to deliver ARCs. It can be hard at first, but you just have to build your feedback ratio to show that you are a thoughtful reader who does care. It can be so incredibly fun to browse and get excited about new books! I’ve read some truly fabulous ones that I might not have otherwise.

One word of caution: you will probably fall into a requesting spiral and your shelf will probably become larger than you wanted. I only request every few weeks and wait for approvals to make sure I have the ability to read these properly for the author and publishing house.

Kindle

I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of Amazon, but they do pretty much monopolize this category. I do adore my Kindle. I go through phases of preferring physical books or ebooks. When I’m in my ebook phase, I don’t want to read on my phone - it’s distracting and gives me anxiety. My Kindle mitigates that and it is a lot easier on the eyes.

Side note: has anyone heard anything about the new Kindle? Is it supposed to allow you to annotate? Let me know in the comments.

Apple Books

A classic simply because so many of us have Apple products. A good ebook source, but I find their prices fairly high. You can often find discounts on Kindle, which is why I think it to be a more utilized platform.

Reading Journals

Did someone say I want something alternative? Here you go. Reading journals are so adorable, and I’ve seen some really creative ones! This is for the people who prefer to write out their thoughts and emotionally connect to their read. Some people even have scrapbooks where they draw and scrapbook a page about the book, which I find absolutely adorable and fabulously creative.

This is the reading journal I have!

New Alert: Shelf

I only just heard about this, and I don’t have an account. However, their Instagram bio says “the lovechild of spotify wrapped, goodreads, and letterboxd.” You can securely login to all of your current platforms so you can keep track of your taste and media history. You also connect with friends to see theirs, get inspiration, and share updates. It even creates “eras” of your previous media tastes and generates a weekly recap.

This app is very new, but from what I can see, it looks to be a creative and user friendly platform. One to keep an eye on!

Honorable Mentions: Spotify and Audible

Adding these for audiobook lovers, but I would honestly just use Libby. It’s free and you support libraries! However, these two are very established for audiobook lovers.

Inspiration

Hi, hello! You might be thinking, gosh this is a lot! And it is, but I hope this helped provide you with a bit of guidance with what may fit you and your reading preferences best. Personally, I want to get back onto Storygraph and into my reading journal. Honestly, I just forget and it falls to the wayside because most of my free time is spent here or present in my life. Currently, I simply use a note on my notes app to keep track of my TBR. If I want to write a review for a book, I jot down notes in the notes app to remind myself, and I always write the review right after I’m done reading for maximum emotional impact. Otherwise I will literally forget.

I don’t have any reading goals or challenges because I don’t ever want reading to feel like a chore. This is me saying that you don’t have to, and that if you don’t hit your reading goal, whatever. At least you read and had fun doing it.

With that, I’m curious. What app is your favorite? What do you use? Is there anything you’d like to try?

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A wonderful array of fall genres and some stunning covers. Also: affiliate links!

1. The Striker by Ana Huang (Sports Romance): October 22, 2024

2. In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Thriller): October 22, 2024

3. Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer (Sci Fi, Thriller): October 22, 2024

4. The Finish Line by Kate Stewart (Romance, Suspense): October 22, 2024

5. Bloodguard by Cecy Robson (Fantasy): October 22, 2024

6. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke (Historical Fantasy): October 22, 2024

7. Lifeform by Jenny Slate (Personal Memoir, Parenting, Essays): October 22, 2024

8. Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez (Historical Fantasy): October 22, 2024

9. Memorials by Richard Chizmar (Horror): October 22, 2024

10. The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams (Mystery): October 22, 2024

Books I’ve compiled from a variety of lists such as the New York Times, Amazon, and the B&N Top 100, but also through what I’ve seen online. I’ve decided to simply add the books I haven’t before, since I’ve caught up to the new additions. If you’re curious, last week’s post can be found here.

1. Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell (Thriller)

2. The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda (Fantasy)

3. The Last One At The Wedding by Jason Rekulak (Thriller)

4. From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough (Memoir)

5. Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole (Fantasy)

6. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (Romance)

7. Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah (Happiness)

8. The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore (Romance)

Meet Allison Saft.

via allisonsaft.com; Photo © Diane McClamroch.

I write about Allison today because she has an ability that I find most fascinating and entirely amazing - being able to write a full, complete stand alone fantasy book. This is quite difficult. In fantasy, a lot of time is spent in world building, explaining the magic systems, building character backgrounds to explain the present predicament. I find it truly incredible for an author to be able to achieve all of that in a well paced single book.

I’ve read two of her books so far, A Far Wilder Magic (it’s time for a reread) and just read A Fragile Enchantment. What I was really struck by was the complete and utter differences - they were not the same in any way. Completely different characters, entirely different worlds, and just as beautiful when it comes to the personal connections you make with the characters. She also has written Down Comes The Night and A Dark and Drowning Tide. All are utterly different and enticingly beautiful.

Allison got her MA in English Literature from Tulane then moved to the West Coast, where she lives with her partner and sweet doggo. She practices aerial silks which is incredible and also makes perfect sense to me. Allison reminds me of a fairy, and I am excited for her next release, Wings of Starlight. Also, her book names rock.

You can learn more on her website and Instagram. ALSO she has a substack.

Just a reminder to comment any recommendations or email me: thesundayreads@gmail.com!

1. A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

That’s all for today. Much love!

Izzy