As 2022 comes to a close, you may be looking for the best reads of the year that you might have missed, or you may want to start compiling a list of books you want to read in the new year. There are numerous apps out there that are designed to help you keep track of your reading and discover new books, so we compiled a list of some of the best ones to help you pick one that’s to your liking.
Some of the apps on this list are somewhat new, while others have been around for a few years. Amazon-owned Goodreads, which is arguably the most popular book-related app, isn’t included in this list because we’re focusing on newer, lesser-known platforms.
StoryGraph
Image Credits: StoryGraph
StoryGraph is an Android and iOS app that lets you track your reading and get personalized recommendations. You can mix and match the app’s set of filters to find your next perfect read. The app offers many reading challenges, such as reading one book from every country in the world or reading one book per week across several genres. StoryGraph also includes a built-in reading journal and annual reading and page goals.
The app’s rating system is unique because it gives users a series of questions that the platform will then use when recommending a book to another user. For example, if you say that the book you read would be good for someone who likes emotional and fast-paced novels, StoryGraph may recommend that book to someone who is looking for such a read. The rating system also lets you rate using full, half or quarter stars, unlike Goodreads, which only lets you rate on a full-star system.
StoryGraph is great for people who want something kind of similar to Goodreads. The app is free to use, but also offers a $4.99 per month subscription plan that unlocks additional features, such as advanced stats and more personalized suggestions.
Tertulia
Image Credits: Tertulia
Tertulia is a somewhat new iPhone app that differentiates itself from other similar book discovery platforms by using machine learning to scan online discussions to see what books people are talking about. The app starts off by asking you to specify what kinds of books you want to read. You can choose to get recommendations from people you follow on Twitter, along with fiction authors, feminist voices, journalists, book critics, scientists and more. Then, the app will serve you daily recommendations tailored to your interests, which improve the more you engage with books on the app.
The app lets you browse books that are currently popular, while also helping you keep track of what you want to read. If you find a book that interests you, you can purchase it directly from the app if you live in the United States. Tertulia’s app is easy to use and features an intuitive browsing experience.
Tertulia is great for people who want to discover what books are currently popular across social media, podcasts and the web. The app is free to use and is launching on Android soon.
Basmo
Image Credits: Basmo
Basmo is an Android and iOS app that is designed to help you create a reading habit while also tracking your books. The app is mainly geared toward people who want to become a better and more efficient reader. Basmo tracks the time you spend reading and gives you an overview of your overall reading progress. You can also create a personalized reading schedule to help you easily tackle your goals one page at a time.
As you read, you can use Basmo to digitally scribble your thoughts and ideas about parts of a book that you find interesting. You can also scan and highlight your favorite passages as you read. Once you finish a book, you can track how it made you feel. For example, you can note if the book made you feel excited, happy, angry, bored or confused.
The app is great for people who don’t care about the social or community aspects of reading and instead want to focus on their goals and progress. Basmo is free to use with standard features. The app also offers a $5 per month subscription that unlocks unlimited functionality and additional features.
Readerly
Image Credits: Readerly
Readerly is an Android and iOS book discovery app that helps you track your reading and find new books. Unlike every other app in this roundup, Readerly doesn’t include a five-star rating system. Instead, the app provides context with every review that shows you how much your tastes overlap with the reviewer, books you’ve both read and topics you both enjoy. The point of this is to prevent you from possibly passing over a book that you may actually end up liking, regardless of what it’s rated on another platform.
The app also moves away from long reviews and instead has Gists, which are the app’s short review format. Gists essentially get users to write a TL;DR version of a review in 200 characters or less. Gists are then turned into an Instagram Stories-like format. Once you’ve created your Gist, you can add additional slides with your favorite quotes, characters or other additional information that you think others might find helpful. In terms of book discovery, the app will surface Gists from readers with similar reading tastes as you.
Readerly is great for people who want to try a unique book discovery platform. The app is free to use and also offers a $2.99 monthly subscription fee for users who want to support the new platform and receive personalized ratings.
TBR Bookshelf
Image Credits: TBR bookshelf
TBR Bookshelf is a fairly new iOS app that is mainly catered toward #BookTok, a popular TikTok sub-community focused on popular books and literature. The app offers a simple and decluttered user interface. Like other book tracking apps, TBR Bookshelf lets you track books you’ve read, want to read and are currently reading. The app’s rating system lets you outline your favorite characters and quotes. You can also note if you reread a book or if you didn’t finish a book at all.
The app has specific rating categories for different genres that go beyond star ratings. For example, if you are rating a self-help book, you can give it separate ratings based on how inspirational and helpful it was. Or, if you’re rating a classic book, you can give it different ratings based on how heartfelt and interesting it was.
TBR Bookshelf is a good app for people who are part of #BookTok, as many of the features are geared toward these users. The app is free to use but also offers a $4.99 monthly subscription that unlocks extra features, including things like seasonal ratings, book playlists and TV show and movie adaption ratings.