Bookworms unite! Keeping track of your to be read (TBR) pile has never been easier. It all comes down to picking the right app(s) for you and your reading needs. It has never been easier to access apps that allow you to do all those things and much more.
A very popular go-to option for book tracking is Goodreads. Goodreads is popular for a lot of readers because they can sync their Kindle e-readers or account to the app and keep track of books being completed as well as access to any Kindle notes and highlights. Other enjoyable features include: reading challenges, personalized recommendations, want to read lists, reviewing books with star ratings, and tracking progress while reading. Goodreads is available on IOS and Android.
While Goodreads is still a fan favorite amongst the reading community, there are other options that have similar features plus extras. The first alternative is Storygraph, which was created and is owned by a black woman. Storygraph offers users the ability to import their Goodreads data to avoid having to manually upload all books, reviews, and ratings. Storygraph also offers features such as: mood based reading statistics, a yearly reading and page goal, ability to update information on books (the ISBN, the format, upload a cover, etc.), various graphs based on reading habits, option to mark a book as did not finish (DNF), buddy reading without spoilers, and reviewing books with star ratings (including half stars). The creator of Storygraph is constantly making updates to make the app as user-friendly as possible. Storygraph is available on IOS and Android.
The other alternative is TBR – Bookshelf, which was designed to allow the user to create their own book collection within the app. While this app is more individually focused, users can still set yearly reading goals, have reading statistics with charts, and import their Goodreads data. Unique to this app, users have the capability to annotate their books with notes, which is a popular feature for many readers that annotate their physical copies. Also, specific to this app, users can create knowledge quizzes to help with remembering the content of the book they had read. TBR – Bookshelf is available on IOS.
While these three apps have a wide variety of pros, there are also some cons to consider when selecting one that best suits your needs. Goodreads can be difficult to navigate when getting started and it does not offer personalized data in the form of infographics. Storygraph is a newer app so it has yet to gain enough popularity to compete with other book tracking apps that have been around longer. Storygraph’s community connection is limited; users can see the people they are friends with and following but finding others outside of that requires a little extra effort. TBR – Bookshelf lacks community connection as well, since it is more focused on the user curating their own libraries (though users may wish to share their libraries with others).
No matter what you may be searching for in a book tracking app, there is something for everyone. Whether you want an app that is simple with high community presence, user-friendly with graphs for all of your reading moods, or helps you fulfill your librarian dreams, keeping track of your never-ending TBR pile is easy with so many options.