Many avid readers use Goodreads, a large social cataloguing website that allows users to log, discuss, review and rate the books they read. But in recent times there has been numerous websites and apps beyond Goodreads for analysing reading habits. Whether you want to boost your reading speed, keep track of your growing personal library or find just the right book to fit your mood, here are four reading tools to consider.
Litsy
The free app, allows you follow other readers to cultivate a steady stream of bookish content. When readers post about a book, they can rate it “pick,” “so-so,” “pan” or “bailed.” Each post is directly attached to that book’s searchable catalogue page, where you can add it to your list.
Everyone who joins Litsy starts with 42 “Litfluence” points, which indicate how influential you are on the platform. You can collect more by logging books that you’ve read and receiving likes or comments on your posts.
LibraryThing
The platform, available on the Web and as an app, recently dropped its membership fees and is now free. Getting started is easy: Import your books from Goodreads, plug them in manually or scan the bar codes on your physical copies using your phone’s camera. You can also catalogue movies and music.
While sites like Goodreads are convenient for keeping track of what you read, LibraryThing is an excellent place to keep track of what you own. You can organise books into different collections and add tags to note whether you own a certain title or borrowed it. The site also fosters a nice sense of community: One popular group, called “Name That Book,” is designed to help people remember the name of a book they once read. On message boards, there is near-constant chatter about every bookish matter you could imagine.
The StoryGraph
StoryGraph — which is free — allows users to categorise books into various piles, such as “currently reading,” and create yearly reading goals. And it finds books that fits your mood, once you answer a list of questions upon registration.
Bookly
If you think of reading as a competitive sport, you’ll appreciate Bookly, an app that doubles as a personal trainer. The goal: to make reading a habit and increase your “performance” — which basically means reading more often and, ideally, faster.
Bookly’s app is easy to navigate and centres on a timer that keeps track of reading sessions. When you’re done reading, the app prompts you to log what page you’re on and calculates how much longer it will take you to finish the book.
You can comb through reports on your reading speed and compare your performance on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The app is also big on goals.
Bookly is free to use, but there’s also a paid version. It offers additional perks such as PDF summaries of your stats, including your best reading day and all-time fastest speed.
