Edited on November 20, 2022

Bookly | Delicious Library | Goodreads | Highlighted | Bookshelf | Literal | Book Tracker

Do you have a book-tracking app that you love? Share it with me in the comments below so that I can try it out!

So, I got up to read this morning, and I got distracted looking at Bookly‘s Discord channel in which they posed the following question:

With so many book tracking apps out there, how do you know which option to go with?

Bookly

So, it's kind of funny, because Bookly has asked the question, and they offer their own thoughts in the form of a blog post, in which they (a book-tracking app) offer a list of the best book-tracking apps. That just struck me as humorous.

I’ve been using Bookly for a number of years now, and I’ve mostly loved the experience. The look and feel of the app is just great! It’s relatively user friendly, and did I mention that it looks great?

Once upon a time, I used to track my book collection, aka Library, using the Delicious Library app on my Mac, but my wife laughed at me (good naturedly, I might add) and called me a huge nerd, so like a little wimp, I stopped using the program and starting using Goodreads in secret. Goodreads is fine. It has some good features, and I know they are working on simplifying the interface a bit, but unfortunately, those changes come at the loss of other features.

So what it comes down to, is that a book-tracking app has to look really, really good, track the things I want to keep track of, and be fun to use. Bookly usually fills that need for me. As I check a book off my Currently Reading list, I’ll drop it into a “Books Read in 2022” folder, and so on, for each year. I sometimes use the the “Quotes”, “Thoughts”, and “Words” features. I really like them, I’m just not very good at using them consistently – partially because about 50% of the books I read are audiobooks (so I can still enjoy “reading” while driving to work or exercising).

For book highlights, I’ve recently started using the Highlighted app on iOS. It’s a simple app that looks great and tracks only your highlights and notes. You can mark your favorite quotes, track page numbers, and add tags. The Share feature creates simple, but beautiful image or text sharing options.

The Bookshelf app (though not the one described in Bookly’s blog) is a nice little app that offers many of the same features as Bookly, but without the subscription. Sorry Bookly! I know you gotta pay your bills, but nobody is going to admit to liking subscriptions. If I wasn’t so deeply invested in using the Bookly app, I’d probably use Bookshelf.

I also scored myself an invite to use Literal. I haven’t used it much, but I can tell that it’s a nice little app that offers all of the usual book-tracking and reading-tracking features, with the added bonus of having book clubs, which provides an in-app community experience.

Here’s something you have to understand about me. I am tempted by ALL the apps. I have to touch them. I have to try them. I just can’t help myself. Like right now, I’m looking at Bookly blog, and following the link to the Bookshelf app that they described. I need it. It looks good and it looks fun, therefore I must try it.

…and inevitably return to my daily use of the Bookly app. Thank you Bookly for being awesome, and for being patient with people like me who have to try all the apps.

Let’s take a closer look at these apps

Bookly | Delicious Library | Goodreads | Highlighted | Bookshelf | Literal | Book Tracker

Do you have a book-tracking app that you love? Share it with me in the comments below so that I can try it out!

---

Bookly

Figure 1. I love the carousel of books. This has to be one of my favorite aesthetic features.

Figure 2. Bookly calculates how long it will take you to finish based on your reading habits.

Figure 3. The tracking screen gives you the ability to add quotes, thoughts, and new words. It also has some great background sounds such as a thunderstorm or coffee shop.

Figure 4. You can set daily, monthly, and yearly reading goals.

Figure 5. You can easily see how your reading habits change over time.

What’s it cost?

Bookly is a subscription app. You should expect to pay $5 per month or $30 per year for Bookly Pro.

In the Next Post

Next time, let’s take a brief look at Delicious Library for Mac OS.

Bookly | Delicious Library | Goodreads | Highlighted | Bookshelf | Literal | Book Tracker

Do you have a book-tracking app that you love? Share it with me in the comments below so that I can try it out!

It’s March, and Spring is just around the corner.

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to get the garden started, and the bicycle tires aired up. The gloom of winter will soon pass, and the sun will be our companion. What is one thing you will do this year to make this your best summer yet? Share your ideas in the comments.

The Nutcracker Trilogy

I will continue to shamelessly promote these books because I’m so excited about being a small part of Drosselmeyer’s journey. If you’re new here, let me encourage you to check out The Nutcracker Trilogy by Paul Thompson. All three books are available in print and as e-books. Books one and two are available as audiobooks, narrated by yours truly. Click the links below to explore.

Oh, and it doesn’t have to be Christmas for you to enjoy these stories (just like it doesn’t have to be Christmas to enjoy Harry Potter).

Apple Books / Apple Audiobooks / Amazon / Audible

Author’s Website