The Best iPad Apps For Book Nerds
7 apps every reader needs
When I was 11, a team comprising of strangers, a guy who hates me, and myself won an award for being book nerds (true story).
While I don't read nearly as much as I did then, I still try to read at least one book every month (making my English teachers proud 🙏).
I've read dozens of books while using my iPad, and I've learned a few tips and tricks. Here are 7 must-have apps for every book nerd out there:
Notion
I love using Notion to take notes on books I've read—Notion's database tools help me keep track of all the books I read.
This is especially helpful when I'm reading self-improvement/productivity books. If I'm ever feeling lost, I can use my book notes to "re-discover" the insights I learned from my first read.
I personally use this template from Ali Abdaal.
Notion has paid options, though you won't need it (I've always used the free version).
Books
This is kinda obvious, but the Books app is pretty important if you want to read books.
While a lot of Apple-built iPad apps aren't exactly the best (*cough* Pages *cough*), Books is actually decent.
The Books app has a variety of customization options: you can edit the text size, font, page color, light/dark mode, etc.
On top of these features, the Books app also has support for Audiobooks (and has its own Audiobook store).
Kindle
The Kindle app is another pretty neat reader app (kinda like Books).
The app, as the name implies, turns your iPad into a very expensive Kindle: you can read, annotate, listen to audiobooks, etc.
If you already have a Kindle, the Kindle app can be a great companion (this comes from personal experience).
Those Weird Summary App Things
I'm not sure what to call these, but these can be helpful if you're into the self-improvement genre.
Apps like Headway, Blinkist, and Shortform summarize books into shorter summaries, making it easier for you to remember key concepts.
These apps usually use some sort of subscription model: Headway costs $12.99/month, Blinkist costs $12.99/month, and Shortform costs $23.99/month. There are other apps out there, though these are the big ones I've heard of.
Personally, I think these apps are helpful if you're really into reading. It can help you check out key concepts from cool books and decide which ones to buy.
If you aren't as invested in reading or don't care much about self-improvement/productivity/that type of stuff, these apps might not be as helpful.
GoodLinks
I'm going to be upfront about this: GoodLinks costs $4.99. That being said, it's a killer app (one of the only paid apps I actually recommend).
GoodLinks is a Safari browser extension that lets you save links for later reading.
In the past, I've used it to save online book summaries or book recommendation lists. It keeps your links organized and has a tag system (similar to folders).
Trust me—saving links into GoodLinks (or really any link-saving app out there) is far better than dumping them into a random Apple Notes page that you'll never check.
Habit Apps
48.5% of Americans haven't read a book in the past year.
Building a consistent reading habit is HARD WORK.
Having an app that tracks your consistency can be a rewarding way of displaying your progress towards developing a reading habit.
If you're looking for a free option, check out Pixelist.
If you're looking for a paid option, check out Streaks.
I've personally used both of the apps, and either option is a great choice.
Substack
Right now (yes, right now as you're reading this text), there is a major shift in online content creation.
More and more content creators are shifting to Substack (the platform I've been using to write this newsletter for the past 2ish years).
While many don't use Substack as their main content platform, some use it to show behind-the-scenes work or provide updates on their content.
Some authors you follow might be on Substack. Do a quick search and see if they pop up. If they do, you can subscribe to their posts and view them on your iPhone or iPad through the Substack app.
Final Thoughts
"Think before you speak. Read before you think"—Fran Lebowitz
Thanks for reading! (not sure if this counts as a pun)
Adi
Great stuff! Thank you!