Category: Book-related apps

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Scribd – a book subscription service

I just subscribed to Scribd – a digital book subscription service – with a one-month free trial. Rather than slogging with several books to the beach or on vacation, I could just take my tablet. Theoretically…

Scribd encompasses books, audiobooks, magazines and podcasts. It also has other categories that I probably won’t use like sheet music as well as documents and photos uploaded by other users.

Also available are other services like Pandora Plus, which is free with the Scribd membership. (Since I already subscribe to Pandora Plus, I’m not sure this is helpful unless I really like the other parts of Scribd. I could then combine these subscriptions.)

At this point, I’m not sure I’ll continue the Scribd subscription once the free trial is ended. That depends on how much I use it – the $9.99 monthly price seems a bit steep for me right now. I already subscribe to print editions of the magazines I most want to read – plus I dislike reading magazines digitally. Also, although I am extremely interested in podcasts, I never seemed to find the time to listen. (Maybe I can change this habit…hmm.)

So, stay tuned…

Scribd – a book subscription service – provides access to an extensive array of books, audiobooks, etc. If you’re interested in actually purchasing audiobooks, though, try Chirp, which I reviewed here.

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Audiobooks – Thrills for Your Ears

Audiobooks-thrills for your earsSo far, my blog posts have been about printed material and, occasionally, e-books. But, I have come across a new audiobook service, Chirp. Affiliated with BookBub, Chirp offers an alternative to Audible. A variety of genres are available in a range of prices. Being a lover of Sherlock Holmes, I purchased The Valley of Fear for $1.99 (plus New Jersey sales tax). The narration of this work is excellent. I noticed that prices for the daily deals ranged from $.99 to $4.99. Plus, there is no monthly or annual membership fee. That makes audiobooks thrills for your ears–and your wallet.

The likes of Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon), David Baldacci (The Fix, Total Control), and Michael Connelly (The Night Fire) are but a few available. I also noticed titles by James Patterson, David Sedaris, Charles Dickens and even Geoffrey Chaucer amongst the offerings.

Others, such as Audible, Scribd and Spotify, offer audiobooks, but at a price. To get the most of these apps, you need to have a membership (Audible, Scribd and Spotify) plus maybe pay for the audiobooks (Audible). At Chirp, the only monetary outlay is for the audiobook itself. With Chirp, you own the audiobook, but who knows what will happen if Spotify decides to discontinue offering them. There are other sites, like LibriVox, that offer free audiobooks, but the narration quality is spotty. Your local library may have books on CDs and offer audiobooks through OverDrive and Hoopla, but do they really have what you want to listen to? And how long is the wait list?

So far, I’m happy with Chirp for the selection of audiobooks, the quality of narration and the price. I’ll continue to scour the digital book world for other audio options. In my opinion, Chirp can bring thrills to your ears, and wallet.

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Book Swaps Update and Book-lover Gifts

Book swaps update, My BookSwaps ClubUpdate Alert! I posted about My Bookswap Club and other book swaps recently (here). At the last minute, I purchased My Bookswap Club’s 2018 Christmas box and was pleasantly surprised when I opened it. Along with a book and bookmark, I received a scented candle, bath soap, fuzzy socks, a book nerd pin, and Godiva candy. Quite a haul!

Need a gift? Keep this in mind for next Christmas or any other year-end holiday celebration. These boxes make a great gift for a book-loving wife, girlfriend, mother or daughter. I jumped at the chance to buy myself a present at the last minute this year and was glad I did.

In addition to their website, My Bookswap Club is on Instagram.

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Book Swaps and Gifts for Everyone

My BookSwap Club offers unique book swaps and gifts for everyone.  According to their website, My BookSwap Club is a group of “enthusiastic bookworms who believe in sharing our books with fellow bookworms (or a novice reader).”

Currently, My BookSwap Club offers members a Christmas BookBox with a few options from which to choose. You purchase the box and respond to a questionnaire about your likes and dislikes. Then, sit back and wait in anticipation. Over the next few days, I will purchase this box and report on what I received.

received from book swapsMy BookSwap Club also facilitates book swaps. I have just joined My BookSwap Club, so I haven’t participated in their swaps, yet. But, over the past year, I’ve participated in book swaps using social media apps such as Litsy. (See my post about Litsy, here). At left are some of the books I’ve received. So far, I’ve been pleased with the choices my swap partners have given me.

If you have found any book-related websites, social media networks or phone apps, let me know by replying to this post.

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Get Goodreads and other book apps

Goodreads, one of several good book appsOccasionally, I’ll talk about book-related apps for mobile devices and e-readers that source their material from various places, like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Google and Kobo. The book apps mentioned will have both an Android and Apple iOS version, unless otherwise noted. Most apps will be free to download, but some will charge for content.

Goodreads  has a free app and a website for readers who want to interact with others via groups, reviews and recommendations. In Goodreads, booklovers find books and share reviews. They can maintain a library of books they’ve read or want to read. According to Goodreads, 75 million members have “shelved” 2.2 billion books, implying that reading is alive and well.

As a matter of personal preference, I use the litsy app (mentioned in a prior post) but tend to use the Goodreads website. Litsy has more of the quick back-and-forth common in social media and reminds me of Instagram. Goodreads is more like my favorite library or book club.