In honour of World Book Day today, here are a few #shelfies to celebrate! The books don’t belong to me, unfortunately, and neither does the bookshelf. Both are the property of the erudite owners on whose property I stayed recently. They wisely kept the bookshelf locked! If they hadn’t, I am sorry to say I might have tucked a few under my arm and run off with them!
Before I plunge into the list of apps I use for reading, I’d like to share some happy news first: my story Pearls Mean Tears is published in Penny Shorts! It is one of the few stories I’ve managed to get reprinted. Do pop over and take a look!
The other day, while I was reading stories on Penny Shorts and other literary journals online on my iPhone, a friend leaned over my shoulder and seeing me with my nose buried in the virtual text, demanded to know which apps I used to read. I then realized I had more than one, and in subsequent interactions, I came to know many people wanted options for reading.
Note that all the below are free to download, but may feature in-app purchases.
The default app for reading these days is the Kindle. I have no use for a separate Kindle device but the app for the smartphone is invaluable. Don’t ask me how many books sit on my digital TBR pile – it would shame even Amazon itself!
The monthly Kindle deals that roll around at the beginning of each month offer books at throwaway prices!
Blinkist: Big Ideas in small packages
This little app started four years ago and has hit a million users already! It condenses entire nonfiction books into bite-sized “blinks” that can be finished in 20-30 minutes. And if you like the book you can always buy and read the whole thing! But I found this perfect for me – I love reading nonfiction but had stayed away from it due to lack of time. I can finish one book on Blinkist per day easily, and I’m won over enough to sign up for the premium subscription!
They’re currently offering a deal that offers 4 months off!
An Indian digital-only publisher of books in a variety of genres – romance, thrillers, short stories etc. I downloaded the app with the intention of submitting work to them, though I haven’t yet got around to doing that. Meanwhile the app has me hooked with enticing new releases every week!
Their short stories cost Rs. 10 onwards while books cost Rs. 30 onwards.
Whenever I stood at the checkout counter of my local grocery superstore, I gazed longingly at the magazines and wondered when I’d get time to curl up with one at home. Thanks to Magzter I now have the next best thing – a digital version of the magazines! I found the price quite reasonable as well, mainly because I snagged an annual deal.
Price: Annual subscription for Rs. 990 that offers access to 4000+ magazines.
I subscribe to a humongous number of blogs, some general interest but others in niche areas of writing and technology. Someday I will have to cull this list, but until then I use Feedly to catch up on all the blogs I follow.
This app and its services are completely free. I haven’t paid anything to use it as yet.
What are your favourite apps for reading?
