Can’t stop reading? These book apps help me keep track

Maybe you’ve seen a bunch of BookTok recommendations fly by without saving them, madly scribbled down titles talked about in your go-to podcasts, or have tried to remember the book your friend recommended over that third glass of Bourgogne aligoté? Sure, you could write them down in a notebook, but there’s also a bunch of apps that let you track books you’d like to read, are currently reading, or want to read in the future.

And, maybe you’ll find like-minded book pals on there too.

Here’s a bunch of apps I regularly use that track your TBR (to be read) pile, the books you DNFed (did not finish), and offer suggestions for your next read. Some are prettier than others, most will allow you to import your Goodreads data.

Fable

Probably the most social-friendly and prettiest of the book-tracking apps, Fable is for readers who want to connect with other like-minded book lovers. Or those who enjoy very lovely UX. Launched in 2023 by Padmasree Warrior, the app lets you join book clubs, post your reviews to the main feed, generate cute round-ups of your monthly and annual titles with Pedro Pascal stickers, and keep track of what you’re currently reading, want to read, finished, and DNF. The book clubs are extremely popular and fit every niche, from clubs based around Taylor Swift lyrics to those for people who’ve never read the classics (and you might even get a free ebook for these ones).

The only tiny downside of Fable? The app hasn’t yet introduced the ability to switch edition of the book you’re reading, like other apps like Goodreads, Storygraph, and Margins.

Storygraph

Credit: Mashable composite: Shannon Connellan / Storygraph

If you’re a fiend for data, check out Storygraph. Founded by in 2019 by Nadia Odunayo, the app started as a book-tracker and has evolved into an online community. Operating the same way as a Goodreads or a Fable with TBR, DNF lists etc., the app visualises your reading habits into visually satisfying graphs — your go-to genres and moods, your pace, how many pages you regularly read. The app’s Reading Goal will motivate you to read a certain number of books in a year and track your progress. Plus, Storygraph’s buddy reads feature lets you add up to eight friends to the same book to read and comment as you go, or you can make a public readalong to engage a broader range of users.

Margins

Credit: Mashable composite: Shannon Connellan / Margins

Launched in 2024 by Paul Warren and Nick Punt, Margins is similar to its peers in a lot of ways (want to read, currently reading, finished reading, stopped reading piles). However, it sets itself apart with very slick design (those fonts!) and its “Search by vibe” feature. The latter allows you to type in exactly what you’re looking for and generate a carousel of suggestions — I typed in “summer horror by the sea” and it suggested Daphne Du Maurier’s The House on the Strand and Alma Katsu’s The Deep, a pretty good outcome. The library also has the option to add series and authors to your lists, and it has the all-important Reading Recap tool with templates to let you create pretty social-friendly lay-ups of your monthly reads.

Libby

Credit: Mashable composite: Shannon Connellan / Libby

Launched in 2017 by OverDrive, Libby is the best way to borrow e-books and audiobooks for free from your local library (shoutout to BorrowBox too). All you need to do is sign up with your library card, as the app has thousands of global library partners. Your loans and holds appear in the app’s Shelf tab, but it’s also got great reading tracking functionality, through the app’s tag system. When you find a title you want to read, you can save it with a tag with whatever name you like, whether you want to categorise your reads by genre, emoji, or go with the traditional TBR, DNF etc. It’s a great way to get books for free while you’re tracking them.

Book Buddy

Credit: Mashable composite: Shannon Connellan / Book Buddy

Cringe name, great app. Essentially, Book Buddy allows you to add every book on your shelf to your in-app library — this could take a while if you’ve got a lot of books, but in a dream feature, you can scan the barcodes to make it quicker. After you’ve logged your library, the best feature of this app is the random book suggestion tool, in which the app will go through your library and suggest your next read — go to Search, then tap the crossed arrows icon. This is perfect for people who stare blankly at their bookshelf in a state of panic over which title to pick. You can also track if you’ve loaned out books to your mates who conveniently never return them. Book Buddy’s free edition lets you add up to 50 books, and if you want to add more it’ll cost £5.99 for a lifetime upgrade to Pro — and if you’re using this app, you’ll probably have more than 50 books.

Goodreads

Credit: Mashable composite: Shannon Connellan / Goodreads

I use it, I don’t love it. Yes, the design and UX of Amazon-owner Goodreads, one of the internet’s legacy book-tracking apps, isn’t great. And authors hate it, with many users dropping unnecessarily mean reviews as casually as painting their nails. But one (1) thing Goodreads does do well is the annual Reading Challenge, which lets you track the number of books you’ve read in a year and motivate you to hit a target number.

Goodreads allows you to export your data to other apps, just in case you ever feel like leaving!

Perhaps you use a different book tracker? Let us know in the comments, I’m keen to hear what you track your reads with.