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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2026 17 By Steve Beno I'm a reader. I read every day of the year. By the time you read this, I'll have read for over 12 years without missing a day. One of the reasons for this is I always have a "book" with me. I realize many people love having a real book in their hands much like I like reading a physical newspaper in preference to an online version; it'll be a race to see who outlives the other — me or physical newspapers. But I became a Kindle reader soon after it became available. Just in case you're not familiar with Kindle, it's an electronic device made by Amazon onto which you load books you purchase from Amazon or buy or borrow from other sources. It's a video screen, but unlike computers and tablets, its backlight isn't the type that interferes with your sleep. And, fortunately for me, there's a Kindle app. I have the app on my phone, and it syncs to the furthest page read back and forth with my Kindle. Since I always have my phone with me when I'm away from home, I always have a book with me. If I'm waiting for an appointment, I pull out my phone and read. If I'm standing in line, I pull out my phone and read. If I'm sitting in my car killing time, I pull out my phone and read. Have I belabored this point enough?! One thing you can do on your Kindle or the Kindle app that you can't do with a real book is look up the meaning of a word just by pressing it. You may be asked if you want to download a dictionary. Just hit yes, and you'll be on your way. We each have our own way for finding books to read. Rather than select individual books, I search for authors I might like. If I read a review of a book that appeals to me, I'll start with the author's first book and read each one in succession. But there are many ways to find books to read. And some of those ways include smartphone apps. The most popular one may be Goodreads. As if Amazon didn't control so much of our lives already, it turns out Amazon owns Goodreads. The following descriptions come from those posted by Goodreads in the Apple App Store. "Keep track of all the books you're reading. Never forget what you've read and want to read. Recommendations based on books you enjoy. Reviews from the world's largest community of readers. See what's trending and what your friends are reading." So, Goodreads is also a social media app. But there are alternatives to Goodreads. e Washington Post recommends these. StoryGraph: Reading Tracker "focuses more on automated recommendations based on each user's reading history and preferences." "Easily track and learn about your reading habits with our wide range of charts and graphs. Mix and match our comprehensive set of filters to choose your next perfect book." You can even import your Goodreads data for your reading database. LibraryThing "lets you catalog books, movies, and music you have loved or hope to get. Its book pages include links to relevant discussion threads." "LibraryThing relies on data from Amazon and more than 65 million library records. Add books by searching for them or scanning their ISBN barcode with the camera." Reading List: Book Tracker "leaves out the social component completely. The app focuses on helping you log what you've read and doesn't share the information at all." "Log all of your books. Track everything you read. Explore your reading habits. Add books by scanning. Search within your library. Easily manage your collection. Create custom book lists." The last recommendation, BookWyrm, turns out to be a website rather than an app. However, there is an app called Bookworm Reads which is unique among these apps. "Bookworm Reads is a book tracker and joyful community app. You can track your books, see what your friends are reading, rate, review, and discuss books, create and join book clubs, and be part of a vibrant community of readers. We're like Goodreads but for the girls, gays, and theys. The best part of all: dress up your wormy avatar from a variety of outfits, hats, accessories, and more." Maybe this is an app better suited to your grandkids. If you use an app you'd like to share with others, let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Bookish Apps

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