ScribD App Review

I love to read. Getting lost in stories is one of the best ways I care for myself. I have loved reading ever since childhood. I also love the library. Thousands of books just waiting for me to pick one and take it home and love it. Kind of like getting a puppy, but you get to enjoy that new puppy cuteness over and over again without any of the responsibility associated. But! Moving abroad has turned my reading habits upside down. No more library with free books. And I read so much so fast that buying new books would put a serious dent in our monthly budget. Desperate and in despair, I began searching for a solution and the solution I found has changed my entire reading habit for the better.Enter: Scribd. If I had to describe the app to you in two seconds I would say: The Netflix of Books. There is one, low, monthly fee and you have access to millions of books, audiobooks and more.I would love to share more about it with you if you are also abroad and need a way to read, or you would like a cheaper way to read or would like to spice up your reading life. Below, I will walk you through using the app, tips, recommendations for getting the most out of it and share some of my all time favorite books to get you started. Oh! And here is a lovely gift for you: Use THIS LINK and get 2 months FREE! Win, win!PS The cliff notes are at the end :) This is a shot of what the app looks like as it is a playing an audiobook. The app is also available to download across multiple devices. We have it on both of our phones and ipads under my one account. I listen to audiobooks on my phone and read books on my ipad (just like a kindle per say).When you first login, you see this: The Browse option. As you can see scribd not only has books but audiobooks, comics and sheet music + Travel Guides. My (music teacher) husband LOVES this feature. It has a vast range of music from broadway to classical. I do not read comics, so I cannot comment on this selection. Another feature we love are the travel guides as they have most of the Lonely Planet books (and others) here for free. When you click a format, such as books, you are then taken to genres (young adult, sci-fi, romance, biography and on and on).Once you choose a genre, you are then shown books that are then broken down into even more specific categories (shown above on the right). You'll see that the first row of recommended books has been tailored especially for me, below that they are grouped by popularity, commonalities and there are even sections where the editors have personally reviewed and recommended a book. You can click and click and dive deeper and deeper into each sub category.Of course, there is a generic search function that you can search for any book and it will show you which formats it has it in and if it doesn't have the book will recommend related ones.Next, is your Home Page. You can see the top line are the books that I am currently or have recently read. Then a line of books I have 'saved' for later and then recommended for me books/audiobooks. I read more audiobooks, so that is what they recommend most. Again, this app knows me...Next you have your Library  and within your Library you can filter what books you view by currently reading, saved for later and finished. I love my 'saved' category as I can save as many books as I would like and have them just ready and waiting for me. I will spend some time browsing, when I'm in the mood, and save anywhere from 5-10 books at a time. Then, later, when I need a new book I already have a curated group of choices that I know I am interested in.You can see, above, my finished category. From this collection + plus my ratings is where my recommendations come from. You can write full reviews of books and read the reviews of others and see star ratings to help you judge if this book is for you.Here you can see all of the recommendations they have made for me based on specific books I have read and loved the most.

Other features the app has:

• (Shown above) Notes and highlighting feature. If you like to highlight and remember specific quotes from a book, this is very simple within the app. You just highlight the text and tap the note and it is saved. Later, you can return to your notes by tapping the note button and you scroll through all your notes at once, even after you have finished the book and you have the option to be taken right back to a specific page if you want to read more of your selection.
• The ability to follow and connect with other readers or authors. You can see what books they are reading, collections they have made and more.
• Sleep function. This is one of my favorites. I will set an audiobook to play for 15 minutes or so as I am falling asleep and then it will cut itself off right as Im about to fall asleep and I don't have to sit up and turn it off.
• Bookmark function. This one is amazing, I only use the actual bookmark button for when I want to come back to a specific page. It saves all of your bookmarks as if you have dog-eared the page so you can quickly reference it later. The app has an automatic 'bookmark' function where it remembers where you are and will automatically take you back, even if you switch between devices, so you don't have to remember to tap the bookmark every time you close it. Love how intuitive it is.
• Collections. I do not use this feature, but it is really helpful when you are looking for books. As I mentioned above, if you follow someone you can see their collections and get recommendations of similar books, etc. It's like looking at someone's bookshelf in their home.
• Store on Device. This may be the most important function I use. This allows you to download the book to your device, therefore reading without the internet. First, it uses less data and second this is my godsend when we are travelling and have no data. Before a trip we download 2 or 3 books/audiobooks and read while we travel and simply delete them off when we are done. Of course you can read with internet or data, but this allows you to access your content when you have none.

Pros & Cons of the app 

Pro: One low fee to access millions of books, audiobooks, sheet music, comics and travel guidesPro: Can you use without data or wifi by downloading booksPro: Almost any book you can imagine is there, including art books, and if I ever search for them and they do not have them, if I come back later and search again they have likely added it due to popularityPro: Easy to navigate, browse, organize and save booksPro: Lots of user-friendly optionsPro: Very intuitive to your needs, habits and preferencesPro: Can use on multiple devicesCon: Sometimes you just want to hold a paper book in your hand.Summary: I love this app and think that for two free months, you cant pass up the chance to try it if you also love to read or would like to try to love to read. (I would totally recommend the audiobooks if this is you!) And to get you started below are some of my all time favorite books that are all available on Scribd! Favorite books: The Night Circus, I A Pilgrim, Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants, Water For Elephants, Scary Close, Wildflower (Drew Barrymore), Yes Please (Amy Poehler), The Time Travellers Wife, Gone Girl, The Girl On The Train, Big Magic, The Mara Dyer Series, The Creative Habit, For The Love, Essentialism, The Kind Worth KillingCheck here for tons more book reviews! Let me know if you try the app and what you think!