Are you the type that likes to sit down with a book and read it cover to cover? If so, this article is not for you. This article is for the type of person that doesn’t like to read, doesn’t have time, or is just lazy and doesn’t want to read an entire book. Whatever the reason, if you want to read a book but do not really read a book, there is an alternative for you. That’s right, get the core message/content of the book without reading all 150 pages.
BOOK SUMMARIES
Over the years, there has been an explosion of sites and apps dedicated to providing condensed summaries of books. In under 20 minutes, you can have the core of the book. If you prefer listening, these resources offer an audio version in addition to the print version.
One of the most popular book summary resources is Blinkist. It likely contains the largest collection of books. But it also comes at a price, literally. Blinkist requires a subscription to access the books. The subscription is currently $8.34 per month or $99 per year.
Let’s be real, I, like so many people, am cheap. I like to find free alternatives that are just as good. Below is a small list of a few FREE alternatives to Blinkist and other paid summary resources.
This article is short, concise, and straight to the point. Everyone’s experience is different so I didn’t feel it necessary to detail my experience with these resources. I want to allow the user to have access to these resources and make up their own mind. Enjoy.
QuickRead
QuickRead offers you over 500 free book summaries in both audio and text format in many categories.
QuickRead is a great alternative to Blinkist. It has a large selection of free book summaries available in audio or print. The book selection consists of non-fiction books in a number of categories. The service is entirely free and each book has a summary completed by one person and narrated by another person.
QuickRead is available via website, Android, and iOS.
One unique feature of QuickRead is the ability for offline listening or reading. The website offers free options to download as PDF or MP3. Unfortunately, the mobile app requires a subscription for offline content.
Pros
- Free
- Mobile app for Android and iOS
- Offline options (PDF or MP3)
Cons
- No search functionality on the website
- Not the largest collection of books
- Mobile offline content requires a subscription
In order to search for a book on the website, I found it simpler to search the site via a search engine by entering the book name and quickread.com.
Here are the simple steps:
- Navigate to your favorite search engine (my preference is DuckDuckGo)
- Enter the name of the book and quickread.com
- Perform the search
- If the book is found on the website, it will show in the results.
- Click the link
StoryShots
StoryShots is the world’s only microlearning app with thousands of free book summaries in text, audio and animated formats. It’s featured worldwide as one of the best educational apps and called “very clever” by Steven Pinker, Bill Gates’ favorite author. Download StoryShots to get the key insights of bestselling nonfiction books today.
IMHO, StoryShots is the closest book summary service to Blinkist. I think the collection of content is unmatched by other free services. The book selection consists of non-fiction books in a number of categories. The service is offered in a free version that is ad-supported and a premium version via subscription.
StoryShots is available via Android, iOS, and the website (with a subscription though there is a workaround).
Pros
- A huge collection of books
- Freemium version
- Mobile app for Android and iOS
Cons
- No search functionality on the website
- The Freemium version is ad-supported
- Lack of access via the website without a subscription
- Limited access to all content without a subscription
An interesting note is access to books on the website requires a subscription. That’s right, free access cannot access books. Except, I have discovered a means to get free access.
Here are the simple steps:
- Navigate to your favorite search engine (my preference is DuckDuckGo)
- Enter the name of the book and getstoryshots
- Perform the search
- If the book is found on the website, it will show in the results.
- Click the link
BOOM — you can access the book on the website.
BestBookBits
What is Best Book Bits you ask? Simply put we take a book, read it, study it, find the best book bits, the golden nuggets and present them in this presentation. I believe this is the Fastest & Easiest way on the Planet to get the information you need in the shortest amount of time
Best Book Bits is a unique service created by Michael George Knight. The service boasts a variety of book summaries via the website, podcast, and YouTube.
Each book summary is around 20 minutes in length to listen to. It could longer or shorter to read the print version. You can browse the collection of book summaries alphabetically, by category, or by author.
BestBookBits is available via the website, podcast, and YouTube.
One of the best features, IMHO, is the ability to perform a search on the website. Instead of having to perform a manual search via a search engine, the user can type in the information directly on the website.
Pros
- Entirely free
- Search functionality on the website
- Large collection of books
Cons
- No mobile app for Android or iOS
- Offline content only available in PDF format
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