My iPhone Is A Lifesaver

My iPhone is a lifesaver. For real. I am one of those people who is consistently bored and impatient. I have absolutely the worst time focusing on things. Thankfully I have a smart phone and it is gotten me through many a long grocery store line. You see, I have the kindle app on my phone. I used to be so resistant to the app and to reading on my phone. I thought I would catch eye strain, lol. And also that that I would not actually absorb and comprehend what I was reading.

Eleanor and Park Screenshot iPhone | Good Books And Good Wine

Color me wrong. I’ve discovered that the kindle app probably gets the most play on my phone — especially because it syncs across all of my devices. When I am using the app I use sepia as my color scheme because black and white is WAY too bright for me. I also don’t shrink the font all the way down, but keep it at a readable size where I don’t have to squint.

But anyways — why do I LOVE phone reading so much? Because it allows me a place for pause on my long days, I like to take a few minutes between never ending tasks to read a few pages on my phone. It looks like I am checking my email for important messages, but really I am just taking some time for myself to clear my head and relax with a few pages before the next task. Surprisingly, those mini breaks work wonders for my focus. It is also a lot more convenient to whip out my phone and read in the grocery store than it is to whip out my kindle or paper book.

A few books I’ve delved into via my phone: Dark Triumph, Hysteria, Eleanor & Park, If You Find Me, and the latest read was Wednesdays At The Tower by Jessica Day George. I’ve found that when I just cannot wait to read a book any longer, my phone is perfect for that purpose.

A few questions for you:

  • Do you read on your phone? Why? Why not?

  • What apps do you use for reading besides Kindle?

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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. I read on everything it’s possible to read on LOL, and I agree, my iPhone truly is a lifesaver as well!

    I read on my actual kindle, the kindle app on my phone and on my iPad, and I also use both iBooks, Bluefire and Good Reader on my iPad. I have different reading apps because I receive e-books in different formats, and the Bluefire app can read the Adobe Digital Edition protected files 🙂

  2. I read books on my kindle. I don’t use the kindle app on my phone but sometimes I use Overdrive on my phone to check out books to read from the library that are not available in kindle format. The only problem I have with reading on my phone is I find I’m less tolerant of a bad book so it has to be a book I really want to read to use my phone.

  3. Oh I love the Kindle app and how it syncs across devices!! So great.

    But I tend to use my phone more for the Overdrive ebooks that I check out from the library! I prefer when they download to my Kindle but sometimes they aren’t formatted for the Kindle but they’ll pop up nicely on my phone. Today, I’m reading HANA, the Delirium trilogy novella from Lauren Oliver. Plus, I love the way the Overdrive system is easy to navigate over the phone so I can check the books out that way without having to log onto the computer if I want. I read Boundless by Cynthia Hand in its entirety in day while out and about on my phone. So, YES, I agree a lifesaver.

    ALSO they’re super easy to return early if I want to so I can go check out a bunch of other ebooks. YAY.

    And, also, this totally fits with that discussion you had with all of your readers a while back about how there is totally time for reading, right? Ha!

    LOVE THIS. Great little post, April!

  4. I love to read on my iPhone too. It’s great to be able to switch back and forth between devices and pick up where I left off. It’s also a nice distraction when waiting in line.

    I tend to use the Kindle app the most (with the sepia background), but I also use the Nook app and the Overdrive app (for library eBooks & audiobooks).

  5. I LOVE reading on my Kindle app on my phone and iPad! I so agree with you! While I’m away from home and don’t have my kindle (I actually no long carry it around with me any more), I can always read on my phone since it syncs! I’m (obviously) not allowed to you my phone or kindle in class but my iPad is for school so I can always read on my app on there! It’s great for NetGalley, which is where the majority of my review books now come from!

    Overdrive is AMAZING for library books! My public library has Overdrive (of course, the publisher has to decide how many and what books to let the library distribute) and they tend to get the latest books!

  6. I read on my phone when I’m bored all the time, Kindle for the most part because it syncs across devices and makes my life easier by far. Seriously a lifesaver in boring meetings!

  7. I bought a nook a couple of years ago but I hate carrying big bags and that just wasn’t small enough for me. Ever since getting a smartphone I use the Kindle app like nobodies business. I always have my phone with me and it isn’t huge so I’m happy to drag it around. I also love the Overdrive app. It’s beyond awesome to have so many books with me at once!

  8. I’ve only used the Kindle app on my iPhone so far. I don’t read a ton on my phone, because I’m not usually waiting a lot. Even at the grocery store I get through the line quickly (seriously, Wegmans is the best grocery store, ever!).

    But I brought my phone to a basketball game a month ago, and it was great. I read tons while I was stuck there, and I didn’t have to lug a book or my iPad with me.

    I love how the Kindle syncs with all my devices, too!!

  9. I used to read on my phone until I got a Kindle Touch and an awesome case for it. Now my Kindle is right next to my phone in my purse (it fits perfectly :D) and so it is literally just as easy for me to whip out my Kindle. I also always keep my Kindle’s wifi off, so my phone wouldn’t be able to sync anyway :(. My handy-dandy Kindle case is really easy to open with one hand, so even when I’m holding a grocery basket, I’m good to go :D.

    Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings

  10. I actually used to read a lot on my iPod before I got the kindle, it is really fun and it was a total lifesaver during boring family dinners 😀

  11. Haha, I totally read in the line at the supermarket on my iPod too. And I take mini breaks at work and read a few pages throughout the day just to take my mind off the stress for a few minutes. Oh, and reading on the train too, especially when it’s busy and I have to stand and holding an actual book is too difficult.

    I almost always read in bed on my tablet because it’s less awkward than holding a physical book up (plus my hands don’t get cold on winter nights!). I’ve also got two e-readers, so there’s always something charged and available.

  12. I never thought I’d read on my phone. I’m fast approaching middle age and I thought the screen would be too small. I decided to try it out, since I’m moving from a Nook to a Kindle and it was the better option than reading on my computer until I get the Kindle. Turns out, I love it! The screen isn’t too small, and I can zoom through a book in an afternoon.

  13. My phone has a small screen and it took time to get used to, but I read most Bronte’s Villette on it and was surprised that I preferred it over the book (I switched between them). I’ve read a couple of short books since then, but it is too small to use every day.

  14. Yes! I prefer to use my eReader because of the e-ink (reducing eye-strain), but over the past 6 months or so I have read probably read about a book a month on my iPhone. I have the Kindle and Kobo apps (my eReader is a Kobo, so it’s easiest to buy directly from there), and they’re great for when I’m standing in line, like you mentioned, or other times when I’m waiting. I like that as long as I have my phone with me (which is basically always) I have books at my finger-tips. The screen is a bit small, so I wouldn’t want to read on it all the time, but it definitely does the job. It’s perfect to read on when I’m proctoring exams because I can just keep my phone in my pocket and then take it out when things are quieted down.

  15. Downloaded the app after our convo about this post the other day and REVOLUTIONARY FOR MY LIFE. YAY!! Mine didn’t sync to my Kindle though is that weird? Like when I opened the book it went to the page I was on but then when I read further on my phone it didn’t sync to my Kindle. I wonder though, because I mostly use my kindle at the gym, if it’s because I didn’t have the wifi on? That could be it maybe!

  16. I generally don’t have that many e-galleys, which works for me, but means I’m reading a different book on my iPod touch, which we’ll call a phone for ease. This makes me less excited to get back to it, you know? Because I’m not like OMG I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Plus, since it’s not a review thing, I have no idea which of the hundred books to choose. This is why it’s good I have review copies, because I suck at making decisions.

  17. I actually refused to read Eleanor and Park on my kindle app because I was just so *in love* that I refused to read it on anything less than my best kindle. I guess I feel like kindle screens are bigger than phone screens so therefore I’m getting the most out of a book while using a kindle. Does that even make sense? But I do use the app daily while on my lunch break for convenience at work.

  18. I actually read on my phone sometimes, but it’s usually my last resort. The screen is a little too tiny for me (even with a larger font, because I’m blind), but when I need to or have nothing else to read, I turn to my trust Kindle app. It actually helps me get through books I’d forgotten about that are part of my Kindle library!

  19. I misplaced my Nook so I started reading using my phone, I use a combination of Dropbox and Play Books, the latter is for reading, former is connected to my Calibre library at home so I can open any books that it’s in my Calibre library whilst I’m out on the road.

    Since I always have a largish phones (Samsung Note) I tend to enjoy reading on my phone, my only problem is that it hurts my eyes after awhile and it chews up my battery quite quickly too, so when I need it for a call at the end of the day I might find I can’t call cos I’ve been reading on it all day LOL

    Despite loving my phone, when I got a Kobo to replace my Nook I still love the ebook readers better than phones just because I don’t have to worry about the battery and my Kobo isn’t really that much larger than my phone, so now I just whip out my Kobo even when I’m standing in a line for the grocery or for anything cos it doesn’t make a huge difference in size or weight for me.

    I do love having all these devices for book reading, it just means that I’ll NEVER be left without a book to read LOL