Bookshelf

Bookshelf is a book tracking app for iPhone and iPad, made by Alexander Gerrese, that helps readers log their books, build a reading habit and remember what they read. Users add books they have read, are reading or want to read, and the app adds AI-powered discovery tools, including recommendations and an AI librarian, for finding the next book and working with the ideas in a current one.

A library can be imported from Goodreads, Kindle, StoryGraph or Reading List, or built by searching millions of books, scanning a barcode or adding titles by hand. Each book carries its collection, reading status, star rating and reading dates. Reading Sessions track time spent with a book, and Bookshelf uses the reader's average speed to estimate how long any book will take to finish. Cloud sync and daily backups keep iOS devices up to date.

Book Chat lets a reader talk with an AI librarian that generates summaries and flash cards and discusses key ideas, while Book Recommendations suggest trending titles, books matched to a mood or any prompt, and curated collections. Smart Notes hold notes, vocabulary, summaries and study questions, with text scanned from a page, and spaced-repetition Knowledge Quizzes test those cards. Reading stats, charts, yearly goals, streaks and reminders track progress, and libraries export to CSV.

Bookshelf is free to download; some features need Bookshelf Gold for access or unlimited use. Gold costs $6.99 monthly, $29.99 yearly after a 7-day free trial, or $79.99 once for lifetime status, and token refills cost $0.99, $4.99 or $9.99. Bookshelf requires iOS 17.0 or iPadOS 17.0, also runs on Macs with Apple M1 and macOS 14.0 and on Apple Vision, supports Family Sharing and is available in English and 23 other languages.

Use cases

• Logging books already read, in progress and on the to-read list
• Building a reading habit with goals, streaks and reminders
• Remembering a book through notes, quotes and reviews
• Finding the next book to read based on mood or a prompt
• Studying a book with AI-generated summaries and flash cards
• Moving an existing library over from Goodreads, Kindle or StoryGraph