23 Mobile Things - Thing 12 - Books, Books & More Books!

We all have our happy places, and I have found another of mine in Thing 12!  What's not to love about books?

My Buddy, Quincy

When I first started 23 Mobile Things, I created a 23 Mobile Things folder on my iPhone for all of the apps we learn about.  My thought was, that after I had finished all 23 Mobile Things, I would choose which apps I was going to keep.  Well, for Thing 12, I went ahead and placed the apps directly into my Books & Research folder.  I will be keeping them all!

Wattpad

At first glance, Wattpad's book selection appeared to be mediocre.  It seemed like a lot of writing group submissions.  I thought I might have to really dig for a diamond-in-the-rough.  However, without too much searching, I found a title I would like to read...Deadly Stillwater by Roger Stelljes.  This title appeals to me because it is a Mystery/Thriller, it is set in Minnesota and it is written by a Minnesota author.

After adding this book to my library, I found the app to be very easy to use.  To read the book, you flip the pages just like a real book.  The app allows you to select specific chapters and also bookmark your current location.  Wattpad also allows you to share what you are reading on Facebook and Twitter.

Free Books

Free (Audio) Books App

I was not able to find the Free Books (read-only) app in the iTunes store, but I did find their Free Audio Books app, so I downloaded the audio app.  The book selection for this app seems to be primarily "classics," from pre-1923.  Because of this, the titles were more familiar to me than those on Wattpad.  Searching through the Free Audio Books titles, I wondered again what/who determines which titles are deemed "classics." The app is easy to use and a great resource.

Audiobooks
My husband and I have fallen in love with audio books.  We listen to books when we travel and I listen to books when I walk the dog.  We get our audio books from Audible and have been very happy with that source.  We pay for our books from Audible.  For a free app, Audiobooks is a nice option.  The free books can only be streamed to your device, not downloaded.  Downloads are cheap...99 cents for one book or all 263 of the sites Plus titles for $7.99.  This seems like a great deal!  I really like the "preview" option.  I won't be giving up Audible for this app, but it is nice to have a back-up plan for our road trips!

Audiobooks App

YALSA Teen Book Finder
I guess I am a little confused about the YALSA Teen Book Finder app.  You can search by author and title and add books to your favorites, but I fail to see a purpose in doing this.  I would have liked to see a "if you liked this book, you should try this one" option.  I think that would be more useful.

Photo Credit: Me (Zoma Olson)