I also own an Amazon Kindle Touch, but I find that it doesn’t really play into this discussion much. I only use it for reading, and only then for reading fiction. For most of the rest of my reading, I prefer to use other methods, primarily in book form.

On the other hand, I really like the mobile versions of my Bible study software, which tops off this list.

My Top 5 Reading And Study Apps

Logos

I’m not sure where to start with this one. This is an incredible tool! I purchased the silver level of the software for my computer, and I use it frequently for personal study, sermon preparation, and much more. If I’m not using it on my laptop, I’m using it on my iPad, where the features seem easier to use than on the iPhone. As a companion app, I really love the Flashcards app for studying Greek and Hebrew vocabulary. Both of these are available for free in the App Store.

Bible (YouVersion)

Lifechurch.tv released an app version of the Bible several years ago called YouVersion, and it has become my simple go-to Bible on my mobile devices. My usage is limited to simply finding and reading passages, because I use Logos for more of the in-depth study stuff. The Bible app does offer different reading plans and other features, making it a rich tool for reading and study. You can download it for free in the App Store.

Feedly

I subscribe to several dozen blogs that I find myself reading on a daily or weekly basis. But rather than try to manage this by visiting each individual website, I let Feedly do the work for me. This is a reader, similar to the now defunct Google Reader, that collects and organizes all my feeds into one place. Plus it syncs seamlessly across my iPhone, my iPad and my laptop. You can get it for free in the App Store.

Goodreads

Because I read so much, I find that I need a place to help me organize my books. I use Goodreads for this. This is a place to find new things to read, see what others are reading, and share my own books. Basically, it’s the Facebook for readers. I use it frequently, but not exclusively. You can get it for free in the App Store.

Kindle

As I mentioned above, I don’t read everything on my Kindle. However, I do read a lot of fiction on that device. The problem is that I don’t always have it with me. However, with the Kindle app, that problem is solved. I can simply sync the app with my Kindle, and pick up where I left off. This is especially useful in waiting rooms and places like that. You can grab it for free in the App Store.

Bonus: CLZ Books

I have a very large library, and I’ve found that Goodreads, though useful in its own way, isn’t enough to manage my library. Enter CLZ. This is a software program that I purchased for my computer, but it carries over onto both my iPad and my iPhone. This is a great place to manage and maintain my library, keeping it available all the time. This helps me keep track of titles I own, titles on my wishlist, titles I want to sell, and what I’ve read, when I read it, and tons more. They offer several different software packages, for more than just books, too. It is rather pricey, currently at $14.99 in the App Store, on top of what the software costs, but I use it so often that it has been well worth the cost.

Each of these tools helps me out when it comes to studying and reading, both for ministry and for pleasure. I find each of these tools very helpful in their own ways. While I certainly use some of them more than others, each definitely has a purpose that helps me accomplish what I need to each day.

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