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That’s ‘reading’ as in books, not Berks: get more from yours with apps that can track digital collections, recommend stuff to try next… and help you read more

● Book Track

Got e-books all over the shop? Not sure what you’re reading at any given time? Juggling a dozen wishlists across various apps and stores? You should be using Book Track. You can search or scan to add titles, organise your collection with tags, record loans of real books, track reading, and save favourite quotes for when you want to prove to yourself (and others) that you’ve taken everything in. £free + £4.49 / iOS

● Bookshelf

For Android folks, Bookshelf performs the same tasks as Book Track: you can quickly log your collection, track how far through each book you are and note down to whom (and when) you lent that sizzling bonkbuster. There’s discovery baked in as well, since the app’s browser initially points you at bestsellers. The lack of a price tag feels generous – and leaves more pennies to buy yet more books. £free / Android, iOS

● Goodreads

This app combines a digital library manager and a recommendation engine. Feed it your likes and it’ll suggest new titles to read. Each has its own set of ratings and reviews… which you can add to, if you believe ‘literary critic’ is your true calling but you’ve been cruelly spurned by the world. Want something more visual? Try Litsy, which is like Instagram taken over by book lovers. £free / Android, iOS

● Serial Reader

You’ve no time to read that shelf full of classics, right? Wrong… as long as you install Serial Reader. This app lets you subscribe to the likes of The War of the Worlds and The Odyssey, which are served up as daily excerpts.

Throw a few quid the creator’s way and you unlock cloud sync and the means to keep going when you’re hooked on your latest bite-sized read and can’t wait for the next part. £free / Android, iOS

● Blinkist

Got a load of thought-provoking non-fiction books littering your shelves, just waiting to turn you into a perfect human? Can’t be bothered to read them? Blinkist rides to your rescue. For a fiver a month (that’s if you buy a year up front), it handily compresses books into 15-minute reads you can even listen to if your eyes are done for the day. Not feeling flush? There’s a daily free blink for cheapskates. £free (IAP) / Android, iOS

● Forest

If you can’t stay off your phone long enough to read an actual book, try Forest. It’s a timer that grows a little tree as the clock ticks away – but kills it should you switch to another app and not heed a notification warning. Go pro and your focus sessions can be converted into real trees being planted – perhaps going some way to offset the ones cut down to make all the books you read. £free (IAP) / Android, iOS