11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (2024)

11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (1)

Even the most passionate and avid readers sometimes struggle to find time for reading, because… well, life.

You might have a jam-packed schedule, an infinite assigned reading list, or simply too many books you want to tackle at once.

Whatever your situation, good book summaries can provide a practical solution. They offer all the key info you need in a highly condensed version so you can decide if you want to read the full text, or save that time for books you’re truly excited about.

The good news is, there are plenty of free and paid options when it comes to getting high-quality book summaries. We’ve rounded up the best sites so you can spend more time reading and growing.

Free Book Summary Sites

The following sites allow free access to their libraries of insightful book summaries.

1. Four Minute Books

Niklas Göke founded Four Minute Books with a mission to help you get smarter “in four minutes or less.”

Nik and his team read the best nonfiction books and book summaries from Blinkist. They take all that information and compress it into 3 key takeaways, along with a short review of who the ideal reader for that particular book would be.

Sign up for their newsletter to get a weekly round-up with links to the newest summaries, or get the most recent summaries delivered straight to your inbox.

Reading has never been easier!

2. FightMediocrity

FightMediocrity is a YouTube channel that works with some of the best authors to create short, powerful book summaries.

They’ve created videos explaining the works of Dr. Joe Dispenza, James Clear, David Goggins, and many more top nonfiction authors.

The host often incorporates personal, relatable stories that make the summaries more memorable for audiences.

Check out this example of their video on Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

3. Nat Eliason

Nat Eliason’s book summaries, notes, and reviews offer concise, honest insights to some of the most popular nonfiction books. However, he also summarizes speeches, articles, and other things he’s read.

Unlike many other sites on this list, Nat doesn’t try to stay neutral, but provides his own personal (and sometimes brutally honest) opinions. He rates each work on a scale of 10 (and isn’t afraid to hand out 3’s, or even 1’s!).

Books are roughly categorized by topic and usually include short snippets from the original texts.

4. 12Min.com

12Min.com follows a format similar to that of Four Minute Books, but, as you can probably guess, the summaries are longer and explore some ideas in more depth.

There’s an audio version of each summary, and you’ll also get a list of key quotes from the original text. At the end of each summary is a critical review for a more personal touch.

Summaries of hundreds of titles are currently available, with new summaries added each week.

5. The Book Summary Club

Also like Four Minute Books, The Book Summary Club includes “3 Lessons Learned” for each of its selected readings.

Summaries often include embedded videos, pictures, and helpful notes from the author. Vince, the site’s founder, also adds his own personal touch (often with humor) to provide honest and relatable reviews.

6. Optimize.me

On Optimize.me, Brian Johnson offers videos showcasing “meta-summaries,” or summaries of a handful of books on a given topic so readers can get a condensed, comprehensive version of the literature.

You can enjoy free video summaries on Brian’s YouTube channel, but many of the site’s features are now paid.

Here’s an example, with Brian offering his take on James Nestor’s Breath:

Paid Book Summary Sites

These sites charge a fee for accessing their book summaries.

7. ReadinGraphics

ReadinGraphics mixes pictures, content, and data to capture the most important parts of a book in creative infographics.

The site selects the top business and personal development books, then recreates their key ideas in a way that can be digested in a fraction of the time.

Price: $19.97/month

8. Athena

Athena’s Reading Lists are curated from their library of celebrated books. Their summaries, which come in both audio and text formats, are concise and easy to understand.

The fact that summaries can be accessed in audio format means you can truly learn quickly, anywhere at anytime.

Examples of top categories include Leadership, Healthy Relationships, and Mental Health.

Price: $4.99/month

9. Blinkist

Blinkist is one of the original book summary services that offers subscribers condensed, easy-to-digest summaries of the best nonfiction books.

The Blinkist app is free to download and create an account. You’ll also get one summary, their “daily pick,” for free each day.

However, if you want to access all of their features and summaries (which include over 4,000 titles), you’ll need to upgrade to Blinkist Premium.

Premium Price: $12.99/month (or $6.67/month with an annual subscription)

10. Instaread

Instaread includes summaries for fiction and nonfiction books, which is one feature that sets it apart from most others on this list.

Subscribers get summaries of bestselling titles, which are available in 15-minute audio or text segments.

Price: $7.99/month

11. SumizeIt

Sumizeit is another popular book summary service. It offers 10-15 minute non-fiction book summaries in text, audio, and video format.

The app is free to download. You’ll get 5 free weekly picks.

However, if you want to access all of the features and summaries (which include over 1000 titles), you’ll need to upgrade to Sumizeit Premium

Price: $5.99/month (or $3.75/month with an annual subscription)

What Is the Website that Gives You Chapter Summaries?

SparkNotes is a popular site among high school and university students because it provides chapter by chapter summaries and analyses of some of the most famous works of literature.

Get clear, concise breakdowns of works such as Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and Lord of the Flies in plain English, plus explanations of important themes and symbols from those texts.

Are Book Summaries Legal?

Generally speaking, summaries that include the summarizer’s own thoughts, interpretations, and ideas are considered fair use.

However, if the summarizer includes lots of direct quotes or copies chunks of the text verbatim, they may eventually find themselves in legal trouble, unless they obtained permission to reproduce the work.

How Do You Write a Summary of a Book?

Want to try your hand at writing a summary of your own? Check out our guide on how to summarize a novel, which includes tips for writing an effective logline.

To ensure that you stay out of legal hot water, review the basics of avoiding plagiarism so your summary highlights key information without violating any rules.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

  • How to Summarize a Novel: 4 Steps to Writing a Great Summary
  • How to Write a Reflection Paper in 5 Steps (plus Template and Sample Essay)
  • How to Write a Literary Analysis: 6 Tips for the Perfect Essay
  • How to Avoid Plagiarism: 6 Tips for Staying Out of Trouble

11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (2)

Kaelyn Barron

As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

  1. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (3)

    faranakon October 29, 2022 at 2:05 pm

    wow, loved it. thank you Kaelyn:) Is it cool with you if I translate and publish it on my blog ( https://365book.ir/ )?

    Reply

  2. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (4)

    To Summariseon October 4, 2022 at 9:35 pm

    I really like your list! There were quite a few sites in there that I hadn’t heard of before.

    There seems to be a trade-off between the number of summaries each site has and the quality/length of those summaries. Sites with thousands of summaries tend to have very short, superficial ones that are probably written by different people in a standardised format.

    Some other sites are more personal, with far fewer summaries written by a single person. My website, ToSummarise.com falls very much into this category. I include quite comprehensive, detailed summaries and insert my own thoughts. I’ll often try to organise the author’s ideas into a different structure from the original book (especially if I think the original structure was not very clear). I am slowly building up my archive but I am going for quality over quantity, so it takes time to read and thoughtfully summarise a book :)

    Reply

  3. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (5)

    Briskon August 23, 2022 at 1:47 pm

    This website provides summaries for a range of topics for those interested. The summaries are usually straight to the point and easy to read.

    Unearnedwisdom.com

    Reply

    • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (7)

      Kaelyn Barronon February 21, 2022 at 9:52 pm

      Thanks for the tip, we’ll check them out!

      Reply

  4. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (8)

    Gigion January 15, 2022 at 6:16 am

    Which book summary company hires staff to read and summarize?

    Reply

    • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (9)

      Kaelyn Barronon January 22, 2022 at 9:32 pm

      Hi Gigi, I’m pretty sure Blinkist does, and probably others from this list. You can check out their sites and look for a “jobs” or “careers” page.

      Reply

  5. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (10)

    Muthuraja Ramachandaron September 30, 2021 at 11:54 am

    Hey, I have a personal blog that focuses on book summaries that is weekly updated I hope you can include it in this list.

    Reply

    • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (11)

      Kaelyn Barronon October 2, 2021 at 5:42 pm

      Thanks Muthuraja, we’ll take a look! :)

      Reply

  6. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (12)

    Ivaylo Durmonskion August 11, 2021 at 10:47 am

    I also write summaries of the books I read. The main reason is to remember the content and go back to the main insights after I’m stuck in a situation.

    Reply

    • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (13)

      Kaelyn Barronon August 17, 2021 at 10:18 pm

      That’s great, Ivaylo! Writing summaries and notes also helps me to better remember and process information too, especially for nonfiction

      Reply

  7. 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (14)

    Jerzyon June 21, 2021 at 6:59 am

    Great summary about book summaries.

    Reply

    • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (15)

      Kaelyn Barronon July 2, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      Hope you found it helpful! :)

      Reply

      • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (16)

        Jimon July 3, 2021 at 2:19 pm

        Which site or app would you say is good for fiction? Summaries of great mysteries, thrillers, etc.

        Reply

        • 11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (17)

          Kaelyn Barronon July 9, 2021 at 10:44 pm

          Hi Jim, I would definitely recommend SparkNotes or also Instaread.

          Reply

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11 Best Book Summary Sites That Will Save You Loads of Time - TCK Publishing (2024)

FAQs

How do I get free book summaries? ›

Blinkist is one of the original book summary services that offers subscribers condensed, easy-to-digest summaries of the best nonfiction books. The Blinkist app is free to download and create an account. You'll also get one summary, their “daily pick,” for free each day.

What is the name of the website that summarizes books? ›

SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides.

What is better than Blinkist? ›

Best Blinkist alternatives in 2022

Speechify is the #1 audio reader in the world. Get through books, docs, articles, PDFs, emails - anything you read - faster.

What is the best reading website for free? ›

10+ FREE Reading Websites
  • Epic Books. Epic Books has a TON of popular books for all reading levels. ...
  • Teach Your Monster to Read. ...
  • Storyline Online. ...
  • ABCya. ...
  • Quizlet. ...
  • Freckle. ...
  • ReadWorks. ...
  • Newsela.

Is there a summary generator? ›

A summary generator is a helpful tool that automatically creates a summary of any given paper. You can copy and paste or upload a text to get its short version with all the main points. An online summarizing tool provides results instantaneously, saving your time and effort.

Is there an app to make summaries? ›

StudySmarter is a free learning app for students that helps you create summaries. Save time by writing summaries with our intelligent snipping and highlighter tools. The app also offers plenty of other features that will make your studying experience easier.

Are book summaries worth it? ›

Since summaries are a synopsis of the actual content, despite you read the whole book, you should also take a few more minutes to read the book chapter summaries. This way, the concepts instill in your brain for long. Hence, book summaries are worth reading and spending time on.

Is there a website that summarizes for you? ›

Scholarcy, the online article summarizer tool, reads your research articles, reports and book chapters in seconds and breaks them down into bite-sized sections – so you can quickly assess how important any document is to your work.

Are Blinkist summaries good? ›

This Blinkist review confirms it is the best value audiobook summary subscription service by far, with great narrators, and high-quality summaries. Three years ago, I signed up for a free trial of Blinkist to try out Audiobook summaries. I liked the service so much.

What is a book with answers called? ›

workbook - Often accompanies a student textbook, and contains supplementary questions/problems to answer/solve. puzzle book - Contains a bunch of puzzle problems/questions for entertainment.

Is SparkNotes or Cliffnotes better? ›

Both sites provide similar information, ranging from overall plot summaries and character analysis, but Sparknotes goes more into the literary aspect of the book, while cliffnotes focuses more on the character and his motives.

Which is better Blinkist or short form? ›

For longer in-depth summaries, prefer Shortform. For short and crisp summaries, go for Blinkist app. Instaread has cards making it easier to read. Headway has challenges to help form a habit.

What is the most used book app? ›

Here are some of the most popular ones that have been reported by millions of book lovers as being perfect for their purpose.
  • Blinkist. ...
  • Kindle. ...
  • Google Play Books. ...
  • Leio. ...
  • Serial Reader. ...
  • Aldiko. ...
  • Libby. ...
  • Wattpad. Another one of our favorites, Wattpad is a completely free of charge app created both with readers and writers in mind.

How much is Blinkist cost? ›

How much does Blinkist cost? The monthly pricing is $12.99, but if you buy the annual plan, you'll get 50% off. If you use an affiliate link like ours, however, you can get another 35% off, putting the final price at $5.34 per month (that's $0.18 per day).

Why is Blinkist legal? ›

Our Blinks distil the main ideas and most important concepts from non-fiction books, but they are new, original works of their own, written in our Blinkist style, voice, and format. We work with pu... They are legal so long as they don't quote directly and extensively from the books.

Is there a free version of Blinkist? ›

The good news is there is always a free tier. Apart from the trial version, you can always turn to Blinkist Daily for a free daily book summary. You'll find a similar feature in most of these apps, and that by itself might be enough to make you well-read.

What is the most popular reading website? ›

Top Websites Ranking for Books and Literature in the world
RankWebsitePages / Visit Average website pages viewed per visit
1archiveofourown.org8.65
2wattpad.com11.69
3ficbook.net7.34
4qidian.com11.94
46 more rows

Where can I read books online for free without signing up? ›

Project Gutenberg offers a vibrant and growing collection of the world's great literature. Read, enjoy, and share! No fee or registration! Everything from Project Gutenberg is gratis, libre, and completely without cost to readers.

What website should I read everyday? ›

8 Great Places to Find Articles Worth Reading on the Web
  • Longform.
  • Longreads.
  • The Browser.
  • r/InDepthStories.
  • Pocket.
  • CoolTools: The Best Magazine Articles Ever.
  • Medium.
  • MakeUseOf.
6 Sept 2022

What is the best book summary site? ›

The Best Websites To Read Book Summaries (Free & Paid)
  • Blinkist. Blinkist is the first app that comes to mind when we speak of book summaries. ...
  • Instaread. Out of all the Blinkist alternatives, Instaread is one of the best I've read or listened to. ...
  • Optimize.me. ...
  • Readingraphics. ...
  • Getabstract. ...
  • Readitfor.me. ...
  • Bookey.

What is the best text Summarizer? ›

Top Five Text Summarization Tools
  • Summarize Bot. This AI and blockchain-powered tool allows users to know more by reading less with summarization of long texts. ...
  • Resoomer. ...
  • SMMRY. ...
  • TextSummarization. ...
  • Text Compactor.
9 Mar 2020

What are the 3 types of summaries? ›

The main types of informative summaries are: outlines, abstracts, and synopses. Outlines present the plan or the “skeleton” of a written material.

Is Blinklist the best? ›

Blinkist is a good book summary service for non-fiction books. It saves me a lot of time, helps me read faster, and gain more knowledge. Blinkist is very cheap, it costs $5,99 per month, and I get unlimited access to thousands of book and podcast summaries and the best prices on full-length audiobooks.

Is it worth reading an entire book or a summary enough? ›

A summary gives the main thesis and necessary evidence without going into as much detail. Presumably on an ideas-per-hour-invested basis, summaries will win out over full books. Nobody will read even a fraction of all books, possibly not even a sizeable percentage of truly great books.

Is SparkNotes a reliable source? ›

SparkNotes is a reliable source if you use it to study and refer to the summaries as reference material and not source of content. Therefore, you should use them as additional pointers and not as the main source of points. However, it is not a reliable source to cite and reference in your essay.

Is making summaries a waste of time? ›

Writing notes summarizing what you've learned can make your study time shorter, more powerful, and more effective. Notes can help amplify your focus and concentration, and make recalling information easier. Best of all, they can boost your cognitive skills, strengthen memory, and engage critical thinking skills.

Is There a text Summarizer? ›

A text summarizer is an online tool that wraps up a text to a specified short length. It condenses a long article to main points. The need for text summarizers is increasing day by day, because of time constraints. People are looking for shortcut methods to learn ideas in lesser time.

How do I use Scholarcy for free? ›

Once you have signed up, you can start a 14 day free trial by entering your credit card details, which are stored securely by Stripe, the leading online payments platform. You'll be sent a reminder email before your trial ends and before paid subscription starts, giving you plenty of time to cancel if you wish.

How can I summarize a source without plagiarizing? ›

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules: Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author's ideas. Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

Is headway or Blinkist better? ›

Neither option is better than the other, as they both shine in their own ways. For instance, Blinkist has over 4500 book titles, making it a better option for variety than Headway, as Headway only has a few hundred titles. While Headway is slightly cheaper than Blinkist is, saving you a few dollars every month.

Which is better Mentorbox or Blinkist? ›

Blinkist offers a lot more book summaries than Mentorbox, and the quality is usually more dependable. What I would love to see, though, is Blinkist introduce the cheat sheets and learning resources that Mentorbox offers.

Which is better Blinkist or Instaread? ›

On average, Blinkist's summaries are shorter (10-15 minutes) while Instaread's summaries are longer (20+ minutes). One could argue that Instaread provides more in-depth summaries, but it depends on the quality of insights. Sometimes, Instaread does a better job, while other times, Blinkist does it better.

Where can I find answers to books? ›

8 textbook solution options
  • Solution manuals.
  • Chegg Study.
  • Slader.
  • Course Hero.
  • OneClass.
  • Bartleby.
  • Crazy For Study.
  • ScholarOn.

How do I find answers to books? ›

You can search for answers to questions in your textbook just by looking up the book's ISBN. The site uses the instructor copy of the book to provide the answers. If you receive answers this way, you will want to rephrase them in your own words (when possible).

What does a * mean in a book? ›

Answer: It's to denote a scene break, where the end of the scene comes at the bottom of a page. If the scene break was in the middle of a page you'd have a line break, but you need asterisks when it's at the end of the page.

Is SparkNotes owned by Barnes and Nobles? ›

Barnes & Noble acquired SparkNotes.com in 2001 for approximately $3.5 million.

Is writing notes better than reading? ›

Writing notes by hand generally improves your understanding of the material and helps you remember it better, since writing it down involves deeper cognitive-processing of the material than typing it.

Can you read SparkNotes instead of the book? ›

SparkNotes are meant to help you understand literature—not as a substitute for it. Reading a SparkNote instead of reading a book is misusing a SparkNote. Those of us who write SparkNotes love the books that we write about, and we want you to read them as well!

Do authors get paid for Blinkist? ›

We work with publishing partners to select the most compelling ideas to blink, introducing customers to new books and authors they might otherwise miss. We also share revenue with those partners, so that they - and authors - can benefit financially from our engaged customers.

How can I get Blinkist premium for free? ›

How to Get Blinkist Premium for free?
  1. Signup to Blinkist [if you are new and don't have Blinkist account] and go to your account.
  2. If you are using web-version, tap on “You” and Select “Invite Friends”
  3. Copy the referral link and share it on your social media accounts or ask your friends to signup via your referral link.

Who is Blinkist competitor? ›

The best alternatives to Blinkist are Hardbound 3.0 , wits.io and Glose. If these 3 options don't work for you, we've listed over 20 alternatives below. Easy-to-use work management software for SMBs. Books are no longer theoretical knowledge.

Which is the best free book reading app? ›

7 Best apps to freely read books in India
  • Google Play Books.
  • Amazon Kindle.
  • Apple books.
  • Oodles books.
  • Moon+ reader.
  • Comics by ComiXology.
  • Kobo.
5 Jan 2022

Which is the most popular ebook reader? ›

Amazon's Kindles dominate the ebook reader market in the US, but if you're shopping around, it's a good idea to look at models from Kobo, Nook, and Onyx. Here you'll find the best ebook readers we've tested, followed by everything you need to know before deciding which one is right for you.

Which online book app is best? ›

Amazon Kindle eBooks

The representative of the best Android book reading apps for book lovers. Available platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry. Subscription price: Free from your Amazon account, but the price for books is different.

Is there a website that can summarize text? ›

QuillBot's summarizer can condense articles, papers, or documents down to the key points instantly. Our AI uses natural language processing to locate critical information while maintaining the original context.

How can I summarize a paragraph online for free? ›

Free Online Automatic Text Summarization Tool
  1. Type or paste your text into the box.
  2. Drag the slider, or enter a number in the box, to set the percentage of text to keep in the summary. %
  3. Click the Summarize! button.
  4. Read your summarized text. If you would like a different summary, repeat Step 2.

What is the best online Summarizer? ›

Best Summarizing Tools Without Plagiarizing
  • Resoomer. ...
  • Scholarcy. ...
  • QuillBot. ...
  • Text Compactor. ...
  • SummarizeBot. ...
  • SMMRY. ...
  • Summarizing Tool. ...
  • Tools4noobs.
24 Mar 2021

Is Blinkist harder to get into than Harvard? ›

1,600 candidates were interviewed, 73 of whom were hired. Blinkist's acceptance rate was 4.6%, and Harvard's acceptance rate—5.2%. It's common knowledge—Harvard is tough to get into.

How much does Blinkist cost per year? ›

Blinkist has a single premium plan that gives you access to as many books as you want. The key difference is in the pricing. If you opt for a monthly subscription, it costs $15.99 per month in the USA, meaning $191.88 per year.

Is there an app that can summarize sentences? ›

QuillBot is a paraphrasing and summarizing tool that helps millions of students and professionals cut their writing time by more than half using state-of-the-art AI to rewrite any sentence, paragraph, or article.

Is there any app for summary writing? ›

StudySmarter is a free learning app for students that helps you create summaries. Save time by writing summaries with our intelligent snipping and highlighter tools. The app also offers plenty of other features that will make your studying experience easier.

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