Goodreads is a reading log with a very large book club attached. On Android it does three jobs: it keeps shelves for what you want to read, what you are reading and what you have finished, it records progress by page or percentage, and it shows ratings and reviews from other readers before you commit to a book. I used it for a week alongside a library app and a bookshop app, and it was the one I opened most, mostly to log a few pages before bed.

Adding books is quick. You can scan a cover or barcode with the camera, or search by title, author or ISBN, and the book drops onto your Want to Read shelf. The barcode scanner is the fastest way to add a pile of library books. Custom shelves are where it becomes personal: I keep one for books I borrowed and one for books friends recommended, which makes it easier to answer the question of what to read next without scrolling a feed. The yearly Reading Challenge is optional; set a modest number and it nudges rather than nags.

What to check before relying on it: the app needs an account and works best online, recommendations lean on what you have rated, so rate a dozen books you have read before judging them, and the social feed can be noisy until you mute people. Reviews from other readers are opinions, not editorial verdicts, so read a few critical ones too. If you mainly want a private reading diary, turn off sharing of your updates in the account's privacy settings.