A Fresh Take on the Book Tracking App
Book Beats starts as a capable book tracking app and then quietly becomes something more. Built for iPhone and iPad by Olea Studios, it lets you log what you’re reading, what you own, and what you hope to pick up next. You can import your existing library from Goodreads or The StoryGraph, scan ISBN barcodes, or add titles manually, then mark them as Reading, Finished, Abandoned, owned, borrowed, or wishlisted. Collections, filters, and list or grid views give you the organizational depth avid readers expect, while rich metadata editing, notes, and progress tracking make it practical for both casual and power users. If you wanted to stop here and use Book Beats purely as a reading log, you absolutely could. Yet the app’s real magic appears when it steps beyond typical cataloging duties and asks a new question: what if every book had its own soundtrack?
Where a Music Playlist App Meets Your TBR Pile
The twist is that Book Beats is also a music playlist app. Instead of treating reading and music as separate hobbies, it integrates directly with Apple Music so each book in your library can have a tailored playlist. The Home tab makes this mashup obvious: side by side, you’ll see the book you’re currently reading, recently added titles, and playlists you’ve listened to lately. Curated “Books with a Beat” sections suggest pairings such as emotionally charged novels matched with Alternative Rock, while featured albums, best-selling books, and musical artists turn the app into a discovery hub. This design acknowledges a common but under-served behavior: many people already listen to music while they read, but they juggle a book tracking app and a separate music app. Book Beats removes that friction by putting both halves of the experience in one thoughtfully curated interface.
AI-Generated Playlists That Match a Book’s Mood
The Book Beats app leans on AI, but in a restrained, purpose-driven way. From a book’s detail page, you can generate a playlist intended to reflect that specific story’s themes, setting, emotional arc, pacing, and character dynamics. The underlying prompt is tuned to avoid clichés and repetitive artist choices, aiming instead for songs that feel like they belong to that narrative world. You can optionally specify a genre or manually tweak the playlist, yet the default results are impressively on point, often surfacing music that aligns both with the book and your personal taste. All playlists live in the Beats tab, where you can launch a listening session or edit track lists. A full-screen player with an animated spinning record and book artwork reinforces the idea that you’re not just looping background noise—you’re listening to a soundtrack curated for the exact pages in your hands.
Reading and Music as a Single Lifestyle Flow
Beyond features, Book Beats hints at a broader shift in lifestyle apps: cross-category integration. Instead of siloed tools for reading stats and separate services for soundtracks, it treats reading and music as one continuous flow. The app tracks your annual reading stats, encourages discovery via curated collections, and makes it feel natural to sit down with a paperback and an accompanying playlist in a single session. There are still areas for growth—such as supporting multiple playlists per book or deeper interaction with Apple Music libraries—but the core idea is already compelling. By turning books into experiences with their own musical identity, Book Beats solves a subtle problem: it gives structure and intentionality to a habit many people already have. For anyone who sees reading and music as inseparable, this isn’t just another tracker or streaming companion; it’s the missing link between the two.
Pricing, Access, and Who Book Beats Is For
Book Beats is available as a free download, making it easy to try as either a pure book tracking app or a reading and music companion. The free tier lets you explore its core features, while an Encore subscription unlocks more than three generated playlists and curated collections, with options at USD 0.99 (approx. RM4.60) per week, USD 2.99 (approx. RM13.80) per month, or USD 24.99 (approx. RM115.00) per year. If you’re already invested in Apple Music and like to soundtrack your reading, the app fits naturally into your routine. Avid readers who bounce between Goodreads-style logging and separate music apps will especially appreciate having everything in one place. Even if you don’t always read with headphones on, Book Beats might still earn a spot on your home screen as a beautifully designed, thoughtfully curated hub that reimagines what a book and music playlist app can be.