Is it worth the hype?
Price: $9.95 per month
Features:
- Available on Android, Apple, and Kindle platforms
- Can recommend book based on what you read
- Different themes to choose from
- Offline reading available once book is opened, up to 10 books at a time
- Seamless reading from one device to another, can start reading on iPad and pick up where you left of on your iPhone
- over 100,000 books in all genres from fiction, self-help, science, political, and more
Pros:
- Hundreds of thousands of books available whenever you want them
- Can change font sizes and colors to make easy on eyes
- Good titles to choose from from major publishers as well as Indie publishers
- No driving to the library or buying books/ebooks
- Estimates how much time it will take to read
Cons:
- No page number, however gives you percent of book read
- Miss out on real book feel
- Occasionally crashes (Not often, but more than once. However didn't lose my place).
Experience:
As a writing major, and an aspiring writer, it's kind of in the job description to be a reader. I am a voracious reader once I get going. It isn't unusual for me to read an entire book, or even two if I have the day off, in a single day! I average reading about 15 books a month. Sometimes it can be close to thirty, but when school is in session I don't have as much time. I am the girl who has a book everywhere she goes. At a concert I went to with my husband and his friends, I once took out a book, sat on the ground, and started reading- at a metal concert! Needless to say everyone thought it was funny, but not out of the ordinary because it was me. The ease and convenience of having Oyster right on my iPad mini makes it so much more lightweight to carry books with me, so even if I finish a book, I have hundreds of thousand more at my fingertips! I am able to read while in the bath on my iPhone (it has a life proof case) and pick up right where I left off on my iPad when I get out of the bath! It's fantastic! I do miss the feeling of having actual pages, and the lack of page numbers does irritate me slightly, but not enough to overshadow how great this program is. I save a lot of time and money by not having to drive to the library, pay late fees, worry about ruining books, or having to buy books. For just about ten bucks a month, I have it all at my fingertips.
So should I or shouldn't I?
I don't think Oyster is for everybody. If you are someone who reads under three or four books a month, I would pass. You just won't get as much bang for your buck. Ten bucks a month isn't expensive, but when you could go to the library for free and only have to make one trip, you're saving your money. Oyster is perfect for those who have to take multiple trips a month to the library or buy a ton of books. Books tend to cost anywhere from 5-20 dollars, depending on popularity, size, and hardback or paperback. Also, for the type of people who like to have something to read everywhere they go, I would also suggest it, as it weighs less and takes up less space in a purse to have it on your electronic device. To anyone who loves to read, I would recommend Oyster %110. I am all about value, and for me, a program like this is revolutionary.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid review, it is %100 honest opinion and I pay for my services each month.
