Even the most passionate and avid readers sometimes struggle to find time for reading, because… well, life.
You may have a packed schedule, an endless list of assigned readings, or just too many books you want to tackle at once.
You are reading: Chapter summaries for books
Whatever your situation, good book summaries can provide a practical solution. they offer all the key information you need in a highly condensed version so you can decide whether you want to read the full text or reserve that time for the books that really excite you.
The good news is that there are many 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 review 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 blinkist’s best non-fiction books and book summaries. they take all that information and boil it down into 3 key points, along with a brief outline of who would be the ideal reader for that particular book.
Sign up for their newsletter to receive a weekly roundup with links to the latest roundups, or get the latest roundups delivered directly to your inbox.
reading has never been so easy!
2. fight against mediocrity
fightmediocrity is a youtube channel that works with some of the best authors to create short and effective book summaries.
have created videos explaining the work of dr. joe dispenza, james clear, david goggins, and many more leading non-fiction authors.
The presenter often incorporates personal stories that make the highlights more memorable for the audience.
Check out this example from his video on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
3. nat eliason
nat eliason’s summaries, notes, and book reviews offer concise, honest information on some of the most popular nonfiction books. however, it also summarizes speeches, articles, and other things you have read.
Unlike many other sites on this list, nat does not attempt to remain neutral, but instead provides its own personal (and sometimes brutally honest) opinions. he rates each job on a scale of 10 (and isn’t afraid to dole out 3s, or even 1s!).
Books are roughly categorized by subject and usually include short excerpts from the original texts.
4. 12min.com
12min.com follows a similar format to the four-minute books, but as you can probably guess, the summaries are longer and explore some ideas in greater depth.
See Also: 12 Social Work Books Every Practitioner Should Read
There is an audio version of each abstract and you will also get a list of key quotes from the original text. At the end of each summary there is a critical review to give it a more personal touch.
Summaries for hundreds of titles are currently available, with new summaries being added every week.
5. the book summary club
Also like the four minute books, the book roundup club includes “3 lessons learned” for each of your selected reads.
Summaries often include embedded videos, images, and helpful author notes. Vince, the site’s founder, also adds his own personal touch (often humorously) to providing honest and relatable reviews.
6. optimize.me
atoptimize.me, brian johnson offers videos showing “meta-briefs” or summaries of a handful of books on a given topic so that readers can get an abridged and complete version of the literature.
You can enjoy free video highlights on brian’s youtube channel, but many of the site’s features are now paid for.
here’s an example, with brian offering his opinion on james nestor’s breath:
paid book review sites
These sites charge a fee to access their book summaries.
7. chart reading
readingraphics combines images, content, and data to capture the most important parts of a book in creative infographics.
The site curates the best business and personal development books, then recreates their key insights in a way you can digest in a fraction of the time.
price: $19.97/month
8. athena
athena’s reading lists are culled from her library of celebrated books. The summaries of it, which come in audio and text format, are concise and easy to understand.
The fact that summaries can be accessed in audio format means you can really learn fast, anywhere, anytime.
examples of major categories include leadership, healthy relationships, and mental health.
price: $4.99/month
9. flashing
blinkist is one of the original book summary services, providing subscribers with condensed, easy-to-digest summaries of the best non-fiction books.
The blinkist app is free to download and create an account. you’ll also get a summary, your “daily pick”, for free each day.
See Also: The Ultimate AP® English Literature Reading List
however, if you want access to all of its features and summaries (including 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. installed
instaread includes both fiction and non-fiction book summaries, which is a feature that sets it apart from most others on this list.
subscribers get summaries of best-selling titles, which are available in 15-minute audio or text segments.
price: $7.99/month
11. add it
sumizeit is another popular book summary service. offers 10- to 15-minute summaries of nonfiction books in text, audio, and video formats.
the download of the application is free. you will get 5 free weekly picks.
however, if you want access to all features and summaries (including over 1000 titles), you will need to upgrade to sumizeit premium
price: $5.99/month (or $3.75/month with an annual subscription)
what is the website that offers chapter summaries?
sparknotes is a popular site among high school and college students because it offers chapter-by-chapter summaries and analyzes of some of the most famous works of literature.
Get clear, concise breakdowns of works like Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and Lord of the Flies in plain English, plus explanations of important themes and symbols in those texts.
Are book summaries legal?
Generally speaking, abstracts that include the abstract’s own thoughts, interpretations, and ideas are considered fair use.
However, if your abstract includes many direct quotes or copies verbatim from the text, you may eventually find yourself in legal trouble unless you obtain permission to reproduce the work.
how do you write a book summary?
Do you want to try writing your own summary? Check out our guide on how to summarize a novel, which includes tips for writing an effective tagline.
To make sure you don’t get into legal trouble, review the basics of avoiding plagiarism so your abstract highlights key information without breaking any rules.
Did you find this post useful? Let us know in the comments below!
See Also: 16 Magical Kids&039 Fantasy Books to Enchant Your Middle-Grade Reader – Mind Joggle
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