Life is so fast now we don’t have to read a book from start to finish. We rush everywhere, binge watch TV, eat fast food and multitask our lives away. There are so many books out there and so little time. We have the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) so now there are summaries of books we can read or listen to on any of our devices.
If you are unable to handle the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) then here is a list of sites with book summaries. Of course it’s not the same as reading the book. Note that whomever wrote the summary is using what THEY think is important or key based on their life, their understanding, their upbringing and their teaching. Still its another way to learn new ideas and ripple your mind.
These are great for whatever device you use… I use a google chrome extension and send them to my kindle for reading later.
They are online, have an app and a podcast on Spotify. Many categories of books.
Over 800+ book summaries with more added each week. Download PDFs.
50+ Free Summaries Of Great Nonfiction Books.
Kyle summarises just the kind of books I love reading. Learning how to live is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life. (and reading my Kindle, books and book summaries).
The Rabbit hole
The Rabbit Hole by Blas Moros . Over 600+ book summaries. He also has a list of books worth re-reading. Plus a new project called The Latticework – Big Ideas from the Big Disciplines
Books – Ocean of PDF
Please read their Mission Statement before downloading books – They even have a video by Neil Gamin on ebook piracy. They believe that knowledge and information should be free and accessible to everyone around the globe. There are many developing countries where you cannot easily buy your favorite books.
They are literally out of reach of many people. Secondly, Amazon doesn’t deliver to many countries and not everyone has the financial means to buy stuff from the internet. If you get financial means later to buy the book, then you must support your favorite authors and buy that book. This will ultimately benefit them and will encourage them to write more and eventually you’ll be able to read more.
Library Genesis
Download books, comics, magazines etc plus upload to the net for everyone to share. It is one of the most valuable resources on the internet. They have helped me so many times.
Enotes
Summaries and Analyses by experts from “every book on your syllabus, from Macbeth and The Great Gatsby to obscure works for your higher level courses”. The in-depth guides are fact-checked by a team of experts to help you understand every story, chapter, theme, and character.
James Clear
James is a famous blogger in the self-improvement niche and shares his “informal” notes which are a combination of quotes from the books and his own insights.
Start with: On the Shortness of Life by Seneca (Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook)
Samuel T Davies
Get The Big Ideas from The Best Non-Fiction Books of All-Time (for Free)
Derek Sivers
Derek shares his insights or highlights from the books he reads so he can reflect on them later.
Start with: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy By William Irvine (Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook)
Nat Eliason
Nat’s notes are crisp, to-the-point, written in short sentences. Once you start reading, you will keep scrolling for more.
Start with: 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson (Hardcover | Audiobook)
Faster To Master By Arthur
Arthur’s blog is a goldmine for lifelong learners. He summarises books in no-nonsense lists, bullet points, subheadings and easy to follow sentences.
Start with: Getting Things Done By David Allen (Paperback | Audiobook)
The Power Moves
…focus on psychology, sociology, people skills, persuasion and the dynamics of power…. mastering life in general, business book summaries and self-development book summaries.
MeaningfulHQ By Dean Bokhari
Dean summarises books in great depth over at his blog. The best part is that he also provides audio and video summaries, so you can learn from the method you like best.
Start with: Leaders Eat Last By Simon Sinek (Paperback | Audiobook)
Paul Minors
Speaking of organising, Paul’s book summaries make such good reads. You can scan, read or skip as you scroll down because they are written keeping the reader in mind.
Start with: You Are A Badass By Jen Sincero (Paperback | Audiobook)
Alex J. Hughes
Alex writes slick book notes that you can visit anytime you want to read or re-read the gist of books he has summarised.
Start with: Atomic Habits By James Clear (Hardcover | Audiobook)
Readingraphics blog
They not only provide book summaries in text, but they also create graphics that go along with the posts. It’s super useful if you’re a visual learner.
Start with: Principles: Life And Work By Ray Dalio (Hardcover | Audiobook)
12min blog
I have no idea why not many people know about this beast resource. 12min blog is filled with exceptional business book summaries you will love.
Start with: The Power of Now By Eckhart Tolle (Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook)
Actionable Books
Actionable books is an incredible website that summarises books and provides an amazing reading experience.
Start with: The Magic of Thinking Big By Dr. David Schwartz (Paperback | Audiobook)
NJlifehacks
Nils’ and Jonas’ summaries are remarkable. They break down the books in sub-headings and then cover the details so you can read them like you read articles.
Start with: The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor (Paperback)
Latish Sehgal
Latish shares the same passion for reading and sharing his excellent notes with us. He writes 3 sections for each book — summary, notes, and thoughts.
Start with: Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan (Paperback)
Marlo Yonocruz
The best thing about Marlo’s well-written book notes is that he reviews books that you may not have even heard of.
Start with: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up By Marie Kondo (Hardcover | Audiobook)
Michael Parker
Michael’s book notes are a yet amazing resource for reading summaries of the books that you may not have heard of. His notes are very organised.
Start with: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion By Robert Cialdini (Paperback | Audiobook)
Memos Mine
James’s book summaries are mini-books on its own. They are truly outstanding and are covered in great depth.
Start with: This Is Marketing By Seth Godin (Hardcover | Audiobook)
Ivaylo Durmonski
Ivaylo’s goal is to get more people involved in reading by summarising big books into easily digestible book bites.
Start with: Company Of One By Paul Jarvis (Hardcover | Audiobook)
SeeKen
SeeKen has a blog with 100+ good book summaries in English.
Start with: 48 Laws Of Power By Robert Greene (Paperback | Audiobook)
Sipreads
Another gem with a great reading experience. I love the simplicity of Basile’s and Ali’s summaries.
Start with: The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck By Mark Manson (Paperback | Audiobook)
Start with: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life (Hardcover | Audiobook)
Best Book Summary Apps And Subscription Services
Some famous apps include spark notes or cliff notes. Cliffs notes is mostly for students while sparknotes is for literature and fiction book summaries. But if you’re looking for summaries of nonfiction books, here are the top apps for that:
Blinkist
Blinkist is the first app that comes to mind when we speak of book summaries. It really is a wonderful app and best for listening to the summaries on the go.
Instaread
Out of all the Blinkist alternatives, Instaread is one of the best I’ve read or listened to. So if you’re big on quality over quantity, it’s the one to pick.
Readitfor.me
Read or listen to business and personal development book summaries in less than 12 minutes. Their catalog is not the biggest out there, but it’s still a good service if you want to get the biggest ideas from books in less time.
Readingraphics
Folks at Readingraphics are doing a brilliant job. They provide audio, PDF and an infographic for each book. Infographics are great since you can revisit them to remember the big ideas from the books.
Getabstract
If book summaries weren’t enough, how about summaries of articles, reports, and videos such as TED talks? You get all of that at Getabstract in addition to the in-depth book summaries.
12min
I mentioned the 12min blog above. The best part is that they also have an app where you can listen to the summaries as well.
Philosophers Notes (optimize.me)
If you’re looking for a book summaries for self-improvement, it’s got to be Brian’s Philosophers Notes. They are plain epic.
(flash)books
Dean runs a subscription membership site called (flash)books, which is an expansion of his book summaries resource with a subscription model.
SumizeIt
SumizeIt is another emerging business book summary app. Their summaries are short, yet valuable. They will come in handy when you have less time to read.
