Look, if you don’t read books, your brain will slowly turn to mush. And once that happens? It’s only a matter of time before you’re sharing AI-generated Facebook memes and buying these t-shirts. Embarrassing for your life and soul.

Use these five apps to download a book and save your brain. 🧠

LibbyWe know her, we love her — the gold standard of library e-book and audiobook apps. Just download it to your phone, connect your library card, and start browsing. Borrowing works just like it does at a physical library: once you hit your borrowing limit, you’ll need to return something before checking out more. I use a Kindle, and Libby makes it super easy to send e-books directly to my device with a single tap. Nice.

BoundlessA lesser-known library app that also offers e-books and audiobooks. You sign in with your library card to check out materials. It has a sleek interface, but its search function isn’t as intuitive as Libby’s. Plus, it doesn’t sync with Kindles or other e-readers. I’ve found it’s best suited for audiobooks.

HooplaThe last library app on the list, but one of the most versatile. In addition to e-books and audiobooks, Hoopla offers comics, music, movies, TV shows, and educational videos. It’s a fun resource, especially for families with kids. The catch? Most libraries cap the number of items you can check out each month — mine limits it to 10. Like Boundless, Hoopla doesn’t support Kindle or e-reader syncing.

BookBubA free service that curates low-cost and free e-book deals based on your favorite retailers. When you sign up, you choose your preferred genres and platforms (Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, etc.). BookBub then sends you a daily email with featured deals. You can also browse their app or website. I expected a bunch of random, self-published titles, but they feature a lot of quality books from established publishers.

ChirpThink of this as BookBub’s audiobook sibling. The setup is identical — pick your favorite genres, and you’ll get a daily email with audiobook deals. The Chirp app doubles as both your media player and audiobook library. Like BookBub, it’s surprisingly good at surfacing worthwhile picks.

📚 I am officially in the cult of Donna Tartt, and you know I don’t join cults lightly. Her novel “The Secret History” fulfills my dream of being a trust fund brat in head-to-toe tweed at a New England college, earning a useless degree with my equally snobby, meaningless friends. The novel has been described as a “thinking person’s thriller,” and that’s spot-on. There’s murder, deception, and an overwhelming sense of superiority. I loved it. ✨✨✨✨✨/5