Beej
Terrible app. There cannot be worse app for a library. Slow, lacking basic features like "sample", misleading " additions" that have been already offered. Got one star because I couldn't review with zero! More. It has gotten even worse! Slow and slower. Whoever chose to switch to this app should forced to use it. Unbelievably lousy! Going back to hard copy. Even more WORSE AND WORSE WITH UPDATES Who is buying this crap? More: No longer can increase font size Freezes every other chapter, every book Bookmark does not work Whoever is praising this app must work for the developer! more....Gets worse with any updates...... Go to,your library and tell them how bad this app is! Bring back OVERDRIVE More Reviews are a few years old and the app still is crap...they can’t fix it. Find one that works...cause it ain’t this one! Final update: After three years, I have seen zero improvements that stay in effect...it is still too glitchy If you are a library or can opt to another app... go to “ OVERDRIVE “ a great app that works. MORE I am still stuck with this terrible app since my library went CHEAP. Over a few years, nothing seems to be improved. Updates, what updates? Try to enlarge the print, huh? Glitchy all the time, try to Log on, watch the circle go round and round......and round. The yellow screen is one of my favs.
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Super frustrating
Since I’m constantly being bugged to rate this app when I’m using it, despite having already left a review and also tapping NO on the “want to be reminded later to rate this?” button, here’s an update for you. This app is such a piece of crap. The only reason I give it 1 star is because it can - when it feels like it - give me the ability to read ebooks on the go. When it goes wrong and it seems to often, however, it goes *really* wrong. I feel like I’m going to light my hair on fire right now because I’m being told “I have no internet to check out and download the book” I have on hold — when I have full bars of 5G on my device or alternately my home wifi which is working for literally every device including the one I’m holding. (Yes, I have restarted the app and phone several times already to try to resolve.) Seriously, what gives with this app?? If issues could be fixed this would be a great and very useful thing. Very frustrating!
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My daily companion
This service, through my wonderful local library, has brought me so much listening-reading pleasure. From a well paired audiobook on a road trip, the latest book club pick, or delving into something I’ve been wanting to learn more about, it is all possible. The ability to download to listen off line is my favorite feature. Bookmarking before I set the sleep timer so if I do fall asleep while listening I am close to where I drifted off, is my second favorite. It seems the catalog and availability just keep getting better and better too. There are some small issues with trying to fast forward but with patience there are work arounds.
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I love it when it works
I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this app makes that possible. I definitely would not be able to afford to buy them all! However, at points in the 4 years that I have been using this app, it has been completely unusable. I assume it’s occasional bugs, but I have seen time where the books won’t load, they won’t show up in the “my stuff” area, or the download button immediately says “expired” even if I checked it out that same day. When these things happen you just have to wait for the app to be fixed.
The main trick that I’ve learned with this app is: DO NOT let the screen sleep while something is downloading. Keep the screen awake even if the connection is terrible/the book is huge and it takes a long time. Also, use the bookmark feature if you end a reading session without an internet connection, otherwise there is a chance that it forgets where you left off and you won’t have the bookmark.
In general, the app has gotten so much less glitchy over these 4 years! As long as my local library only supports audiobooks on this app, I will continue to use it!
The main trick that I’ve learned with this app is: DO NOT let the screen sleep while something is downloading. Keep the screen awake even if the connection is terrible/the book is huge and it takes a long time. Also, use the bookmark feature if you end a reading session without an internet connection, otherwise there is a chance that it forgets where you left off and you won’t have the bookmark.
In general, the app has gotten so much less glitchy over these 4 years! As long as my local library only supports audiobooks on this app, I will continue to use it!
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One of the worst apps I've used
I use this app because it's the main way I can access ebooks and audiobooks from one of my local public library systems.
THE POSITIVE: It has, more or less, let me access the library's collection. (Mostly.)
THE NEGATIVE: Frequent crashes. Even more frequent error messages when I'm trying to open books. (Often saying my device has a poor connection, even when that's not true, and when that *shouldn't matter* because I've downloaded the book to my device.) Long waits to open books, which often end with the app crashing. One book I downloaded - which I was very excited to read - would *never* open; the app crashed or froze every time, so I couldn't even see one word. Sometimes the in-app controls show up when I touch the screen; sometimes they don't. Sometimes page numbers and locations show up; sometimes they don't. I could go on.
All in all: it has enabled access to certain library materials, but actually using this app has been a terrible experience.
THE POSITIVE: It has, more or less, let me access the library's collection. (Mostly.)
THE NEGATIVE: Frequent crashes. Even more frequent error messages when I'm trying to open books. (Often saying my device has a poor connection, even when that's not true, and when that *shouldn't matter* because I've downloaded the book to my device.) Long waits to open books, which often end with the app crashing. One book I downloaded - which I was very excited to read - would *never* open; the app crashed or froze every time, so I couldn't even see one word. Sometimes the in-app controls show up when I touch the screen; sometimes they don't. Sometimes page numbers and locations show up; sometimes they don't. I could go on.
All in all: it has enabled access to certain library materials, but actually using this app has been a terrible experience.
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Good but…
While I am grateful for this app and my ability to be able to read and access books I would probably have to purchase, it is so very frustrating and irritating that the app has so many downfalls!
First of all, when I open the app, it takes forever to get to my last read page as I have to go they several clicks to get to the book. Once I get into the book, I’m at the mercy of the app getting to my last read page. Sometimes I get lucky and I’m at the last read page but most of the time I’m either w pages ahead or one to two pages behind and I have to regroup and see what’s what.
Secondly, when I go to turn the page, it might go forward or it might just sit there and then I have to attempt to turn the page several times before it goes forward and then it might advance one page or several pages! Ugh!
Lastly, if I decide to veer off the page I’m reading because I want to look at the table of contents and I click on something in there, I have found it almost impossible go be able to get back to the page I was originally on. I have learned to bookmark that page before veering off of my current page. I guess I’m used to my Kindle as I don’t have that issue when I’m reading on my kindle.
There a few more issues I am experiencing but these are the most glaring for me.
First of all, when I open the app, it takes forever to get to my last read page as I have to go they several clicks to get to the book. Once I get into the book, I’m at the mercy of the app getting to my last read page. Sometimes I get lucky and I’m at the last read page but most of the time I’m either w pages ahead or one to two pages behind and I have to regroup and see what’s what.
Secondly, when I go to turn the page, it might go forward or it might just sit there and then I have to attempt to turn the page several times before it goes forward and then it might advance one page or several pages! Ugh!
Lastly, if I decide to veer off the page I’m reading because I want to look at the table of contents and I click on something in there, I have found it almost impossible go be able to get back to the page I was originally on. I have learned to bookmark that page before veering off of my current page. I guess I’m used to my Kindle as I don’t have that issue when I’m reading on my kindle.
There a few more issues I am experiencing but these are the most glaring for me.
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Very good - I have some suggestions for improving
I truly love this app because I read a lot and it enables me to do so in all kinds of situations and have lots of books going at the same time.
One big suggestion for improvement - I often read at night while holding a nursing baby and change the text to white and background to black - with phone brightness turned down this is a good way to read without distracting the baby or exposing my eyes to light. BUT - in the latest update to the app a white bar was added at the bottom of the page - it is distractingly bright and I end up trying to read while covering it with my fingers. Please change the black reading screen to all black.
In addition, it would be great if there were both forward and back arrows on both sides of the screen so that I could forward the page more easily while holding the phone one handed. Forward on both sides at top, backward both sides at bottom, for example.
One big suggestion for improvement - I often read at night while holding a nursing baby and change the text to white and background to black - with phone brightness turned down this is a good way to read without distracting the baby or exposing my eyes to light. BUT - in the latest update to the app a white bar was added at the bottom of the page - it is distractingly bright and I end up trying to read while covering it with my fingers. Please change the black reading screen to all black.
In addition, it would be great if there were both forward and back arrows on both sides of the screen so that I could forward the page more easily while holding the phone one handed. Forward on both sides at top, backward both sides at bottom, for example.
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Audio book functionality feels like a cosmic joke
This app allows me to get a ton of different audiobooks from my library which is amazing but the playback “functionality” is so glitchy it feels like a cosmic joke. What 100s of other apps do without error this one constantly screws up. For months downloading didn’t work. That eventfully got fixed but then it would stop playback intermittently when you’d try to fast forward or change chapters until you closed the app. It also regularly loses your place. I bookmark regularly to counteract this. The latest is that the sleep timer doesn’t work anymore. When you put in your desired duration it stops playback - you can sometimes resume, sometimes not - but no timer appears and it does not turn itself off. This is all against a backdrop of lots of spinning and waiting... and crashing as you navigate through the interfaces to find books or to read the ones in your shelf. I can put up with and work around a lot but trying to get my parents and grandparents to use it? Ha!
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Disappointed
Here’s an update. The latest update added text to speech. That’s great but it won’t turn the page! Seriously?!? And now the text doesn’t get as large as it used to. Meaning I have no chance to read it without my glasses. Cmon tram Axis360. Get it right!
If I could give zero stars I would. Was a big fan of the Blio app. Books had text to speech capability on iOS. This meant I could listen to my book on a long drive and pick it up when I was done and just read it. New app has no such functionality. On top of that page turning in the app is extremely painful. Sometimes a page won’t turn. And the book just gets stuck. You actually have to move to the next chapter then go back and be prepared because when you get back to the glitchy page you’re stuck again. When you download an audiobook sometimes it starts back up in the wrong place. Sometimes it gets stuck and you have to hit the next chapter button never knowing if you missed something. Where’s the quality control? Who tested this app to make sure it worked before releasing it? Does anybody actually read these reviews and try to improve the product? I sincerely hope that the library system didn’t spend a fortune on this app because it still needs a ton of work.
If I could give zero stars I would. Was a big fan of the Blio app. Books had text to speech capability on iOS. This meant I could listen to my book on a long drive and pick it up when I was done and just read it. New app has no such functionality. On top of that page turning in the app is extremely painful. Sometimes a page won’t turn. And the book just gets stuck. You actually have to move to the next chapter then go back and be prepared because when you get back to the glitchy page you’re stuck again. When you download an audiobook sometimes it starts back up in the wrong place. Sometimes it gets stuck and you have to hit the next chapter button never knowing if you missed something. Where’s the quality control? Who tested this app to make sure it worked before releasing it? Does anybody actually read these reviews and try to improve the product? I sincerely hope that the library system didn’t spend a fortune on this app because it still needs a ton of work.
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Beej
Terrible app. There cannot be worse app for a library. Slow, lacking basic features like "sample", misleading " additions" that have been already offered. Got one star because I couldn't review with zero!
More. It has gotten even worse! Slow and slower.
Whoever chose to switch to this app should forced to use it. Unbelievably lousy!
Going back to hard copy.
Even more
WORSE AND WORSE WITH UPDATES
Who is buying this crap?
More:
No longer can increase font size
Freezes every other chapter, every book
Bookmark does not work
Whoever is praising this app must work for the developer!
more....Gets worse with any updates......
Go to,your library and tell them how bad this app is!
Bring back OVERDRIVE
More
Reviews are a few years old and the app still is crap...they can’t fix it. Find one that works...cause it ain’t this one!
Final update:
After three years, I have seen zero improvements that stay in effect...it is still too glitchy
If you are a library or can opt to another app...
go to “ OVERDRIVE “ a great app that works.
MORE
I am still stuck with this terrible app since my library went CHEAP.
Over a few years, nothing seems to be improved. Updates, what updates? Try to enlarge the print, huh? Glitchy all the time, try to
Log on, watch the circle go round and round......and round. The yellow screen is one of my favs.
More. It has gotten even worse! Slow and slower.
Whoever chose to switch to this app should forced to use it. Unbelievably lousy!
Going back to hard copy.
Even more
WORSE AND WORSE WITH UPDATES
Who is buying this crap?
More:
No longer can increase font size
Freezes every other chapter, every book
Bookmark does not work
Whoever is praising this app must work for the developer!
more....Gets worse with any updates......
Go to,your library and tell them how bad this app is!
Bring back OVERDRIVE
More
Reviews are a few years old and the app still is crap...they can’t fix it. Find one that works...cause it ain’t this one!
Final update:
After three years, I have seen zero improvements that stay in effect...it is still too glitchy
If you are a library or can opt to another app...
go to “ OVERDRIVE “ a great app that works.
MORE
I am still stuck with this terrible app since my library went CHEAP.
Over a few years, nothing seems to be improved. Updates, what updates? Try to enlarge the print, huh? Glitchy all the time, try to
Log on, watch the circle go round and round......and round. The yellow screen is one of my favs.
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Really great; needs a little work
I read a lot and love being able to rent eBooks for free (saves money and space on my devices). This app has tons of books to choose from. I use a few apps like this through my local library and this one, by far, has the biggest variety. Even better, I once sent in a request for a book they didn’t have, expecting the message to be nothing but a glimmer in the great cyber beyond, but, wildly, a couple weeks later the title I requested magically appeared on my “Recommended for you” list. Great!
That being said, this app has its problems. Some books don’t adjust to screen size so the last few words of every line sometimes get truncated. Sometimes images end up overlaid over the text. Sometimes the text comes in vertically on a few odd pages. You get the idea. Weird glitches just happen here and there.
Overall though, I’m happy to put up with those minor problems in exchange for the numerous other benefits.
That being said, this app has its problems. Some books don’t adjust to screen size so the last few words of every line sometimes get truncated. Sometimes images end up overlaid over the text. Sometimes the text comes in vertically on a few odd pages. You get the idea. Weird glitches just happen here and there.
Overall though, I’m happy to put up with those minor problems in exchange for the numerous other benefits.
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Could be better
Overall structure is about the same as other e-readers, but there are a few areas of improvement:
- When listening to audio books, and your phone screen is locked, it would be nice to have the option to rewind 30 second on the Lock Screen, instead of just play/pause, or skipping chapters. The 30 second rewind is only available in the app while the phone is unlocked, which is not safe or convenient to access when driving.
- For several audio books, I have noticed that the chapters the app show do not correspond with the chapters of the book. For example, during the last audiobook to which I listened, the app was on Chapter 25, when the narrator was only on Chapter 8. Makes it difficult to find where to go, if you want to go back to a chapter to reference something.
- There seem to be occasional glitches in the audio portion of the app. Sometimes if my audio book gets paused due to a text or call, when I try to start listening again, it has trouble loading, then jumps around. Then I have no idea where I am in the story or what may have been missed. And per my previous comment, I can’t even find the chapter, due to the discrepancy in that between the app at the narrator.
- When listening to audio books, and your phone screen is locked, it would be nice to have the option to rewind 30 second on the Lock Screen, instead of just play/pause, or skipping chapters. The 30 second rewind is only available in the app while the phone is unlocked, which is not safe or convenient to access when driving.
- For several audio books, I have noticed that the chapters the app show do not correspond with the chapters of the book. For example, during the last audiobook to which I listened, the app was on Chapter 25, when the narrator was only on Chapter 8. Makes it difficult to find where to go, if you want to go back to a chapter to reference something.
- There seem to be occasional glitches in the audio portion of the app. Sometimes if my audio book gets paused due to a text or call, when I try to start listening again, it has trouble loading, then jumps around. Then I have no idea where I am in the story or what may have been missed. And per my previous comment, I can’t even find the chapter, due to the discrepancy in that between the app at the narrator.
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Great App! Use it constantly!
I see everyone complaining about the "New Update," but whatever Axis 360 did was amazing. I haven't experienced a glitch or had to wait loading for weeks. Compared to the old glitchy versions that would constantly freeze up or load for years if I wouldn't have reset the app, this is great. We need more FREE apps with NO CATCHES like this. It is extremely easy to sign in to my account and there is no hassle opening a book. Most online reading software is either extremely complicated or has catches or extra popup ads. But Axis makes me feel like i am actually reading a book, even in quarantine. Great for passing time. I have no complaints. Great job, Axis 360, i really enjoy this. Outstanding.
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Nice
It’s a really great app, especially for audiobooks. I really enjoy the speed feature in the audiobook so that I can finish the books quicker. I love how easy it is to use and find books to read. Bored and want to read, but don’t have a book? Use Axis 360. Don’t have access to a library? Use Axis 360. In the middle of 5 books and want to keep them organized? You guessed it, get this app. You’re even able to use this on a computer — so it’s great for if you don’t have a phone or mobile device. I mainly listen to audiobooks, but when I have text to read things get a little glitchy. The only reason I don’t have the whole five stars is because when you are reading a book, the pages can get mixed up. If you don’t bookmark your stopping point, you have to look around and try to find where you left off. Other than that, audiobooks work well and there are not other problems. I wish it would let me checkout more than 10 books at once though because I am such a book lover. But yeah, that’s all I have to say, go download it!
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So frustrating! So buggy...
I am a new user of this resource but not new to ebooks in various forms or to my library. I’m astonished at how challenging this is to get working correctly. I’m told,irregularly, that my library account isn’t authorized for electronic content even though it is. I spent 30 min getting tech support from the librarian I was actually able to reach despite the fact that all libraries are closed to patrons due to COVID. She was so incredibly helpful, but tonight it back to being unpredictable and her help isn’t available except M-F, 10-5, so I will have to wait until thI weekend is over to get help again. She told me that the app should automatically launch once I checked out an ebook from the library’s website. Yet it didn’t, it opened Axis 360 in the web browser but when I opened the iOS app I had to log in once again. Especially during the pandemic ebook sources are SO critical, and this should just work so much better. I’m a very capable tech person. Heaven forbid someone brand new to tech would try. Or my 5 year old granddaughter!
Come on guys...
Come on guys...
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Convenient but glitchy
I do love this app because I read so fast and I’m traveling a lot so I can’t always make it to the library. So it’s very helpful for people who read fast and read a lot dave trips to the library. (I do prefer reading from an actual book but it’s so nice to have it on my phone for reasons like 1)reading when you have unexpected downtown 2)not having to carry large amounts of books on trips). It’s also nice because if I finish a book too fast and I won’t be able to go to the library for a few days or a week I can just hop on WiFi and return it and get more books!
HOWEVER, this app has MAJOR glitches. Sometimes whole pages just don’t exist so you miss parts of the story. In one book a whole chapter was just nonexistent. I had to figure out what happened through context clues and from reading a chapter summary online. So that stinks. Also I will have perfect WiFi AND will have downloaded the book and it still gives me the spinny wheel. In addition, the search mode on this app is so so bad. They will have the book but you have to type it in exactly how they want it for it to pop up. You can type in the author and sometimes nothing pops up, or sometimes you ha to type in the author for the book to pop up and the title doesn’t work. So if you want to find new books just use the internet, and then search on the app for the book you want. If this app had no glitches, this would be my favorite app of all time!
HOWEVER, this app has MAJOR glitches. Sometimes whole pages just don’t exist so you miss parts of the story. In one book a whole chapter was just nonexistent. I had to figure out what happened through context clues and from reading a chapter summary online. So that stinks. Also I will have perfect WiFi AND will have downloaded the book and it still gives me the spinny wheel. In addition, the search mode on this app is so so bad. They will have the book but you have to type it in exactly how they want it for it to pop up. You can type in the author and sometimes nothing pops up, or sometimes you ha to type in the author for the book to pop up and the title doesn’t work. So if you want to find new books just use the internet, and then search on the app for the book you want. If this app had no glitches, this would be my favorite app of all time!
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Bring back the old Axis360 app
Why did you feel like you had to make IOS version look the same as web-based version? The Axis360 app from a couple of years ago was much better. (It seems to coincide with the timing of Follett buying Baker-Taylor. Could it be that Follett wants this app to fail to discourage ppl from using B-T libraries?) I serve on selection committee for our school library’s e-library. The ability for our special needs students to use speech-to-text while seeing the print version of the book was what tipped the scale in favor of Baker-Taylor. That feature no longer works. In addition, the text size option is more limited than the old Axis360 and any other reading app I’ve used. You can’t set the book down and come back to it a couple hours later without having to sign back into Axis 360. This also means they must also find their library first. All these changes makes using Axis360 app too cumbersome for many of our students. I now use our public library’s Overdrive library and the Libby app most of the time. I only use Axis360 and Baker-Taylor when I want a book that I know I selected for our Baker-Taylor library and Overdrive doesn’t have it. It is pretty sad that I can’t recommend our own library. I have even recommended to our selection committee that we cut our losses and discontinue purchasing new books and find a new e-library provider.
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Great but a few things
I love the app, but there are several things I would improve. First off, why are there only five books able to be checked out? That seems like a small number for book-lovers. And when I returned a book that I’d finished, it kept the same number of books as when I first checked it out. That may make sense to some, but it doesn’t make sense to me. Second, I don’t know if these next two issues are only for my phone, but for each book I start, the chapters pause at the end of each chapter near the beginning. Lastly, the app glitches repeatedly. It will freeze up at completely inappropriate times, like when I’m browsing for new novels , sometimes it will stop and I have to go to Settings to fix something. I really think these things should be fixed and if they are , I would give it a five star review. Otherwise, I love the app and can’t get enough of it.
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No longer works
I have not been able to reach my checked-out books for at least the past 10 days. They showed up several days ago when I attempted to utilize the app...long enough that I was able to check a few back in so that I could check one out. I had hoped that the act of checking one out might jostle something loose. Prior to those few moments I had been effectively stuck with “no checked out books” and “0 of 10 books available to check out”. Now when I attempt to read a book, I am told I have no books checked out...but also that I can check out 3 of 10. I cannot access my wish list at all. I can access the books I have on hold...at least for a few seconds. I have managed to suspend all holds that were nearing availability. I have restarted my iPad, deleted and reinstalled the app, and contacted my local library. I have searched the internet for a way to contact the makers of the app to ask for help and can find no contact info. This app has always had a few quirks, but overall it has been a great way of listening to audiobooks and reading ebooks.
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Frustrating wish I could give 0 stars.
My library switched to this app on 6/1/18. The search feature is not as smooth as the previous app. The same books are not offered in this app as the previous app. Frequent this app syncs back to the beginning of the chapter not the page I was reading. This is the most frustrating because I waste so much time searching for where I left off. I wish my library would switch back to the app they previously used. Axis 360 is taking the joy from my e reading experience.
Update: I have given several responses to d o you like this app. I wish our library would switch back to the overdrive app. 360 loses my place in the book every time I reopen it. It takes me back to the first page of the chapter. It frequently gets stuck and won’t turn the page. I have to remember my page number, adjust the font size then try to reload my page. Sometimes this takes several attempts. Sometimes I have to just skip to the next page and miss some content to continue reading. I use the Apple version of this app. My mother has stopped using the app on her non Apple product because it is just to much effort. She frequently had to reload her book because it would respond. This is the worst reading app. Wish our library would use a different app.
Update: I have given several responses to d o you like this app. I wish our library would switch back to the overdrive app. 360 loses my place in the book every time I reopen it. It takes me back to the first page of the chapter. It frequently gets stuck and won’t turn the page. I have to remember my page number, adjust the font size then try to reload my page. Sometimes this takes several attempts. Sometimes I have to just skip to the next page and miss some content to continue reading. I use the Apple version of this app. My mother has stopped using the app on her non Apple product because it is just to much effort. She frequently had to reload her book because it would respond. This is the worst reading app. Wish our library would use a different app.
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