I’ve always been an avid reader but lately, I have absolutely no desire to crack open a book. It’s driving me crazy!

And that’s why I got so intrigued by Blinkist, the professional book summary service. It’s a German startup that has raised over $35MM and is positioned for curious learners who want to read more but have a hectic schedule with limited time. Or, as in my case, too many distractions to dedicate endless hours to books.

The last book I read and absolutely loved was Tribe Of Mentors – and that was in 2017. That year I read a book a month. Since then, I’ve bought a whole heap of books but haven’t been inspired to read even one. I don’t quite understand my aversion to books these days. Especially since I still read a lot but it’s primarily blogs or online news articles.

This brings me back to Blinkist which promises, that in 15 minutes or less, I will learn key insights from the world’s best non-fiction books.

If you are shrieking in horror at this philistine approach to books, consider what the New York Times had to say about Blinkist.

‘Blinkist encourages you to read more nonfiction books. The app contains cleverly written digests — called blinks — where books are broken down into their main arguments’.

The New York Times

I started yesterday and all I can say is: WOW! Blinkist is the future.

Scroll down if you’re still with me to find out more about Blinkist and why I’m now such a superfan.

Blinkist is a gamechanger for reading and learning because:

• They have over 3000 nonfiction books available
• They’re adding 40 new books per month
• They have over 27 categories to select from including biographies, politics, history, psychology. Here’s a link to the categories.
• They use neuroscientific research to ensure what’s learned through the app is easy to remember. The way content is written and the way audio is delivered has been specifically designed to ensure it’s retainable, memorable, and applicable to a user’s life.
• They have a major focus on biographies (my favorite genre), e.g., Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
• They also have Educated by Tara Westover which has been sitting on my nightstand, in hardcover, for six months. On Blinkist, it is a 21-minute read. As I finished writing this post yesterday, I downloaded the app and read Educated in 18 minutes and loved it! And, btw, I had dinner last night with my friend Erika who had recommended the book. I could tell she was dubious about Blinkist but as we discussed the book, she realized not only did I have the essence of the book I knew specific, in-depth details. We were able to discuss the book as thoroughly as if I had read it the old-school way.
• The premium yearly plan is $99.99 plus a free trial week (that comes out to $8.34 per month)
• I signed up and know this is going to be a gamechanger for me. I’ve already picked out today’s book: Talk, The Science of Conversation by Elizabeth Stokoe.

Bottom Line.

Based on this first experience with Blinkist, I can see how their mission (Serving Curious Minds) has the potential to radically change the world.

I know similar claims about changing the world have been made by WeWork and Uber but I’m willing to stick my neck out for Blinkist.

Looking forward to seeing if I do indeed get 15 minutes smarter every day!

I’ll keep you posted.