Reading to Relax with Oyster + You Can Try It For Free

This post is sponsored by Oyster.

Related: I’ve been telling everyone in my “real life” about Oyster because it is the coolest. It’s basically Netflix for books. I hope you enjoy this review!

Ok, so let me tell you how this partnership with Oyster went down…

When they first emailed me to ask if I would be interested in trying out their service (Oyster is a subscription-based app that gives you access to unlimited ebooks), I almost turned them down. Of course, it sounded cool, but when the heck would I have time to read? I mean, I’m a new mom, I run a business by myself, and it’s the holiday season… come on now. But, after chatting with Mal about it, I changed my mind.

Like a lot of business decisions, I mentioned this opportunity to my (wonderful and amazing) husband. I basically said I wanted to try out Oyster, but I didn’t think I’d have enough time to sit down and read. Well, Mal saw this opportunity in a totally different light. He said two things to me: 1) “You make time for what is important to you” and 2) “Reading would be a great way for you to relax.” Ahh, yes, my husband is so smart. And I love that he always has my best interests in mind.

So after chatting with Mal, I decided to go for it, and Oyster has been the best thing ever for me. I’m so glad I tried it. Instead of working/having my nose in my laptop/iPhone alllll the time, I’ve spent a lot of time reading on my iPad as a way to relax—like when Mal is watching football (and I’m totally not interested) and right before bed, which has been amazing for helping me chill out and sleep.

Remember how I was having trouble sleeping (i.e. steroids, baby, general stress/anxiety/Type-A personality)? Well, reading for even just 10 minutes makes me so tired, I fall right to sleep. It’s the best. And one time last week, I woke up at 2:30 AM and felt totally wired. Instead of tossing and turning for hours like I did so many times in the past, I whipped out my iPad, read for a little bit, and then had no trouble falling back to sleep after that. (FYI: Oyster offers customizable display settings as well as an easy reader feature to help reading in the dark.)

Ok, so I’m really digging Oyster. Now let me tell you about it!

Oyster is a subscription-based app that gives you access to unlimited ebooks for $9.95 a month—the Netflix of books! Oyster features over half a million books in every genre from classics to new releases, everything from New York Time’s Bestsellers and Oprah’s picks, to children’s titles and more. And new titles are added every day.

Oyster is accessible on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook HD, and on the web. (You can read the books after you download them at any time.) You can also share and receive book recommendations from friends on the app, and Oyster offers personalized book recommendations based on your tastes and activity. I found so many great titles this way—and, of course, some Paleo books popped up for me! Haha!

Other Oyster features that I love…

It allows you to discover new genres and titles through their editor-curated selection.

And once you find books that you want to read, you can add them to a personalized reading list. Please note: The Flour cookbook on my list. That’s right, Oyster offers all sorts of cookbooks and you can access as many as you want, whenever you want. How cool is that?!

Are you intrigued by Oyster? Well, you can try it for FREE for 30 days! And I’m telling ya, it’s definitely worth a try. You have SO MANY books (and cookbooks!) available to you and, hey, if you don’t like it, you can cancel before the 30 days are up and not pay anything. You have nothing to lose! I signed up for the free trial, and I absolutely, 100% plan to keep my subscription after it ends.

And with the holiday season upon us, Oyster is the perfect gift. Why give one book when you can give half a million, right? You can give a subscription for one month up to a year. Obviously, I’d be pumped to get this gift! (You hear that Mom? Sister?) I really think a lot people would love this gift, especially since there is such a variety of titles available.

So, that’s Oyster in a nutshell. I hope you decide to give it a try and/or gift it to someone special this holiday season!

Questions of the Day

What are you reading right now?

What’s on your reading list?