Book&Shop is a really simple iPhone app that’s designed to help you scan barcodes off books that you’re interested in purchasing or reading. It’s a single-purpose iPhone app that’s crafted well enough to find a place in one of the folders of your iPhone.
When you first launch Book&Shop, it launches directly into the scan mode, so the camera is readily looking for a barcode. Two buttons at the bottom allow you to toggle the flash ON/OFF or manually type the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code. As soon as it detects a barcode, it pulls up information about that particular book, powered by GoodReads. It displays information like the name of the book, it’s cover, and how many pages it has, along with how many people have added it to their wishlist, how many have Favorited it and how many are reading it. Additionally, you also get to know the book’s ratings and description, the author as well as related books.
Book&Shop is a great way to find out about a book that seems interesting, but one that you know nothing about. Since the information is powered by GoodReads, you know exactly what the community thinks of it. It also maintains a history of all the books you’ve scanned in a handy, easily-accessible list.
Book&Shop for iPhone is available for Free on the App Store, but there’s a really annoying banner that pops up every time you have scan a book. The only way to get rid of it is to watch an ad, which disables it for the next hour) or to opt for a $0.99 IAP, which is really not much if you’re an avid book reader.