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Amazon just solved a major reading struggle.
If you’ve ever read a long, dense book filled with multiple characters and side plots, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening — or even forget a key event. Even the most attentive readers need a quick refresher, especially after setting a book aside for an extended period.
Now, you can have a recap on what you're currently reading right at your fingertips.
Dubbed "Ask this Book," the major US retailer released a new feature on the Kindle app where you can ask questions about the book you're reading and receive spoiler-free answers. You'll be able to get answers about the plot, characters, and more, so you won't have to spend hours re-reading various chapters.
The catch? This handy new feature is only available on the Kindle app for iOS-compatible devices in the US. It's expected to roll out to Kindle devices and the Android OS version of the app next year, with no confirmation on when it will land in the UK.
Here's exactly how the new feature works.
Download the Amazon Kindle app
Amazon Kindle adds clever new feature that answers ANY questions about your books, but it's not available on your e-readerDownload the free Kindle app that lets you read ebooks on phones, tablets, and computers, offering customisable text/themes, built-in dictionary, highlighting, notes, and syncs across all your devices
Amazon Kindle app
After highlighting text in a story, you can ask related questions using the new Ask this Book feature from Amazon | AMAZON PRESS OFFICETo begin asking your book-related questions, you'll want to have the Kindle app open. From there, you can either find the Ask this Book in the in-book menu, or you can highlight any passage within your book.
Like an AI bot, the feature will then prompt you with selected questions that you can ask in relation to the passage you've highlighted, or you can type your own into the chat box. It will then give you the answers you need.
However, if you're finding that you still need more information, then you can ask follow-up questions, and it will remember your previous inquiries like ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
Amazon says that its able to answer your questions on thousands of books in its library.
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Like an AI bot, the feature will then prompt you with selected questions that you can ask in relation to the passage you've highlighted.
|AMAZON PRESS OFFICE
That's not the only new feature you can expect from Kindle, either. Amazon recently released "Recaps" in the US, too — specifically designed for book series. This works very similarly to a "Previously on" segment for a TV show, giving you a bigger overview of what's happened.
To access a full recap of a recent book you've read, navigate to the "View Recaps" button in the series page in your Kindle library. On the app, this option will appear when you press and hold the series grouping.
On the Kindle device itself, it will appear from the three-dot menu within the series grouping.
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This feature could be especially helpful if you've been waiting an extended period of time for the next book in your favourite series to finally release and need a bigger refresh on the overall plot.
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