How to Speed Read EPUB Books on a Mac

Which EPUBs Strobe can open

Strobe imports DRM-free EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 books. It checks for encrypted reading content during import and reports protected books.

Some DRM-free books include an encryption file only to obscure their embedded fonts. That is not DRM, and those books import normally.

Public-domain classics are easy to find as DRM-free EPUBs from Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks, and some publishers and stores sell DRM-free editions of newer books. Strobe also reads plain text and Markdown files, and turns Markdown headings into chapters.

Import a book

Choose File > Import File… or press Command-O and select one or more EPUBs, or drag files from Finder onto the library window; Strobe imports them one after another. It reads each book in its intended order, strips the markup, and removes page furniture such as page numbers and repeated headers.

The book’s table of contents becomes its chapter list, nested sections included. Strobe gives each book a generated cover, and the book you are reading waits at the top of the library under Continue Reading. With iCloud Sync on, a book you import on the Mac also appears on your iPhone and iPad, at the same word.

To read something that isn’t a file, such as an article, share it from Safari to Strobe, or press Command-N for New Text… and paste it in.

Read by chapter

Opening a book shows its page: the cover, a button to start, resume, or read again, your progress, and every chapter with its reading time at the book’s speed. Choose a chapter to start there.

At a new chapter, Strobe briefly shows the title, then continues past the heading. You can also keep the book title or current chapter at the top of the screen during playback.

Chapter lengths and the time left are estimated at the book’s speed, which counts every pause, so they hold whatever timing settings you choose. The Continue Reading widget can keep the current book and its time left on your desktop.

Keyboard and trackpad controls

Space starts and pauses reading. The left and right arrow keys step back or forward one word, and Escape closes the reader or the book’s page. While paused, the reader lists these shortcuts at the bottom of the screen.

You can also click and hold to read. While holding, drag up or down to change speed for that stretch; letting go returns to the book’s speed. The slider at the top of the reader sets the book’s speed, and each book keeps its own.

Strobe’s windows can be any size, and long words shrink to fit a narrow one. A small reader window beside your notes works well for study reading.

Settings for long books

Open Quotes and Parentheses, in the Display tab of Settings, keeps an opening mark above the word until it closes, with its own size and opacity. Previous and Next Words shows the word before, the word after, or both beside the current one, readable while paused and as faint as you choose during playback.

For evening reading, choose a softer Text Color such as Soft, Sepia, or Night; the true black background is on by default. Strobe includes seven typefaces, text sizes from 24 to 72 points, and seven colors for the highlighted letter.

Punctuation Pauses give dialogue and long sentences natural beats, and also pause after a heading or a paragraph that ends without a period. Blank After Sentences adds a short empty screen between sentences if the stream feels relentless. Both are in the Timing tab. The gear in the reader’s top bar opens Settings without leaving the book.

For English books, the speaker button in the reader turns on Read Aloud: a voice that runs on your Mac reads along as the words show, at up to 450 WPM, and keeps reading while you work in another app.