Story So Far, Ask this Book, X-Ray or Recaps: which Kindle tool should you use?

01The four tools side by side

02When should you use Story So Far?

When you are coming back to a book after a break and want the whole picture: what has happened, who is who, where things stand. Amazon describes it as "spoiler-free refreshers up to where you've read" that cover "storylines and character arcs". It is the closest Kindle equivalent to what page-locked companions do.

03When should you use Ask this Book?

When you have a specific question: why did this character do that, what does this term mean, how are these two people related. Amazon says it answers questions about "plot details, character relationships, and thematic elements" and lets you ask follow-ups. Answers stay up to your position by default; the option to ask about the entire book is the one setting to watch. Steps: How to use Kindle Ask this Book.

04When should you use X-Ray?

When you only need to look something up in passing. The Kindle app's listing describes looking up "words you don't know and characters you can't remember" with tools including X-Ray. Amazon's author help says X-Ray entries come from "publicly available sources, machine learning, manual review, and excerpts" from the book, and that authors can hide terms "that may provide spoilers". That last line tells you X-Ray is not built around your position: a description written for the whole book can mention things you have not reached.

05When should you use Recaps?

When you are about to start the next book in a series. Recaps refresh "books you've already read", "much like the 'Previously on...' segment before a show". It does not recap the book you are in the middle of; Story So Far does that.

06Which is the most spoiler-safe?

From safest to least safe for a book you are reading:

1. Story So Far, which is built to stop at your position.
2. Ask this Book on its default scope, which answers up to your position.
3. Recaps, which is safe for the current book because it covers earlier ones, but covers the full plots of those earlier books.
4. X-Ray, which is not built around your position.
5. Ask this Book on the whole-book scope, which can include later events by design.

07What if your book is not on Kindle?

The Kindle tools only work in Kindle ebooks. Other stores now have their own versions, and outside tools cover other copies:

Profiles: Google Play Books Book insights, Spotify audiobook Recaps, Magic Bookmark. For your own files, see AI companions for your own ebook files.

08Common mistakes with the Kindle tools

• Opening Recaps for the book you are reading. Recaps cover earlier books in a series. For the current book, use Story So Far.
• Asking Ask this Book about "the whole book". Amazon says Ask this Book answers up to your reading position by default, with an option to ask about the entire book. Choosing the whole-book option removes the spoiler protection.
• Trusting a jump in position. If you jumped ahead to check a map or glossary at the back, your reading position may have moved. Go back to your real page before asking.
• Expecting X-Ray to be spoiler-proof. As explained above, X-Ray is not built around your position, and Amazon tells authors they can hide terms that may give spoilers away. Use Story So Far or Ask this Book when spoilers matter.
• Expecting the tools outside the US. Amazon describes Story So Far and Ask this Book as US features.

09Quick decision

• Coming back to this book after a break: Story So Far.
• One specific question about a person or event so far: Ask this Book.
• A quick look-up while reading, accepting some spoiler risk: X-Ray.
• Starting book two of a series: Recaps.

10Do the tools work on borrowed Kindle books?

Amazon describes Ask this Book as working on thousands of best-selling English-language Kindle ebooks, purchased or borrowed, so a borrowed copy is not excluded as such. What decides it is whether the title is supported and whether you are using the app or device Amazon lists for that feature. If a borrowed book shows no recap or question option, the title is probably not included yet; that is a title limit, not a borrowing limit.