There are a lot of PDF viewers out there. A few I’ve experienced, many I have not. There are also multiple uses for PDF files: books, documents, manuals, etc. Typical PDF viewers are great for casually browsing a file, but what if you are going to be using it for an extended amount of time, like actually reading a novel? In this situation, plain PDF viewers are insufficient. If you find yourself in this very position, worry not! Tofu is here like some sort of text-based superman.

Why, specifically, is Tofu the best app to use for reading books in PDF format? Well, in my opinion, the printed word, transferred to digital means, just doesn’t look right. It’s flat and monotonous and doesn’t pull you in, like a printed book. When you open a file in Tofu, it sets the text up in columns. You then have the option to change the font, the text color, the background color, AND the size of the columns, amongst other things. This allows you to ENTIRELY customize your PDF reading experience, preventing it from becoming stale, disorienting, or painful. Tofu also has a smooth scrolling preference, which slightly animates the act of “turning the page”, which makes the app even more enjoyable to use.

In addition to all of those insane features, Tofu has integrated speech recognition into the app. You can turn pages with your voice! Granted you have to be in a sufficiently quiet place for the commands to register, but it’s a novel experience all the same. If voice commands aren’t your thing, how about the Apple remote? Get yourself something like Mira, and it’s as simple as the click of a button. You can program any of them to implement whatever keystroke you desire.

If you’re going to read a book in PDF form, then Tofu is literally a must-have application. You can completely customize your reading experience, including fonts, colors, and column width, and control it at your leisure, using either your computer, your Apple remote, or your voice. How can it get any more simple?