Librarium – Free Online FB2 Reader with Text-to-Speech

If you have a collection of FB2 ebooks sitting in a folder and no convenient way to read them, Librarium is the answer. It is a completely free, browser-based FB2 reader that works instantly — no installation, no account, and no files sent to any server. Open it, drop in your books, and start reading in seconds.

What makes Librarium different from other FB2 viewers is its design philosophy. Rather than presenting a bare document window, it wraps your reading experience in a warm, atmospheric virtual wooden bookshelf complete with rendered spines, cover thumbnails, and a hand-crafted aesthetic inspired by classic private libraries. It feels less like a utility and more like a place where readers genuinely want to spend time.

What Is the FB2 Format?

FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format that is especially popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries. It stores rich structural data — chapters, author metadata, cover images, epigraphs, poems, and annotations — inside a single clean XML file. Many digital libraries in those regions distribute their entire catalogs in FB2 format, making a quality FB2 reader an essential tool for anyone who reads literature from those collections.

Despite its popularity, FB2 is not natively supported by most ebook software on Western platforms. Dedicated apps exist, but they require installation, often request accounts, and can feel clunky. Librarium fills this gap with a clean, modern, browser-based solution that anyone can use immediately.

Key Features of Librarium FB2 Reader

Visual Bookshelf with Book Covers and Spines

Every FB2 file you add appears as a book on a beautifully rendered wooden shelf. If the file contains embedded cover artwork, Librarium extracts and displays it as a full book cover. When no cover is present, the reader generates a distinctive color-coded spine using the book’s title as a seed — ensuring every book looks unique and organized. Books animate gently on hover, giving the interface a satisfying physical feel.

Three Reading Themes

Once you open a book, you can choose from three carefully designed reading themes:

• Paper — a warm cream background with dark brown text, mimicking the look of aged paper in good lighting
• Night — a deep mahogany background with golden amber text, easy on the eyes in low-light reading sessions
• Abyss — a pure black background with silver text, ideal for OLED displays or complete darkness

Theme selection is instant and saves automatically, so your preferred mode is always applied when you return.

Text-to-Speech with Paragraph Highlighting

Librarium includes a full text-to-speech engine powered by your browser or operating system’s speech engine (via the Web Speech API). That means that the available voices and whether they run locally or via cloud services depend on your browser and system configuration. Press the speaker button in the reader toolbar and the app begins reading aloud, highlighting each paragraph as it is spoken and automatically scrolling to keep the active passage in view. You can:

• Choose from all voices installed on your device or browser
• Adjust reading speed from 0.5× (slow) to 2.0× (fast) using a smooth slider
• Pause and resume without losing your place
• Use the voice preference panel, which remembers your choice between sessions

This makes Librarium a compelling choice for accessibility-focused reading, language learners, or simply those who prefer to listen to books during commutes or household tasks.

Font Size Control & Reading Progress

Two font buttons in the reader toolbar let you increase or decrease text size at any time, making it easy to find a comfortable reading size. A slim gold progress bar at the top of the page tracks exactly how far through the current text you have scrolled, giving you a satisfying sense of progress.

Drag & Drop File Loading

Adding books to Librarium is effortless. Simply drag one or more .fb2 or .fb2.zip files directly onto the bookshelf window, and they are parsed and added instantly. You can also click the Add Book button to use the standard file browser. Both methods support adding multiple books at once.

Local Library That Persists Between Sessions

Unlike many browser tools that reset on every visit, Librarium saves your entire library — including book metadata, cover images, content, and your voice preference — in your browser’s local storage. Your bookshelf is waiting for you every time you return, exactly as you left it. Individual books can be removed from the shelf with a single click on their delete button.

How to Use Librarium: Step-by-Step

1. Open the app in any modern desktop browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
2. Add your books by dragging .fb2 or .fb2.zip files onto the bookshelf, or click + Add Book
3. Click any book on the shelf to open it in the full-screen reader view
4. Choose your theme (Paper / Night / Abyss) and adjust the font size to your liking
5. Optionally enable text-to-speech by clicking the speaker icon; choose a voice and set your reading speed
6. Press Esc or the back arrow to return to your bookshelf at any time

Who Should Use Librarium?

• Readers of Russian and Eastern European literature who regularly work with FB2 files from digital libraries like Flibusta, LitRes, or Lib.ru
• Language learners who benefit from listening to native-speaker text-to-speech while following along with the text
• Accessibility users who need text-to-speech for comfortable reading
• Privacy-conscious readers who do not want their reading habits or file contents logged by cloud services
• Occasional FB2 readers who just need to open a file quickly without installing dedicated software

Privacy & Data Handling

Librarium is designed as a privacy-focused reader.

All core processing (parsing, rendering, and reading) happens locally in your browser. No file content, no metadata, and no personal data is ever transmitted to any server. Your ebook collection belongs to you, and Librarium keeps it that way.

However, please note:

• The app may load external resources (such as fonts or libraries) when opened
• Your browser may perform network requests depending on its configuration
• Text-to-speech uses your browser or operating system’s speech engine, which may rely on local or cloud-based voices depending on your setup
• Your books and preferences are stored locally in your browser storage and remain on your device unless you clear your browser data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Librarium?

Librarium is a free, browser-based FB2 ebook reader that lets you open, manage, and read FictionBook (.fb2) files directly in your web browser — no download or installation needed. It includes a visual bookshelf, multiple reading themes, and built-in text-to-speech.

Is Librarium free to use?

Yes. Librarium is completely free. There are no premium plans, no subscription fees, and no paywalled features. All functionality — including text-to-speech, reading themes, and local library storage — is available at no cost.

Do I need to install anything to use Librarium?

No installation is required. Librarium runs entirely in your browser. Simply open the page and start adding your FB2 books. It works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and other modern browsers on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux.

Do I need to create an account?

No. Librarium does not require registration, a login, or any personal information. You can use all features immediately and anonymously.

Are my ebook files uploaded to a server?

NLibrarium does not intentionally upload your ebook files. All core processing happens locally in your browser.
However, your browser may still connect to external services (e.g. fonts or speech engines), depending on your environment.

What file formats does Librarium support?

Librarium supports .fb2 (FictionBook 2 XML) files and .fb2.zip compressed archives. It is specifically designed for the FB2 format and does not currently support EPUB, MOBI, or PDF.

Will my books be saved when I close the browser?

Yes. Your library is stored in your browser’s local storage, so your books, reading preferences, and bookshelf persist between sessions. They will remain as long as you do not clear your browser’s site data. Note that the library is tied to the specific browser and device you use.

How does the text-to-speech feature work?

Librarium uses your browser’s built-in Web Speech API to read books aloud. In the reader view, press the speaker (🔊) button to start. The current paragraph is highlighted as it is read. You can choose from any voice installed on your device, adjust reading speed from 0.5× to 2.0×, and pause or resume at any time. Your voice preference is saved automatically.

Can I use Librarium on my phone or tablet?

Librarium is primarily optimized for desktop browsers. While it may function on mobile browsers, the interface and reading experience are designed for larger screens. For the best experience, use a desktop or laptop computer.

How do I remove a book from my shelf?

Hover over any book on the shelf and a small red remove button (×) appears in the top-right corner of the book. Click it to permanently remove that book from your Librarium library.