Do more with this book catalog

Start with Finder, Then Compare

Book Finder is the first stop when you want to filter by category, word-count length, estimated reading time, chapter rhythm, sentence flow, or subject. The catalog's four categories are Adventure Picaresque Fiction, Fantasy Juvenile Worlds, Historical Psychological Social Fiction, and Science Fiction Utopias, each holding 23 or 24 books. If you know you want a quick read, the Finder can show the 51 books in the quick time bracket, or the 56 short books, before you ever open a title.

Once Finder returns a handful of candidates, Compare Books lets you place two or three side by side. For instance, American Poetry, 1922: A Miscellany — Edition Insights and Poems for Pale People A Volume of Verse — Themes and Context both fall under poetry, but one runs about 118 minutes and the other about 51. The comparison tool makes that difference visible without forcing a judgment.

The Finder's no-preference options are worth noting: they do not penalize a book, so you can leave a criterion blank when it does not matter to you. That flexibility keeps the tool useful even when you only have a vague sense of what you want.

Compare Books to See Trade-offs

Compare Books is most valuable when two books look similar on the surface. It can show word count, estimated reading time, text sections, sentence flow, chapter rhythm, subjects, and page information when available. Sentence flow and chapter rhythm are descriptive metrics relative to this catalog, not reading-level or quality ratings. A book with a high average sentence length may feel more stately, while a lower one may feel more brisk, but neither is inherently better.

For example, The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1 — Key Ideas to Explore has 16 text sections and an estimated 425 minutes, while Collected Poems: Volume Two — A Reader’s Guide has 19 sections and about 468 minutes. The compare view lets you see that the Swift volume packs more words per section, which might affect how you pace your reading. The tool does not tell you which to choose; it lays out the facts so you can decide.

Plan Progress with the Tracker

After you pick a book, Reading Tracker helps you plan the reading itself. It records progress in pages, with current page, total pages, and a daily page goal. If a fixed catalog page count is unavailable, the initial page estimate is ceil(word_count / 250), and you can replace that with the total shown by your own reading app or edition. The estimated remaining time is proportional, and finish days are calculated from your daily goal.

The tracker stores progress in your browser's localStorage, so no account is needed. It is a private, low-friction way to keep a book moving. The hub's real value is in moving from choice to comparison to commitment without losing the thread.