Do more with this book catalog

Start with the Finder, Not the Shelf

The Finder is the first stop because it lets you filter by category, word-count length, estimated reading time, chapter rhythm, sentence flow, and subjects. These are not arbitrary filters; they reflect real differences in how the books are structured. For instance, the catalog's Birds category has forty-eight books, but only four are explicitly listed under "Birds -- Juvenile literature." If you are looking for an approachable introduction, that subject filter alone can cut through the noise.

The Finder also lets you express no preference for any criterion, and that is fine. The tool does not penalize books for being outside your stated preferences. It simply returns everything that matches what you do specify. This is useful when you know you want a book about North American birds but are flexible on length or pacing.

Compare to See the Shape of a Book

Once the Finder gives you two or three candidates, Compare Books shows their measurable dimensions side by side: word count, estimated reading time, number of text sections, average sentence length, and chapter rhythm. These numbers are descriptive, not evaluative. A book with a high chapter count is not better than one with a low count; it simply asks for a different kind of attention.

For example, a reader deciding between "Australian insects — Reading Companion" and a shorter insect title might see that the former has thirty-nine text sections and an average sentence length of 24.6 words, while the latter may have fewer sections and shorter sentences. That difference suggests how often you will find natural stopping points, not which book is more enjoyable.

Track Progress to Finish

After a book is chosen, the Reading Tracker turns the plan into action. It records progress in pages, not sections or minutes. You set a daily page goal, and the tracker estimates how many days remain based on that goal. Since progress is stored locally in your browser, you do not need an account. The default goal is twenty pages per day, but you can adjust it to match your schedule.

A Practical Sequence

A typical path might look like this: use the Finder to select the Birds category and the subject "Birds -- North America," which returns five books. Then use Compare Books to examine two of them, such as "Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America — Context and Discussion" and "Bird studies with a camera — Context and Discussion." The first has 126,623 words and seventeen sections; the second has 48,462 words and twenty-one sections. That comparison alone suggests different commitments.

Once you pick one, open the Reading Tracker, enter the book's total pages (or let it estimate from the word count), set a daily goal, and begin. The tools are designed to work together, and using them in this order helps you move from a vague interest to a finished book.