Reading Time Estimates
For the median book, expect about 305 minutes. Estimates range from 80 minutes for 'The Spark' to 795 minutes for 'Joyce'.
Reading Tracker
Choose a book, record where you are, and set a daily goal. Your progress is stored in localStorage in this browser; it is not uploaded to a user account.
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Estimated time remaining
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If the EPUB has no fixed print pagination, the tool starts with an estimated page count and lets you replace it with the page total shown by your own reader.
Reading progress
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Remaining
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Estimated time left
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At your daily goal
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Stored locally
Reading history
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How the progress estimate works
Each book in the catalog includes an estimated reading time based on its word count and an average reading speed. This is a guide, not a promise—your actual pace may vary.
Beyond the numbers, you will find background notes under titles like 'The Diary of Delia' or 'The Power-House'. These notes cover themes, settings, and ideas to enrich your reading.
Background Notes
Many titles include a short introduction to the story's setting, context, or main ideas. Look for tags like 'Background and Themes' or 'Reading Companion'.
Text Sections
Books are divided into sections to help you navigate. The number of sections varies, from 3 in 'The Power-House' to 33 in 'Storm in a Teacup'.
Making Progress: Page Goals and the Reading Tracker
The Reading Tracker is a simple tool that helps you plan your reading in pages, not minutes or chapters. It records your current page, the total pages, and a daily page goal. The tracker does not measure time spent reading or sections completed; it Catalogue maintenance uses source records and bibliographic context. That is a deliberate choice, because pages are a concrete unit that you can see in your book or on your screen.
To get started, you need to know the total page count. The tracker estimates this from the word count, assuming 250 words per page, but you can replace that with the page count from your own edition if it differs. This is useful if you are reading a paperback with different pagination or an ebook with variable page numbers.
Setting a Realistic Daily Goal
The default daily goal is 20 pages, which is a reasonable starting point for many readers. If you read at a typical pace, 20 pages might take about 30 to 45 minutes. But you can adjust the goal to fit your schedule. If you have more time on weekends, you might set a higher goal for those days, or you might set a lower goal for busy weekdays. The tracker does not judge; it just calculates.
For example, consider "Bothwell; or, The Days of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume 1 (of 3) — Story, Setting & Ideas" (id 216). This book has about 60,781 words, which translates to roughly 243 pages at 250 words per page. If you set a daily goal of 20 pages, the tracker will estimate that you will finish in about 13 days (ceil(243/20) = 13). If you increase the goal to 30 pages, you could finish in 9 days. The tracker shows you the trade-off between daily effort and total time.
Adjusting for Your Edition
The initial page count is an estimate based on word count, but your actual edition may have different pagination. For instance, a paperback with wide margins and large type might have fewer words per page, resulting in more pages. Conversely, a dense mass-market edition might have more words per page and fewer pages. The tracker allows you to enter the total page count from your own copy, which makes the progress calculations more accurate.
To update the total, simply edit the field. The tracker will then use your number to calculate the remaining pages and the estimated finish date. This is especially important for books like "Bothwell" that are part of a multi-volume set. The total pages for Volume 1 might be different from the standard estimate, and entering the correct number ensures that your progress is measured accurately.
Understanding the Estimates
The tracker provides two key estimates: remaining time and finish days. Remaining time is proportional to the estimated reading minutes. For "Bothwell," the estimated reading time is 265 minutes. If you have read 100 pages out of 243, the remaining pages are 143, so the remaining time is approximately 265 × 143 / 243 ≈ 156 minutes. That is about 2.6 hours of reading.
Finish days are calculated by dividing the remaining pages by your daily goal and rounding up. With 143 pages left and a goal of 20 pages per day, you would finish in 8 days (ceil(143/20) = 8). These estimates are based on your input, so they become more accurate as you update your progress. The tracker stores your history in your browser, so you can return to it later without an account.