Quick Reads
Books that take under 2 hours to read. These include shorter works like 'Beyond the Pleasure Principle' and 'The Future of an Illusion'.
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.
No sign-up required
Stored in your browser
Estimated time remaining
Choose a book
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
0%
0 / 0 pages
Remaining
—
Estimated time left
—
At your daily goal
—
Stored locally
Reading history
| Date | Start | End | Read |
|---|
How the progress estimate works
The Reading Time tool estimates how long a book will take to read based on its word count and an assumed reading speed. The catalog's median reading time is about 319 minutes (roughly 5-6 hours), but individual titles range from under an hour to over 16 hours.
The estimates are honest approximations. They assume sustained reading at a steady pace, but your actual time may vary. Use the categories Quick, Steady, Immersive, and Marathon to find a book that fits the time you have.
Steady Reads
Books that take 2 to 4 hours. A solid afternoon's read, such as 'The Story of the Mind' or 'The Biography of a Baby'.
Immersive Reads
Books that take 4 to 8 hours. These are substantial works like 'Totem and Taboo' or 'Coming of Age in Samoa'.
Marathon Reads
Books that take more than 8 hours. Long volumes like 'Studies in the Psychology of Sex' or 'Harvard Psychological Studies'.
Pacing Your Reading with the Tracker
Reading Tracker is a simple tool for managing your progress through a book. It records pages read, your current page, total pages, and a daily page goal. Progress is measured in pages only—not sections or minutes—so you need to know how many pages your edition has.
If the catalog does not provide a page count, the tracker estimates it by dividing the word count by 250, the configured words per page. You can override this with the total from your own reading app or print edition.
Setting Up Your Book
When you open the tracker for a title, it shows the estimated total pages based on the word count. For example, The psychology of the poet Shelley — Reading Companion (id 304) has 23,101 words, which yields an estimate of 93 pages (23,101 / 250 ≈ 92.4, rounded up). If your edition shows a different number, you can adjust it to match.
You also set a daily page goal. The default is 20 pages, but you can change it to fit your schedule. A lower goal, like 10 pages, is more sustainable for busy weeks; a higher one, like 40, can help you finish faster.
Tracking Progress
Each time you read, update your current page. The tracker then calculates how many pages remain and estimates the number of days to completion based on your daily goal. For The psychology of the poet Shelley, if you read 20 pages per day, you would finish in about 5 days (93 pages / 20 ≈ 4.65, rounded up to 5). If you read 10 pages per day, it would take about 10 days.
The estimated remaining time is proportional: it takes the estimated reading minutes (101 for this book) and scales it by the fraction of pages remaining. So if you are halfway through, you have about 50 minutes left, assuming you read at the average pace.
Adjusting for Your Edition
The tracker's page estimate is a convenience, not a rule. Different editions have different page layouts, so the actual page count may vary. If you are using an e-reader, it may report a different total. You can enter that number to keep your progress accurate. The tool stores your history in your browser's local storage, so you can close the page and return later without an account.
A Sustainable Approach
The key to using the tracker effectively is to set a goal you can meet consistently. A modest daily goal that you can keep up is better than an ambitious one you abandon. The tracker is a planning aid, not a pressure device. It helps you see that even a long book can be finished with steady progress.