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Books Around the World

Books Around the World

Ana / July 3, 2024

Books around the world is a solo full-stack project developed over three weeks during my bootcamp. It empowers readers to log books by country and language, and then visualize their reading diversity across continents and years.

📚 The Problem

Many avid readers wonder:

"Am I only reading books from authors like me? How globally diverse is my bookshelf?"

This project helps answer that by tracking and visualizing your reading habits by region, language, and time.

🌍 The Solution

A beautiful and intuitive reading dashboard that lets users:

  • Log books by country of origin
  • Track reading progress over time
  • Visualize cultural diversity in their bookshelf
  • Set and view yearly reading goals

✨ Features

  • User Registration/Login

  • Personalized Dashboard with:

    • Total books read, owned, and total pages

    • A status ribbon with:

      • Reading goal for the year
      • Books read this year
      • % of countries covered (visualized via color-coded SVG map)

    • Button to add new books

    • Filter Panel (Read/Unread, Year, Continent)

    • Interactive Visuals:

      • Color-changing world map showing where your books come from
      • Bar chart: Total books read per continent
      • Line chart: Reading trend over the years
      • Pie chart: Read vs Unread distribution

Dashboard Screenshot

  • Table of all logged books User Profile Screenshot

🔧 Tech Stack

  • Frontend: React, MUI (Material UI), Axios, D3.js, SVG maps
  • Backend: Node.js, Express.js
  • Database: PostgreSQL
  • Design: Figma
  • Data Testing: Mock data for frontend testing vs real DB queries

⚙️ Development Notes

  • I used my personal reading data as the basis of this project.
  • The database setup works well, but I used mock data for parts of the frontend while troubleshooting filtering logic.
  • The filtering system and map interactivity were the most complex — I'm planning to revisit and polish them soon!

🧠 Why This Project Matters

  • Cultural Understanding: See which parts of the world you’ve read from — and which you’re missing.
  • Armchair Travel: Books offer a passport to diverse experiences.
  • Empathy Building: Reading beyond your borders helps foster a broader worldview.

💬 Final Thoughts

This is a project I'm really proud of — it combines my love of books, data, and design. There's still work to do, but it already feels like a meaningful and personal tool. I’m looking forward to refining it, expanding the database, and possibly turning it into a public product for other curious readers.