Book Finder
Filter the catalog by category, length, reading time, or subject to see which works match your preferences. Pick from 90 titles across four genres, from quick reads to longer epics.
Do more with this book catalog
This library holds 90 public-domain texts, arranged into four categories: Adventure Picaresque Fiction, Fantasy Juvenile Worlds, Science Fiction Utopias, and Historical Psychological Social Fiction. Most works are short, with a median length of about 15,500 words and a typical reading time of 68 minutes.
Use the tools below to find a text that fits your interests, compare works side by side, or get a realistic estimate of the time a book will take to read. Each tool draws on the catalog's own data, so you can explore with confidence.
90
books in this catalog
4
catalog categories
90
books with reading-time data
Made for this collection
Ways the catalog data becomes useful
Compare Books
Put two or more titles side by side to compare word counts, reading minutes, sentence complexity, and other details. Useful for choosing between similar works or planning a reading list.
Reading Time Estimator
Get an honest estimate of how long a title will take to read, based on its word count and typical reading speed. See whether a work fits into a short break or a longer session.
Finding Your Next Read in the AUACY Collection
With ninety public-domain titles spread across four categories, the AUACY library can feel both inviting and overwhelming. The three working tools on this page—Book Finder, Compare Books, and Reading Tracker—are designed to help you choose, compare, and plan your reading, but they serve different purposes and are most effective when used in sequence.
Consider a volume like A Poetical Review of the Literary and Moral Character of the late Samuel Johnson (1786) — Context and Discussion. Its 12,961 words place it in the short range, and its two text sections suggest a compact structure. The Finder can surface such works based on your preferred length or category, but deciding between two similar options often requires a closer look.
Start with the Finder to Narrow the Field
The Book Finder is your first stop when you have a general sense of what you want—perhaps a category like Adventure Picaresque Fiction, or a commitment level such as a quick read under an hour. You can also filter by chapter rhythm, sentence flow, or subjects like 'Poetry' or 'World War, 1914-1918 -- Poetry.' The tool is forgiving: leaving a criterion at 'no preference' does not penalize a book, so you can experiment without worry.
For instance, if you know you want something brief and poetic, setting the length to 'short' and the estimated reading time to 'quick' will immediately reduce the field to a manageable set. The Finder’s strength is in elimination, not final selection.
Use Compare to Decide Between Finalists
Once you have two or three candidates, the Compare tool lets you place them side by side. It displays word count, estimated reading time, text sections, sentence flow, chapter rhythm, subjects, and page information when available. These are descriptive metrics relative to this catalog—they do not rank quality, but they reveal practical differences in reading commitment.
Suppose you are torn between a 15,000-word work with ten sections and a 20,000-word work with only two sections. The first may feel more episodic, while the second might be a continuous narrative. Compare helps you see that the shorter book could actually require more pauses if you prefer to stop at section breaks.
Plan Your Progress with the Tracker
After you have chosen, the Reading Tracker turns the book’s word count into a page-based plan. It estimates total pages using a default of 250 words per page, which you can adjust to match your edition. Set a daily page goal—the interface suggests 20—and the tracker calculates how many days you need and how much time remains, based on the book’s estimated reading minutes.
A Workflow That Fits the Catalog
A practical approach is to start with the Finder using one or two firm criteria, such as category and a maximum reading time. Then use Compare to distinguish between the remaining titles by examining their section counts or sentence flow. Finally, load the chosen book into the Tracker to set a realistic pace. This sequence moves from broad filtering to close comparison to concrete planning, and each tool builds on the last.