My mom collects Stephen King books. I built an app to help her see what’s on the shelf—and what’s still missing.
A lifetime of stories.
One place to keep them.
A book collection is more than a list of titles. There are different editions, formats, and copies to keep track of. The app separates the works themselves from the editions on the shelf, so it can show both the collection and the gaps.
The timeline groups books by decade for browsing. The ledger offers a more detailed view, with edition information and collection status. A book’s details open in a drawer, keeping the collection in view.
New books can be added by title, ISBN, or Amazon URL. Book information comes from Open Library and Google Books, and access is limited to the family’s approved accounts.
The project grew from a Python and SQLite cataloging pipeline into a full web app. It now uses Next.js and Postgres, with automated tests around the collection and book-adding flows.
It’s a small, personal example of what interests me about AI-assisted development: being able to make useful software for a problem that matters to someone.