How this calculator works
The plan converts books into pages and pages into reading time. The total pages are the number of books multiplied by the average length; multiplying by the words on a page and dividing by your reading speed gives the hours. In the finish mode the hours are divided by your daily reading slot to get the number of days, which is added to the start date. In the deadline mode the arithmetic runs the other way: the total pages and hours are divided by the days between the start date and the deadline, which gives the pages and minutes a day you need.
Formula
total pages = books x average pages. total minutes = total pages x words per page / words a minute. finish date = start date + total minutes / minutes a day. pages a day = total pages / days to deadline. minutes a day = total minutes / days to deadline.
Worked example
Eight books averaging 350 pages is 2,800 pages. At 300 words a page and 250 words a minute that is 3,360 minutes, or 56 hours. At 30 minutes a day it takes 112 days, finishing around 20 February 2027 from a 1 November 2026 start. To finish by 1 June 2027, 212 days later, you need 13.2 pages a day, about 16 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
Where should I start with Tokarczuk?
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is short and unconventional, and Flights shows the fragmentary style she is known for. Primeval and Other Times is a good earlier novel. The Books of Jacob is the longest and rewards a reader already used to her methods.
Should the Books of Jacob get its own estimate?
Yes, if you are reading it. It is much longer than her other books, so either enter a larger average or run the calculator with one book and its actual page count for that part of the plan.
Why does the finish date move when I change the reading speed?
The finish date is driven by hours, not pages alone. A slower reading speed means more minutes per page, so the same daily slot finishes fewer pages and the date moves later.
Can I use this with translated editions?
Yes. Translations change page counts and words a page, sometimes substantially. Use the figures from the edition you will hold rather than an average of several editions.