This Calculator Tells You How Many Books You Can Read While You're Quarantined at Home

In between baking bread, Netflix parties, and Zoom calls, many people are using their extra time at home to catch up on their reading goals. Even if your home library is lacking, endless audio books and e-books are available to download online, so you can stock your to-read pile without leaving the house. And if you want to plan your reading schedule just right, there's a new tool that gives you an idea of just how many books you'll need to get through your quarantine.

The quarantine book calculator, developed by Rita Rain for Omni Calculator, tells you how much you're capable of reading for the duration of your time indoors. Start by estimating how long your quarantine will last, how much time you can devote to reading each day, and how fast of a reader you are. (For this calculator, slow readers average a quarter page a minute, average readers do half a page, and quick readers get through a full page). If you're an average reader who reads for two hours a day, you'll be able to complete 12 average-length books over the next two months.

You can also specify your genre preferences to get personalized lists of book recommendations. For mystery lovers with the reading stats above, the calculator comes up with a list of eight novels to read, including Killing Floor by Lee Child, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. The algorithm also tells you approximately how many days it will take to finish each title.

The calculator is as accurate as the numbers you give it, and it's recommended you only enter the figures you know and let it fill in the rest. If you're bad at assessing your own reading speed, this test is an easy way to gauge your abilities without reading a whole novel.