Overlap Spreadsheet
0 overlap groups found.
Pick at least one challenge from the sidebar to start optimizing your reading list.
The Goodreads Challenge Optimizer is a lightweight planning tool designed to help readers organize their To-Be-Read (TBR) lists for seasonal and custom reading challenges. By mapping out books that fulfill multiple categories, it helps you finish your reading goals with fewer books.
When activated, our engine solves a Weighted Set Cover problem by running 80 fast iterations behind the scenes. It targets books with the lowest page-to-challenge ratio to construct the absolute shortest reading path mathematically possible, without requiring you to keep refreshing.
Yes. If you prefer to read a distinct, unique book for every single category, click "One per challenge". The optimization engine recalculates your plan to ensure exactly one unique book is recommended per challenge prompt. If you pin an overlapping book, the planner schedules it last in your reading order so it collects only the one remaining bookmark — keeping every read at exactly one new achievement.
If you lock in "Must Read" books, the optimizer checks how many pages those commitments add compared to the absolute shortest path. It calculates the exact reading penalty of each locked book and lets you unlock them with one click if you want to save time.
Clicking Import Goodreads CSV opens a short guide with a direct link to Goodreads' export page. Once you upload your exported library file, our parser processes your shelves locally in your browser so you can cross-reference your own TBR shelves or owned books against the challenge list.
The Goodreads Challenge Optimizer is a free, browser-based dashboard that compares multiple Goodreads reading-challenge lists, finds books that count toward several challenges at once, and ranks them so readers can finish more challenges with fewer books. Each book record carries Goodreads' own data: page count, average rating, ratings count, publication year and month, format, and community genre tags. All filtering and library import run locally in the browser — nothing is uploaded.
As of September 2026, the public dataset is refreshed whenever the curator re-scans the challenge pages, and the companion "Goodreads Book Details" extension (Chrome/Firefox, Manifest V3) adds the same details inline on Goodreads pages themselves.
Does it work on phones?
Yes —
the web app runs in any phone or tablet browser with no install. The browser extension is
desktop-only (Chrome and Firefox).
Can I filter by genre, e.g. Young Adult
only?
Yes — the Genres filter in the filter bar (bottom sheet on phones) includes or
excludes Goodreads community tags such as Young Adult, and it applies to Browse, the Optimal path and (optionally) the spreadsheet. The Overlap
Spreadsheet itself stays a full catalog of your selected challenges by default — same rows as the
original Google Sheet — with an optional "Respect filters" toggle in its header. Goodreads genres are community-applied tags
and shelves, not official age ratings, so skim before handing a pick to a younger reader.
Do I need a Goodreads account? Is my data
uploaded?
No account is needed for the public dataset. Your library CSV never leaves
the browser — parsing and filtering are fully local.
Where does the book data come
from?
From public Goodreads challenge and list pages, captured by the curator's
scanner and enriched from each book's public Goodreads page (including its
__NEXT_DATA__ genre payload and editions list for page counts).
Last updated: 2026-09-15 · User guide · Data: data.json