Spreadsheet Work: 1001 Books To Read Before You Die
"My spreadsheet is slow because it has 1001 rows and 20 columns." Solution: Convert your ranges to an official Excel Table (Ctrl+T) or use Google Sheets with no more than 10 formatting rules. Avoid volatile functions like TODAY() in 1000 cells.
Last name first (e.g., Austen, Jane ) for seamless alphabetical sorting.
Crucial for calculating your yearly reading pace and average reading time per book.
Thankfully, you don't need to start from zero. Passionate readers have built excellent foundations for you: 1001 books to read before you die spreadsheet work
Set the column to change colors automatically: light red for Not Started , yellow for In Progress , and soft green for Completed .
Collaboration & sharing
If you are tracking page counts, you can easily sum up the total pages of the books you have finished. =SUMIF(A2:A1300, "Read", E2:E1300) "My spreadsheet is slow because it has 1001
The 1001 Books spreadsheet is more than a checklist—it’s a tool for critical reading, personal growth, and literary cartography. If you’re thinking of tackling the list, start with the spreadsheet. It won’t read the books for you, but it will help you see the forest—and the trees.
A basic list is fine, but a powerful spreadsheet includes metadata that helps you make smart choices. Add these columns for deeper analysis:
Download a free template from the description below, or start your own from scratch. Then leave a comment: What’s the first book you’re going to log? Crucial for calculating your yearly reading pace and
Standard sorting is boring. Use this to let fate decide your next read: =INDEX(A2:A1001, RANDBETWEEN(1, 1000), 1) – Press F9 to re-roll.
What started as a personal project quickly became the gold standard for tracking the challenge. Over the years, Arukiyomi continued to refine and expand the spreadsheet, eventually adding that includes all the books from multiple editions, as well as advanced tracking and filtering features. For a time, the full version was available by donation to support his work.
While platforms like Goodreads or StoryGraph are excellent for general reading tracking, they fall short for a highly structured, long-term project like the 1001 Books challenge.