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Book Notes

Bookshelf collects book notes from the folder specified in the Books folder setting.

Book Title​

Bookshelf takes the book title from the first level-one heading (#) in the note. If the first heading is a different level (like ## or ###) or there's no heading at all, it will fall back to using the note's filename as the title.

Properties​

You can add more information to your book notes by using properties.

info

If you're not familiar with the concept of properties in Obsidian, check out Obsidian's documentation.

Property Names​

Rather than forcing you to use specific property names, Bookshelf allows you to configure them to your liking. You don't have to use every or even any property if you don't need them. However, Bookshelf's views may look a little bland without any additional information beyond the title.

Property Types​

Obsidian supports various property types, and each property in Bookshelf works best with a specific one. Bookshelf tries to interpret your data even if you use a different type, but it's no wizard. Sticking to the suggested types ensures the best results.

Supported Properties​

Cover​

Property type: Text
Default name: cover

The book's cover. This can be a URL (e.g. https://book.test/book-cover.jpg) or a Link to a file inside your vault (e.g. [[book-cover.jpg]])

Authors​

Property type: List
Default name: author

Name or names of the author. You can use a text field if only want to keep track of a single author, or a list of multiple authors. If you maintain author notes inside your vault, you can use WikiLinks.

Publishing Date​

Property type: Date
Default name: published

The date the book was published.

Total number of pages​

Property type: Number
Default name: pages

The total number of pages in the book. If you track your reading progress using percentages, this value is used to calculate how many pages you've read.

Tags​

Property type: Tags
Default name: tags

Tags you've assigned to the book.

Rating​

Property type: Number
Default name: rating

Your rating of the book. Displayed as stars in Bookshelf's views. You can use any positive number, including decimals (e.g. 3.5, 4.1). Negative numbers are not supported.

Lists​

Property type: List
Default name: lists

Lists are another dimension in Bookshelf to organize your books. You can assign a book to one or more lists (e.g. "Favorites", "Sci-Fi Classics"). To group books by lists in the Library, select List from the grouping dropdown.

Comment​

Property type: Text
Default name: comment

A personal comment on that book. This is shown in the Book Details Modal and can be your opinion, a summary, or any other note that helps you recall key information at a glance.

Property type: List
Default name: links

A list of links to external websites (e.g., https://books.test/dracula) or related notes within your vault ([[Dracula (Reading Notes)]]). These links will appear in the Book Details Modal.

Series​

Property type: Text
Default name: series

The name of the book series this title belongs to. You can use a plain string or a WikiLink if you have a dedicated note for the series.

Series Position​

Property type: Number
Default name: position-in-series

The book's position within its series. For example, enter 1 for the first book, 2 for the second, and so on.