📚 Book Summarizer — Reading Retention System

A structured system for summarizing books chapter by chapter, powered by AI agents that act as expert summarizers and teachers.

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How to Use

Step 1 — Start a New Book

Tell your AI agent:

new book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

The agent will set up a folder under books/ for you. If you provide a PDF, EPUB, TXT, or Markdown file, the original file is moved into that book's folder so the source stays with its notes.

Step 2 — Share a Chapter

Paste the chapter text, or upload a PDF/EPUB/text file and tell the agent which chapter to process:

chapter 1: [paste text here]

or simply upload the file and say process chapter 3.

Step 3 — Get Your Summary Package

The agent produces:

• 📖 Narrative summary — 2–4 paragraphs of flowing prose
• 🔑 Key points — 5–10 bullet-point takeaways
• 💬 Memorable quotes — direct quotes from the author
• 🔗 Connections — how this chapter links to earlier ones
• ❓ Review questions — test your understanding
• 🃏 Flashcards — spaced-repetition Q&A pairs

Step 4 — Review Anytime

Command	Result
story so far	See your growing master summary
quiz me on chapter 3	Interactive quiz on a chapter
flashcards for chapter 2	Drill your flashcards
connections	Themes across all chapters

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Folder Structure

book-summarizer/
├── CLAUDE.md                    # Agent instructions (do not delete)
├── README.md                    # This file
├── templates/
│   ├── chapter-summary.md       # Template for chapter files
│   ├── master-summary.md        # Template for the master summary
│   └── flashcards.md            # Standalone flashcard template
├── prompts/
│   ├── start-new-book.md        # Prompt to kick off a new book
│   ├── process-chapter.md       # Prompt to process a chapter
│   └── review-session.md        # Prompt for review/quiz sessions
└── books/
    └── [book-title-slug]/
        ├── 00-book-overview.md
        ├── master-summary.md
        ├── [original-book-file].pdf
        ├── chapter-01-[slug].md
        ├── chapter-02-[slug].md
        └── ...

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Tips for Best Results

• Paste the full chapter text for the richest summary. If the chapter is long, the agent handles it.
• React and comment — if something surprises you, say so. The agent will engage with your thoughts.
• Review before reading the next chapter — glance at the flashcards and try the review questions.
• Use story so far before each new session — it re-orients you to where the book's argument has reached.