My Book Wishlist

"Save, sort and prioritize your dream reads - all in one simple app."

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Inspiration

I was inspired to build My Book Wishlist after realizing that most book tracking apps were either cluttered with features I didn’t need or weren’t visually appealing. I wanted something clean, fast, and personal — a cozy space where I could save books I want to read or buy, and organize them by priority, genre, or mood.

What it does

My Book Wishlist lets users quickly add, view, and manage a personal reading wishlist. You can input the book’s title, author, genre, and a 1–5 priority rating — or mark it as a favorite. It displays a clean, organized list that makes browsing your future reads feel inspiring, not overwhelming.

How we built it

This project was built from scratch using:

  • Flask for the backend (Python)
  • HTML + CSS for the frontend (handwritten, no templates)
  • JSON for lightweight storage (wishlist.json)
  • GitHub for version control
  • Render for deployment
  • Bolt.new + Netlify for the landing page

I used VS Code and GitHub Desktop to manage everything locally and online. I also built a Bolt-generated landing page to qualify solo after my original hackathon team disbanded.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was syncing and deploying the app. I had to fully delete and rebuild it from scratch after a broken deployment — but that turned out to be a blessing. I learned how to structure everything properly and troubleshoot versioning conflicts in GitHub and Render.

Another hurdle was adapting quickly when I was removed from a team I had originally signed up with. Rather than give up, I pivoted and re-entered solo — stronger than before.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Rebuilding and deploying the app successfully from scratch
  • Learning GitHub Desktop workflows step-by-step
  • Creating a full-stack app AND a Bolt landing page in one weekend
  • Submitting solo with no coding shortcuts or premade templates

What we learned

I learned how to manage a Flask app from development to deployment — and how to troubleshoot Git, file paths, and version control without panicking. I also learned the power of design simplicity: this app may be small, but it’s purposeful and elegant.

What's next for My Book Wishlist

I’d love to add:

  • Book cover images for visual flair
  • A search/filter option
  • Cloud database support for persistent storage
  • A “share your wishlist” feature for friends and family

For now, I’m proud to say this app does exactly what I needed — and looks good doing it.

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