Generate reading logs from Kindle exports

To generate reading logs from Kindle exports, you typically need to process the “My Clippings.txt” file or a CSV/JSON export from Kindle apps (like the iOS/Android Kindle app or Kindle e-reader). Here’s how you can do it depending on the format you have:

✅ If You Have the My Clippings.txt File

Each entry in this file follows this general structure:

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Book Title (Author)
- Your Highlight on Location 123-125 | Added on Saturday, January 1, 2022 12:00:00 AM

This is the highlighted text.
==========  

Python Script to Generate a Reading Log

Here’s a Python script that reads My Clippings.txt and creates a structured reading log:

python
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import re
from collections import defaultdict
from datetime import datetime

def parse_clippings(file_path):
    with open(file_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8-sig') as file:
        content = file.read().split("==========")

    log = defaultdict(list)

    for clip in content:
        lines = clip.strip().split('n')
        if len(lines) < 3:
            continue

        title_author = lines[0].strip()
        meta_line = lines[1].strip()
        quote = "n".join(lines[2:]).strip()

        date_match = re.search(r'Added on (.+)', meta_line)
        added_date = None
        if date_match:
            try:
                added_date = datetime.strptime(date_match.group(1), '%A, %B %d, %Y %I:%M:%S %p')
            except ValueError:
                pass

        log[title_author].append({
            "quote": quote,
            "meta": meta_line,
            "added_on": added_date.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') if added_date else "Unknown"
        })

    return log

def print_reading_log(log):
    for book, entries in log.items():
        print(f"n### {book}")
        for i, entry in enumerate(entries, 1):
            print(f"n{i}. {entry['quote']}")
            print(f"   - Added on: {entry['added_on']}")
            print(f"   - Meta: {entry['meta']}")

# Example usage
file_path = 'My Clippings.txt'
log = parse_clippings(file_path)
print_reading_log(log)

✅ If You Have a Kindle CSV Export (from Kindle App)

The CSV typically includes fields like:

• Book Title

• Author

• Highlight

• Page/Location

• Date Added

You can use pandas to convert it into a log format:

python
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import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("Kindle_Highlights.csv")

for title in df['Book Title'].unique():
    print(f"n### {title}")
    highlights = df[df['Book Title'] == title]
    for i, row in highlights.iterrows():
        print(f"n{i+1}. {row['Highlight']}")
        print(f"   - Location: {row['Location']}")
        print(f"   - Date Added: {row['Date Added']}")

Output Format Example

pgsql
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### Deep Work (Cal Newport)

1. "Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not."
   - Added on: 2022-06-15 14:30:22
   - Meta: Your Highlight on Location 256-257

2. "If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are."
   - Added on: 2022-06-15 15:04:03
   - Meta: Your Highlight on Location 500-502

If you want, you can upload your My Clippings.txt or Kindle CSV export, and I’ll generate a formatted reading log for you directly.