Devlog 01

2026/07/24
I used to keep track of the books I read in a reading journal. It not only fueled my interest in literature but also helped me read with greater intention, as I knew I would have to record my thoughts later. Over time, though, schoolwork took over and my entries slowly dwindled in frequency until I completely stopped. Now that summer has returned, I’m reviving my reading journal…this time in digital form!

Project Vision

I want my website to stay simple yet meaningful. I don’t want to take too long to build it and want it to be easy to update. It will have three pages: the Home, the Reading Room, and the Bookshelf.

I’m aiming for a cozy, library‑like atmosphere. The home page will set that tone right away with a short prose piece explaining the site’s name while setting its mood. It will include a link to the Reading Room and have a “Currently Reading” section below.

The Reading Room will hold my actual journal entries. Visitors will be able to browse through them or search for a specific book to view its entry. I plan to learn some JavaScript through this feature as I think it’ll be a fun challenge and a great way to make the site interactive.

The Bookshelf will serve as my TBR list. I’ll experiment with CSS to make it feel like users are pulling out a book when they hover or click. There will also be a small “Featured” section where I’ll recommend a book I loved, hopefully adding to the library theme! (It’s like a librarian’s book recommendation!)

Completed Work

This idea came together while following Jenin’s Personal Site Workshop. I spent about the first half hour experimenting with HTML and CSS while brainstorming the concept. After that, I took my ideas together and drafted the site structure entirely in HTML.

I mostly followed the personal site guide, only searching for extra features I wanted to add. Whenever I used code examples from online sources, I made sure to understand how each function worked and challenged myself to apply it elsewhere in my code so I was learning HTML properly through practice.

Next Steps

With the HTML foundation complete, my next goal is to polish the site using CSS. I anticipate that will be the focus of my next devlog. After styling, I’ll dive into JavaScript and add finishing touches before shipping the final version.

Thanks for reading!