Clulib
Read, explore, connect.
Hi everyone,
I'm Luca, a solo developer from Italy. For the past few months I've been building something I really needed as a reader.
When I finish a book, I always want to talk about it — share thoughts, compare interpretations, understand characters better. But not everyone around me has read the same book, and sometimes I just want a companion to think with.
So I asked myself: what if I could talk with a virtual reading companion that knows the book as well as I do?
That became Clulib (https://www.clulib.com)
What it does
Upload an EPUB/PDF/TXT
Chat with an AI that answers only using the book's actual text (no summarizing, no making things up)
Talk with characters grounded in the original story
Join small book clubs to discuss what you're reading together
It's not meant to replace reading — it's meant to think with you while you read.
Where I'm at
I've built this solo (Angular + .NET, AI grounded via RAG on the book's text). It's live with subscription tiers already set up, but no real paying users yet — I'm still very early in getting it in front of readers and would rather get outside feedback now than keep iterating alone.
If you want to try it more in depth, the free plan is a bit limited — just leave a comment or direct message to me and I'm happy to unlock a fuller plan for testers.
What I'd love feedback on
Does this solve a real "problem" for you as a reader, or is it a nice-to-have?
What's the first thing you'd want fixed or added?
If you were validating this from scratch, what would you test first?
Happy to answer anything about the tech, the RAG setup, etc.
Thanks for reading!
Luca
7 Comments
The interesting part for me is that the product seems to assume the value comes after someone has already chosen to read the book, not from helping them discover it.
From the conversations you've had with readers so far, are they describing the need to discuss and explore a book as something they already felt before seeing Clulib, or is it mostly something that resonates after they've seen the product?
They are actually still in the early stages of the project.
I've had some testers from friends and family and haven't asked this specific question. I'd like feedback from people I don't know directly to understand this.
In fact, before presenting the product, it would be interesting to ask if, like me, they feel the need to talk to someone about it and delve deeper into the topics. This point is very interesting.
I also found it interesting, at least for me, to talk to a character from the book, even maybe from the book itself, or to set up some sort of roleplay.
That’s helpful context. I appreciate you sharing where the project is currently at and the questions you’re trying to understand.
I’d like to continue the conversation outside the thread. What’s the best email to reach you on?
The form tells me: "You're not allowed to post links yet." I'll try to give you my email address like this: luca.zoffoli @hotmail .it (I added the space before @ and before .it, which aren't there)
Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.
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