book-review — Claude Code skill: synthesize reviews from your highlights
This skill generates a long-form book review by connecting the book's core ideas to your Readwise library. Use it when you want a review that goes beyond one book and draws on your entire reading history.
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a claude-codeWhat book-review does
The skill works in stages: it pulls highlights for your target book from Readwise, extracts atomic claims from them, searches your library for related material—supporting evidence, counterarguments, parallel examples—then synthesizes everything into a structured review with three layers: what the book argues, where you agree or disagree, and what new patterns emerge when you connect it to everything else you've read.
It integrates with Readwise through MCP tools if available in your environment, or falls back to readwise CLI commands. It looks for a reader_persona.md file in your working directory to shape the review's framing and voice if one exists. It warns if the book has fewer than 10 highlights but lets you proceed anyway.
The output is analytical, not a chapter summary—a synthesis of the book within your reading context. It requires active Readwise access with saved highlights; without that, the skill cannot run.
What it helps with
- Write a book review that goes beyond plot summary and immediate impressions
- Connect one book's ideas to everything else you have read
- Find contradictions and supporting examples across your own library
- Build a substantive critique of a book with concrete arguments from related sources
Example prompts for the agent
- /book-review Merchant Kings
- /book-review 7 Powers
- Write a review of that book on digital payment systems I highlighted in Readwise
How to install book-review
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/book-review/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/book-review/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/book-review/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/book-review/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install readwiseio/readwise-skills book-review2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/book-review/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/readwiseio/readwise-skills --path skills/book-reviewManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/book-review/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about book-review
How do I install book-review in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill book-review -a claude-code, then open ~/.claude/skills/book-review/SKILL.md. Other platforms use similar commands—npx skills add or gh skill install—with platform-specific flags.
What does book-review do?
It collects your Readwise highlights for a specific book, searches your full library for related material, then writes a review that synthesizes the book's ideas with your broader reading context. The result is richer than a standalone summary.
What do I need to set up before using it?
An active Readwise account with saved highlights. If you create a reader_persona.md file in your working directory describing your interests and reading voice, the skill will use it to shape the review's tone and focus.
