Playing with Google Books API

book_thing.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3

""" a quick and dirty books query thing

"""

from pprint import pprint

import requests


BASE_URL = "https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1"

VOLUMES_URL = "/".join([BASE_URL, "volumes"])


def book_ids_by_title(title: str) -> list[str]:
    """Given a book title, return a list of matching Google Books API identifiers.

    :param title: str
    :return: List of strings

    Raises ValueError on HTTP errors.
    """

    response = requests.get(VOLUMES_URL, params=[("q", title)])

    if not response:
        raise ValueError(f"bad response {response.text}")

    payload = response.json()

    book_ids = []
    for item in payload["items"]:
        if item["volumeInfo"]["printType"] == "BOOK":
            book_ids.append(item["id"])

    return book_ids


def book_by_id(book_id: str) -> dict:
    """Given a book_id, return a dictionary of information about the book.

    :param book_id: str
    :return: dictionary

    Raises ValueError on HTTP errors.
    """

    response = requests.get(f"{VOLUMES_URL}/{book_id}")

    if not response:
        raise ValueError(f"bad response {response.text}")

    book_info = response.json()

    return book_info


if __name__ == "__main__":

    title = "Ender's Game"

    unwanted_categories = ["film", "literary", "graphic"]

    book_ids = book_ids_by_title(title)

    books = []

    skipped = []  # book info missing a categories key

    for book_id in book_ids:

        book = book_by_id(book_id)

        try:
            categories = " ".join(book["volumeInfo"]["categories"]).lower()
        except KeyError:
            # book['volumeInfo'] doesn't have a categories key so skip this book
            skipped.append(book)
            continue

        for unwanted_category in unwanted_categories:
            if unwanted_category in categories:
                break
        else:
            # this else goes with the for statement
            # it only executes if the loop finishes without a break
            books.append(book)

    for book in books:
        print("-" * 80)
        pprint(book)

    for book in skipped:
        print("*" * 80)
        pprint(book)