Use Numbers - or tables in Pages - for large blocks of text?

I haven't tested them extensively but I think tables in Pages with largish blocks of text would behave similarly to tables in Numbers.

As you've discovered, spreadsheets aren't optimized for entering large chunks of text. They're best for crunching and presenting data.

Have you considered using an app that is designed for entering text and then use tags to add the metadata (title, genre, description)? You can do sophisticated things with the built-in Apple Notes.

If you don't like tags, then you could consider finding a simple database program in the Mac App Store. Or if you like to tinker then you could try something like Obsidian.

SG

If there is a better app for you use than Numbers or Pages then use that instead. But if you are wanting to do it in either Numbers or Pages then here are some thoughts:

It appears to me that tables in Pages are the same as tables in Numbers but Pages does not seem to have all the features for tables that Numbers has. I have not used Pages in years but one thing I am not finding is filters. You might want those.

One advantage of Pages may be the way it lays out the page for you. It is what-you-see-is-what-you-get (or at least it appears to be that way). When you are working on a table in Numbers, it is not bounded by the size of the page (though you could turn on rulers and manually size it correctly). When you go to print your table are you given the choice of fitting to a page width.

Personally, if I was creating a table and there was little to no other text other than in the table, I'd use Numbers rather than Pages.