Do you keep track of the books you read?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
October 26, 2010 3:56pm CST
Do you write down the title and the name of the author when you finish a book? How do you keep the information? On your computer, in a handwritten notebook or in a different way? If you don't write anything down, do you find it hard to remember the authors of the books you read?
I read a lot of different books and I have never written down the titles and the authors of the books, but I sometimes wish that I had done it. If I own the book it is usually easy to find it again, but I use the library a lot and sometimes I don't remember the name of author and that makes it hard to find the book again.
Today I found a story that I had been looking for several years. I read it about 20 years ago, and I had no idea who the author was, but today when I borrowed a collection of short stories I suddenly found the story that I had been looking for. From now on I will write down the name of the author when I read a book that I really like.
4 people like this
22 responses
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
27 Oct 10
Two years ago I had it in my head that I really wanted to know how many books I'd read in my lifetime. So I built up a Word Document with about 200 books that I could remember reading. That was hard for me to keep up with. Then my friend introduced me to a site called GoodReads which has a database of books and I can keep track of everything I've read, want to read, and update what I'm currently reading. It's been my favorite website ever since.
I LOVE keeping track of what I read. I can honestly tell people how many books I've read this year or in my lifetime and I never forget what I've read so far or what I thought of it. It's great!
By the way... I've read 560 books in my lifetime. I read 112 of those books this year.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
That is a great idea. I read a lot and reading has been one of my hobbies ever since I was a child, but I have no idea how many books I have read in my lifetime. It could be interesting to find out, and your post inspired me a make a list similar to yours. I don't remember all of the names or the authors, but I often use a Danish site where librarians post reviews of some of the books that they enjoyed and on that site I would be able to find many of the books that I have read in the past.
@funkykid (441)
• India
27 Oct 10
yes i keep track of the books that i have read.i do this online by using an wesite called Shelfari.com this is a great site.you an search the bok then add to your shelf.you can also display your books u read as an HTML widget in your blogs.this is the feature i love the most.You an also write a review on the book you have read and share your views.Also u an recommend book to ur friends on that site.You an group discuss the book too .. I love that site man :)
Happy Mylotting :D
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
I haven't heard about Shelfari.com before, but it sounds interesting, and I think I will have a look at that site 
I sometimes miss a place where I am able to discuss the books that I read. I don't have any offline friends who read the same books as I do, so it could be interesting to have an online discussion instead. Some of the books that I read aren't that popular in my own country, but maybe I would be able to discuss them with people from other parts of the world.
I sometimes miss a place where I am able to discuss the books that I read. I don't have any offline friends who read the same books as I do, so it could be interesting to have an online discussion instead. Some of the books that I read aren't that popular in my own country, but maybe I would be able to discuss them with people from other parts of the world.
@sincere4frdship (2228)
• India
27 Oct 10
Well,
I would say "Yes" . I use to write title name and author name for record. Some time I lend book to my friends also after reading it and in that case I keep record for that also in front of that record in my PC.
I use to keep record for movie also which I watch because in previous time I have downloaded same movie which I watched long time ago ...so I started keeping record which help me to find that movie name if it has been watched by me ..
Thanks ...
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
That sounds like a good idea. I don't keep track of the movies that I watch, and sometimes when I watch a movie from the library I discover that I already know that movie, I just didn't recognize the title when I picked it up at the library. In a sisuation like that it would be nice to have a list of the movies that I have already watched....
@maezee (41997)
• United States
26 Oct 10
I used to make a list of all the books I read in a year, just to keep tabs on it. It was a good idea - especially considering I used to read 150+ books per year. Now I don't even think I read 10 books this year! I'm trying to get back into reading, though. I think I will start writing them down..Maybe that will motivate me to read more!
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 Oct 10
I don't know how many books that I read in a year, but it could be interesting to keep track of them, I might get surpriced. When I was younger I read more books that I do today, but I still read quite a lot. I often use a Danish site where different librarian posts reviews of books that they like, it is a nice way to find new inspiration and sometimes it also helps me remember books that I read a long time ago and I thought that I had forgotten.
1 person likes this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
27 Oct 10
I don't really keep track of all of the books that I have read, but I do keep a list in my purase of all the books that I want to read. I keep it in my purse so that when I am at the used bookstore, I can recall what I want to read. Most of the books that I have are on the list except for really old books. I keep adding to the list weekly. I use an address book and keep the books in alphabetically order.
2 people like this
@redmaryjane (891)
• United States
27 Oct 10
I think this is a great idea. I am looking to categorize my books (I have about 400+). I know I need to keep a reading journal so I can write my initial reactions to things, and remember character's names and place names. The book I'm reading right now is set in Brazil and all the names and places are kinda hard to keep track. Thanks for suggesting this idea! :)
@zapatee (477)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
i don't, but i've actually been thinking about that but i never seem to have the time anymore. even reading some of my new ones are difficult because of a busy life. i've also been thinking about writing down short summaries and reviews of all the books i've read, again i haven't had the time yet, lol. but i do hope to do that before i get overwhelmed by the number of books i already have, lol.
2 people like this
@shaggin (71659)
• United States
27 Oct 10
When I was young I used to keep a notebook with a list of all the books I read and the authors names and how many pages the book was etc. Then I would write a brief description about what the book was about. Then I would give it a rating. I did that for along time but then eventually threw it away. I used to save all my books to but I got so many it was impossible and I never read them again anyway. Now I just read them and either sell them or give them away.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
In the past I also kept all of the books that I bought, but eventually I got too many, and now I usually donate my old books to charity. I have also sold some of them. There are many books that I only plan on reading once and I might as well give them away so that other people can enjoy them. I have never writting reviews of the books that I have read or rated them, but I have sometimes thought about it, maybe I should try it
@snowy22315 (169653)
• United States
26 Oct 10
I try to remember some of the books that I have read, but I dont go as far as to keep a list or write them all done. I can usually remember the books that I have read. I can keep mental notes on them.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 Oct 10
I also try to remember the books that I read. I usually try to keep the names in my head instead of writing them down, but I have decided to write some the most important names down in the future, because I read books by many different authors, and it has become hard for me to remember all the names. The books that I really liked I remember, but I tend to forget some of the others.
1 person likes this
@charmaine36 (145)
• Jamaica
28 Oct 10
I've read a lot of books too and i've never written down the author's name or the title of the book. I find that if it's a good book, somehow the author's name seem to stay with me and i'm always looking out for more titles by him or her whenever i go to the stores.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
29 Oct 10
I do the same thing. If I like one of books that a certain author has written, I try to find other books by the same author. Sometimes I get disappointed when I discover that the author of a great book hasn't written any other books, but sometimes I am able to find several good books by the same author. Right now I have a big pile books on my table, because I bought many books at the book sale. Many of those books are written by authors that I already know.
@aquiah (79)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
I am a book lover but I don't write down the names and authors of the books I have read. Most of the books I like are novels and I have specific authors like Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham and James Patterson which I read.So it is easy for me to remember if I I already read a certain book. But some of the books I read which are feel-good books, I don't remember the authors, or even some of their titles. But if I encounter them again and read their summaries, I will know right there that I already read the book. I guess it is a good idea to write down the books you have read, so you can keep track of how many and what you have read. Also, it will help you in the future if you need to find a book. Maybe I can also do that.. Thanks for the post. You gave me an idea!
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
28 Oct 10
Ever since I started getting books that I have already read, I have. Trust me, there are only so many books that I can keep track of mentally. Therefore, after a while, I am going to get the books that I have not already ready and I am always going to consult my list on these days. I think there was a time where about one out of every four books that was one that I was already reading.
So right now, I have an entire excel spreadsheet. I tend to print that out when I go shopping. It is an easy way to keep these things updated. There are a lot of times where that spreadsheet has helped me a lot of the time. There was one point where I was not keeping track of this but now that I do and there are books that tended to get a lot of replay and whatnot. So yeah now I keep track of that thing.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 Oct 10
I used to think that I was able to keep track of the books that I read without writing anything down, but the truth is I am often in the same situation as you. Sometimes I am not able to remember if I have already read a book or not, and that is the reason why I have decided to make a list. I think that it might be easier to remember the books if I focused on relatively few authors, but I tend to read books by a lot of different authors, and it is hard to remember all of the names.
@nangisha (3496)
• Indonesia
27 Oct 10
Hi porcospino!.
I don't really tract the book I had I usually just reads it until finish and put it in shelf after finish.
Its so many now I think I will try to made list about it so its help me to arrange and maintain it. Its also a good way to start counting number of book.
2 people like this
@cyrri_ako (461)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
once when i was not yet busy earning money...and all i do was read..i actually had a notebook where i keep the summaries of all the book i ahve read . i include the characters and the quotable quotes i got from the book.
i even did this to the movies i have watched before..
2 people like this
@ErrollLeVant (4353)
• United States
30 Oct 10
In 1983 I decided to try to read a book a week for the year. I kept a log to verify my progress. I was able to surpass my goal. I have kept it up since then, so I have a long list of books read!
1 person likes this
@cr0ssf41r13 (866)
• Philippines
28 Oct 10
I have known somebody who keeps a record of the books he read in his blog. He builds a list and he updates it everytime he reads a book. I personally haven't done any recording of the books I read but I would like to do so too. I'm planning to do a list in my journal, at least on its last three pages.
I am also usually on the library so it is pretty difficult to trace what you read without keeping a record. I like rereading books because there is a different feel and different kind of absorption from the story, or wisdom, if it has any. Recording would come in handy.
1 person likes this
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
27 Oct 10
I read so many books that it would be really impossible for me to maintain such a list. So what I do is if I find a book to be good, I usually will write a review on that book. It would be either on www.epinions.com or on www.shvoong.com. That way all I need to do is go back to these site and I have my list ready.
Cheers!
Ram
@chatelaine09 (433)
• Australia
5 Nov 10
I can never remember what books I read and what books I have got but haven't read yet.I keep a notebook to keep track of books I want to read someday that I have on my bookshelf.
1 person likes this
@tummalapalli (251)
• India
3 Nov 10
I haven't read so many books of different authors till now.... So its not a big deal to remember the names of the books and the authors for me.... If I like a book of a particular author, then I read his whole collection.....!!!
1 person likes this
@donnaphipps (145)
• United States
27 Oct 10
i ised to read a lot. now i dont. but i dont think i wold write anything down even if i did. if the book was that great that i wanted to read it again, im sure id remember it.
1 person likes this
