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Keeping Track Of The Books You Read


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With blogs, forums and various websites available these days keeping track of the books you read is a pretty simple and popular thing to do, and I know there is a section on Book Club Forum specifically for this very purpose.  I have to admit that up until now it's not something I've ever done, or even thought about doing to be honest, but after coming across this article - click here - it's definitely got me intrigued.  For those not wanting to click the link or read the article, it's basically the story of a young man who, after the death of his father, found a simple spreadsheet listing the 10,000+ books that he'd read over the years (the spreadsheet itself is also available to download).  The idea of having a list like that for myself to look back on in the years to come is definitely an interesting one but I can't decide on the best way of doing it - online, Word document/spreadsheet, a simple notebook and pen etc.

 

Other than the threads over on the Reading Lists / Blogs section of the forum do you keep track of the books you read?  And if so, how?

Edited by StormyAlanna
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Really interesting article you've linked here. :) I can't believe he'd read over 10,000 books! That's amazing. :o

 

I used to keep 3 lists using Microsoft Word: all books I own, books I own but haven't read (TBR), and books I've read. However, I found that I kept forgetting to update them, especially since I buy new books so frequently! Nowadays I just tend to use Goodreads, and keeping a blog is helpful for this too as you can create a page that has links to your reviews, which you can organise any way you choose. The only frustration is that all the books I read as a kid/teenager aren't on any of these because I just can't remember which ones I read!

 

A spreadsheet definitely sounds helpful, especially if it can automatically organise books by author without too much faffing about. :)

 

Have you already started writing down as many as you can remember, then? :)

Edited by Signor Finzione
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I've got a database application installed on my computer and have created a database to keep a record of all the books I read - I started it at the beginning of 2006.  For each book I record the title, author, cost (or if it was a library book, borrowed from a fried, or a present), the year I acquired it, the start and finish daters, the format (i.e. book, Kindle ebook or Apple iBook) and the rating out of five I gave it. Currently stands at 1,021 books.

Edited by chesilbeach
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Signor Finzione - I know, the list totally blew me away too.  Ever since I read it I've been kicking myself for not starting my own list sooner.  There is NO way I'd ever be able to remember all the books I've ever read though and seeing as I'm a bit OCD about things like this I'd never be able to keep a list with just SOME of them so I've decided to only list the books I read from now on - or more to the point from May 1, 2014.  That way, although I've missed out on 30+ years worth, at least it will be a complete list from that date onwards.

 

chesilbeach - Wow! A database application?  Is that something you have created yourself or something you have downloaded/bought?

 

I'm certainly thinking of signing up for a GoodReads account but I can't help thinking that some kind of personal/hardcopy (i.e. not online) would be good too, you know, just in case!  I'm just not sure how to go about it or what information to keep track of.  I'm thinking keeping it simple might be for the best though, otherwise I might get a bit obsessive!

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I would think an Excel spreadsheet would also be a helpful tool.  It can be sorted various ways, you could add sheets for different things (TBR, etc.), link the totals to a spreadsheet, create graphs/charts, etcetera.  It's really a handy program for organizing information.

Edited by dtrpath27
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That is incredible. What a lovely way to remember his dad as well.

 

I use Goodreads for this sort of thing - I have a massive to-read list on there, and every time I notice a good book I'd like to read, I stick it on there so I don't forget.

I know what you mean about wanting to keep a document offline though. I started a word document in January where I would enter the date i finished a book along with a short review. I'm not a fan of ratings (I don't know why, but I feel guilty for giving a book a low rating), so generally a short review of what I liked and didn't like, along with a comment on the writing style would be sufficient for me.

 

My word document only lasted until the end of January (pathetic I know :P) because I gradually forgot to enter new books as I read them. I prefer Goodreads as I always remember to update it - I'm on it almost everyday anyway, and it's become a ritual for me to update my list after finishing a book. I would like to give my word document another go though - it would be interesting to make a graph of the data at the end of the year and see what genres of books I read as the year goes on, as well as the amount.

 

Some of the book logs on this site are incredible to go through as well. It's what inspired me to make that word document of my own.

Edited by Angury
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 it would be interesting to make a graph of the data at the end of the year and see what genres of books I read as the year goes on, as well as the amount.

 

Some of the book logs on this site are incredible to go through as well. It's what inspired me to make that word document of my own.

It never occurred to me to do this, but I think that would be interesting to see what my actual reading habits are so I could either fine-tune or expand my selections.  

 

There are a lot of wonderful book logs on this site.  I love reading them to get inspiration for future reading.  I like being able to look at my list and see what I've accomplished so far.  I've just started using Goodreads for that as well, but am not sure what I think of it yet.  I don't go on the site often enough for it to be efficient for me, I think.

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I have an app on my phone where I list all the books I've read.  I usually just put the title, author, genre, ISBN, and if I can find one a pic of the cover.  There's also room to put characters and a description and some other things I think.  I mainly started doing this because I got sick of going to the library and later discovering the books I've got I'd already read.  Having this on my phone means I can look up a book on it easily when I'm at the library.  I recently started writing them down in a notebook too, in case my phone ever dies.  I don't update this as frequently as my phone, just add books from my phone whenever I remember to.  

 

I wouldn't have a clue how many books I would've read over the years.  10,000 is a lot of books.  

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I don't list the books I have read par se, although I do have several threads on here (a yearly one and one for the Around the World Reading Challenge). Of course since I got my Kindle, I don't need to keep any written lists, as all the books I buy are listed on the device itself, and I know which ones I have read. I have set it up with different folders - one for each year, and when I finish reading a book I just move it into the relevant folder. I bought my Kindle in August 2011 so any books read before then in paper format (which to me now seems very last century) would not be on there. I wouldn't like to even try guessing how many I may have read during my lifetime - I have always read to some extent, although it has gone up by at least 300 percent since buying my Kindle. During my almost 49 years, assuming I started reading at age 5 when I began school, it must be at the very least 1000 books - in all likelihood considerably more.

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dtrpath27 - I did think about doing some sort of spreadsheet, but in all honesty I'm not a huge fan of them.  I find using them a little awkward, although I know you can do some pretty nifty things on them these days... although that's probably a bit beyond me anyway.  I did, after doing a bit of a search, find a spreadsheet that a book blogger created and made available for download.  It's pretty fancy, is set up ready to go with graphs and what not... but there is a lot of information on it which I wouldn't use.

 

Angury - I like the idea of having an online version so I think GoodReads will probably be what I use for that, but I feel like I need to have some kind of a backup because who knows what will happen in the future.  GoodReads could close, I may lose internet access etc.  I know these things are probably not very likely but I don't like relying on something I have no control over, plus having a backup seems like a good idea regardless.

 

I'm thinking I may go with three versions - a word document, a handwritten notebook and GoodReads.  A part of me does feel its maybe a little excessive, having three versions of the same thing, but this way I will always have access to at least one of them.  I'd probably only update one of them on an "as read" basis and then transfer the information over to the others maybe weekly or even monthly.

 

* In fact make that four as I will definitely be having a thread on Book Club Forum.

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I never kept track of the books I've read. It wouldn't be too large numbers now, some 60 books a year. I should have counted in the first years after learning to read. Endless time and books that would take you one or two hours to read!  :D  :D

So, if you count the childrens books, ten thousand books in your life seem a lot more possible :giggle2:

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It's really interesting, so thank you very much for sharing it StormyAlanna. I read the blog and tomorrow I'll download his dad's booklist.. and I'll try to pronounce his name :)

 

I don't take track of the book I read. I have to admit it's something I'd like to take into account now I read Brandon Z. blog.

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I have to admit that up until now it's not something I've ever done, or even thought about doing to be honest, but after coming across this article - click here - it's definitely got me intrigued.

x

That's amazing! Thanks so much for that link :D.

 

I use a database program called Book Collector where I put all the information in. I also keep a handwritten log of what I've read when and I also use GoodReads. I only started to record which books I read at which date since June 2012 so unfortunately I don't know what I read before then. Book Collector contains all the books in my collection and I usually read my own books rather than borrow one from someone else. I love all its functions and statistics. Before I found Book Collector I used Access and Excel to keep a list of my books.

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A few years ago I began a reading diary. I note every book I read in it, unless it's a reread. It also reminds me why I loved a certain book, which sometimes I tend to forget after reading so many books. (or perhaps it's an excuse for my age, just kidding, still in my thirties)

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Good thread StormyAlanna.  I never kept a record until I came here.   I just use the reading blog facility on here, update it throughout the year and I print off a copy each year and put them in a folder. I have four years worth now with over 300 books on it. I only have to look at the title to remember the whole plot and the emotions it created, which is nice.

  I also put all my reviews for a year on a word document and print that off too. It is interesting to look back on what I thought about a book but I am very surprised how much  my opinion can change with hindsight. This in turn has made me more guarded with my reviews and less gushingly enthusiastic.   

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A few years ago I began a reading diary. I note every book I read in it, unless it's a reread. It also reminds me why I loved a certain book, which sometimes I tend to forget after reading so many books. (or perhaps it's an excuse for my age, just kidding, still in my thirties)

 

I agree Sadya. I was so surprised when I started doing that, I looked up a title and the whole story just came alive again in my memory. It is a pleasant thing and not a lot of trouble to take.

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I keep better track now than I did a number of years ago thanks to the internet and websites for this purpose. I use both Goodreads and LibraryThing. As I read mostly the books that I already own, I can easily go through the list of my books and just mark them online as read, and give them a grade. I seldom write down my thoughts of the books I read though, which I really should do. One tends to forget very easy. 

 

When it comes to books I don't own but have read, it's much more difficult to remember. I have to wipe the slate clean on those. 

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Athena - Thank you so much for that link.  I had never heard of Book Collector before, but it looks AMAZING!  Is it easy to use and worth the money?

x

In my opinion, yes and yes! On the site you can download a demo version, this allows you to add a number of books, so you can see how it's done. If you download the demo, they give you a voucher for 5$ off if you buy the program, that's how it was for me at least.

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That's great, thanks for the info Athena.  Once I get my main desktop computer up and running again I think I'll download the free version (it looks like you can add up to 100 books) and see how I get on.  If I like it I think I might treat myself to the full book version, and maybe the movie version too.  I still can't believe this is the first time I've heard of it.

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