I hope everyone already keeps a Reading Journal. What is that you say? Everytime you read a book you write down the author and title and a sentence or two of description so that you know what the book was about and whether you liked it or not. Over time you may want to know if you read a certain book or not and can refer to your journal.
I used to keep a three ring binder for my journal. Each page had author, title, genre, sub-genre, who else could be read if I liked this work, a list of characters, usually two or three paragraphs of plot and analysis of plot and characters, and on and on. It got to be such a chore that I dreaded making an entry and gradually stopped. Next I tried to keep a list of only author and title. That was wonderfully short and sweet but told me nothing about the book or whether I liked it or not. So on to Plan C. I invested in a Journal purchased at a local bookstore. Each page is lined and gives me enough room to write anything I want. When I am ready to begin a new entry I leave a few lines empty and start writing.
Most of my entries now are author and title plus a brief plot summary. I try to include a genre but usually my current reading is in the Mystery genre so I can skip that. I try to list a read-alike author but that is because it helps me as a Librarian who does a lot of Reader’s Advisory work with customers, friends and family. Having said that there are still authors that requre more commentary than a sentence or two. The authors are not necessarily my favorites. If something strikes me as worthy of comment I start writing and who knows where I might end. When i go back I find that I analyzed the plot and characters so well that I can remember the book.
I use my Reading Journal for making lists that you may find in the RATS (Reader’s Advisory Team Services) annual booklet “What To Read Next” or when I compile a list of good books for a customer who likes Mysteries dealing with Forensics or Classic Mysteries or Puzzle Mysteries or whatever. For everyone else the Jouranl is a way to help you remember what you have read and what you want to read. It helps you keep track of what books are in a series and which ones you have read. This is for everyone who takes home a book and realizes after ten pages or so that you have read the book already. It is also fascinating to see how much you have read over time and what you read. Good reading, everyone, and please keep a journal.
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Wow,
That problem is so me. I am constantly trying to build a better reading journal, only to have it spiral out of control — becoming too complicated and unwieldy — to the point of being dropped months later whereupon I begin redesigning a new reader’s journal.
I’m going to try your solution and see if I can’t make it work for me and make it stick.
Thanks for the suggestion,
–Greg “The Undead Rat” Fisher
For those of us that rake up piles of print, needles of needed information get lost in the haystacks–perhaps a database would help:
After you finish a book you could boot up your PC, locate the file, open it, enter the data, fill in all the fields thank you, close the file, and log off. More trouble (not to mention the initial cost of the database management program itself) than it’s worth?
I just want to know where to purchase one that is designed for this use.
Hello Cathy,
I find that Borders bookstore has a great selection of different size journals. You can find lined and unlined, many sizes and colors and differnet bindings as well. I have also found some great buys at Marshalls. The journal does not have to be fancy but it should meet your needs. If you read many books per month, you need one that will accommodate the amount of information that you will be adding. If you are going to list author, title and a brief comment then you do not need a substantial journal. Hope this helps. If not please write back.
Just so you know I have used spiral bound lined notebooks that are maybe 3″x5″ in size because they fit in my purse and I can carry them to the library or the bookstore. I have also used the big gigantic journals.
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