How Do You Keep Track Of What You Read?

[Atria35]

Okay, I'm one of those peole who has a big library and a memory that doesn't do titles well. So often, I'll go in, go to my favorite section, check out a book and start reading it, and realize I've read it before! It's fairly exasperating for me. But I recently was directed to a site where you can keep track of your books for free! So I checked it out:

http://www.librarything.com/

The caveat? It only lets you store up to 200 titles for free- after that it's $10 a year or for $25, you can have/update/whatever your list forever... not too bad, but if someone is on a budget, or doesn't have a way to pay the online fee, then it gets tricky.

While I like this, I was thinking an excel spreadsheet might be the way to go, too. Does anyone else have a way to keep track of the titles they read?

[Etoh*the*Greato]

I don't keep track of what I read... Or if I'm keeping track, it's by keeping it on my shelf. XD

[FllMtl Novelist]

At our house, we write in our book logs what books we've read every week. It's useful when Mom does homeschool evaluations and the like.

...Though really, I don't read enough books to have a problem remembering them all! *is a slow reader* XD

[ich1990]

Hm, I guess I have never had a problem remembering what I have read. Okay, so I occasionally pick up a book that gives me a strong sense of deja-vu; about halfway through I realize that I had read it sometime during my childhood.

For the past couple of years I have kept a list/review database, though. It is more for curiosity's sake than anything else.

[Tamachan319]

I use an application on Facebook called Visual Bookshelf. It's quite useful. You can mark books as "already read", "want to read", and "reading now", and then if you are so inclined, you can write a review.
I also keep a list of books I've read in a binder on my bookshelf. Just the book's title, author, etc. It's a printed-out spreadsheet like Atria talked about.

[rocklobster]

I use the Virtual bookshelf and Shelfari.

[Winry]

I've used Shelfari

[Lynna]

I have no idea how I remmember, but I do. I don't remmember all the books I've read, but A LOT

[rocklobster]

Winry, what's your username? Maybe we can be pals.

[crusader88]

Hmm, I did not know such aids were available, though I should've guessed. I just rely on memory.

[Kaori]

With a few exceptions, I usually will at least remember that I read a book, even if I don't remember very much about it or what happened in it.

I have been keeping a list for the past few years, though: title, author, and usually what I thought about the book. It's just an MS Word document . . . right now, about 14,000 words long.

[knightlee]

Goodreads. I have about 400 books in my "to be read" pile, so I use it more for keeping track of what I want to read than what I have read.

[Atria35]

Wow! So many ways to keep track of what I read! O.O" But these are good suggestions and options. I think the online thing may work for me better (I'm really bad at figuring out what I should make note of and what I shouldn't!). But I'm amazed at how many there are! XD Enough that everyone can do it the way they want to.

[Blacklight]

On facebook, I actually use something called "weRead", but it's not all that convenient... a long time ago, I listed the whole Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle series, and marked the ones I read and the ones I was wanting to read... but recently I went back and cleared up the list; listing manga series is just too much. It took a long time to delete it all.

I've heard about Goodreads... is it worth checking into? Otherwise I could always just keep track in a notebook or on Notepad or something... that's what I usually do.

But, I haven't read so many books I look on the library shelves and say "I've read half of this stuff!" But that would be an interesting feeling... 0.0

*Hasn't even read all the books she owns yet*

[Rusty Claymore]

I usually spend the entire book wondering why I have these odd sensations of Dejavu.

[Icarus]

I actually just started a blog specifically to keep track of what I've read, and my thoughts.

[Edward]

I have a harder time keeping track of books I have not read yet. I get so caught up with reading other books that I can find a book that has been laying on the shelf for six months, with the reciept still inside.

[Blacklight]

I started using GoodReads... several months ago... I think it works pretty well, but loads a bit slowly on the computer I use, and organizing shelves was a bit confusing at first.

[TopazRaven]

In all honesty I just keep a book log on Microsoft Word. xD

[Nanao]

i keep a book log on the computer. it's alphabetised so that makes it easier to check if i need to find something.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Because I've begun studying Biology and Animal Conservation I've had to have a way to sort which books I want, own, and have read, etc. Shelfari is the best way to do so, imo.

[Blacklight]

I usually spend the entire book wondering why I have these odd sensations of Dejavu.

Strangely enough, I sometimes have these sensations when I'm reading a book for the first time.