Do you keep a book journal or log?

[Catlady]

I keep a spreadsheet for audiobooks, which is the vast majority of my reading. It includes basic publication information and the year I read the book. I keep supplemental sheets by year, on which I also add in any e-books or print books, and chart the year of publication.

I don't include a synopsis or my comments; it's easier to look up the book online to remind myself about it. I generally remember the books that stand out, either because I loved them or because I hated them. Sometimes, though, even a synopsis doesn't spark my memory of something my spreadsheet clearly shows I've read. But if a book is that unremarkable, so what if I don't remember it?

[4691mls]

That all sounds like way too much effort to me. I just read and if I forget, I forget.

[DrNefario]

I have a simple google sheet where I log new acquisitions and finished books. There's not much information there, so it probably won't help much with remembering what the book was actually like.

I start a new worksheet each year, and add and remove columns depending on what I feel I want to know that year and how it integrates with my challenges. I added page counts when I started including challenges based on that, for instance.

I also have a couple of other google sheets that might need updating - a TBR sheet where I delete the row when I've read it, and an ebook sheet which is just for paid ebooks, as well as occasional trackers for specific challenges - and my challenge page on here.

I quite enjoy the process of logging a finished book. It's like an extra little treat for finishing a book: woohoo, I can update my spreadsheets. Seems weird now I've written it down.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I quite enjoy the process of logging a finished book. It's like an extra little treat for finishing a book: woohoo, I can update my spreadsheets. Seems weird now I've written it down.

Not at all, it's very understandable to me.

[tempest@de]

I have a spreadsheet where I list all the books read, it started with just the basic information (title, author, series and the date) but it has evolved through the years to add more columns has needed, I don’t add comment’s about the books, but I have a rate system, this helps to decide if I want to buy a book from some authors, I can check if I have already read it and what kind of rating other books had. I also like to see how my reading habits have evolved through the years, so I have the data gathered and have some simple graphs.

I use caliber only for the books that I own, so it is not practical for me since I also read library books and use KU and scribd and I prefer to have it all in one location.

[Loosheesh]

Almost everything related to my reading is managed in Calibre. I have a custom column named "reviews" where I leave a write-up on books I either loved or hated (think gush or vent ); everything else just gets a rating. I keep my highlights and notes in Readwise.

[tomsem]

Goodreads.

“Did you know?”: you can create a profile on Goodreads that nobody will see. Restrict it to Only Friends and then don’t accept any Friend requests. But it seems rather sad.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I keep a spreadsheet for audiobooks, which is the vast majority of my reading. It includes basic publication information and the year I read the book. I keep supplemental sheets by year, on which I also add in any e-books or print books, and chart the year of publication.

I don't include a synopsis or my comments; it's easier to look up the book online to remind myself about it. I generally remember the books that stand out, either because I loved them or because I hated them. Sometimes, though, even a synopsis doesn't spark my memory of something my spreadsheet clearly shows I've read. But if a book is that unremarkable, so what if I don't remember it?

I’m not very listy, but the one thing I do regret is that I don’t have a searchable/organizable file by narrator of audiobooks I’ve listened to. I do include the name in my GoodReads listing, but it’s never going to be worth clicking on every single audiobook to access the info.

[crich70]

Interesting idea. I'd never considered putting info in Calibre about a given book. There is also Goodreads which has something similar I think. I've never been one to keep such a journal, it just never occurred to me to do so.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’m not very listy, but the one thing I do regret is that I don’t have a searchable/organizable file by narrator of audiobooks I’ve listened to. I do include the name in my GoodReads listing, but it’s never going to be worth clicking on every single audiobook to access the info.

I'm very 'listy' and I have custom columns in Calibre for both narrators and translators. I keep detailed info about my books; I started when my library was still relatively small, and now it doesn't take much time to manage on a day-to-day basis. Library management is quite soothing to me

[DNSB]

At one point in time, I did keep records but after a few years (around 1998), I decided my time was better spent reading since I very seldom looked at the records after I had created them.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by grogu

Do you have a reading journal or log of some sort? What sort of things do you keep in it? Do you do digital or paper or both? Do you find it fun or a bit of a chore?

No, I've never done that. Not that organized (and I'm too lazy).

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

That all sounds like way too much effort to me. I just read and if I forget, I forget.

That's me. If I really like a book I read it more than once. For me, having a poor memory makes reading it the second time more enjoyable.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

For me reading is absolutely not a social activity and I very seldom visit Goodreads ...

Same way I look at it (unless I really like a book and want to let people know about it). As for Goodreads, I've never been there, so I have no clue what it's all about.

[Uncle Robin]

The stats at The StoryGraph are constant source of fun, and the site also offers a reading journal function for notes and comments on books as one reads them. Great for the book data nerd who doesn't want Amazon swallowing all that data.