My book of books

About ten years ago I my first "book of books", which in reality is really just a blank journal. For the avid book reader I highly recommend something like this.

A "book of books" is not only a wonderful way to track what you've read, or what you are currently reading, but it's also a great place to keep all your favorite quotes and phrases from the books as you read.

I generally list the title, author, number of pages, and the start and finish dates for each book I've read. I sometimes don't have a quote or phrase from the book I've read and other times I have numerous quotes or notes. These books can be handy to if you belong to a book club. One of the ladies in my book club has kept her "book of books" since the club's formation 15 years ago. It has been fun to listen when she reads over past readings, most long before I joined and many long forgotten book selections.

Since I joined the book club I started jotting down thoughts I wanted to remember during the next book club meeting. Likewise, since starting this blog, I've begun jotting down thoughts for my book review in my "book of books" which has been very helpful, especially since I don't like writing in my books and certainly can't when they are borrowed.

If you're not into keeping a hard copy "book of books" then I highly recommend an online source. Shelfari.com or Goodreads.com are two such websites. On these websites you can track what you're reading, what you have finished (along with your own review, date read and other notes), as well as books you would like to read. Also, you can network with other book lovers including your friends (if they have an account).

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it."

~James Bryce

[P.S. As a side note, I recently viewed the film Penelope (which the book I read by Marilyn Kaye was based from) and have updated my review on the book because of this. To read my updated review please click here.]