So, You've Read All These Books

Now how are you going to keep track of them? When I first started reading Agatha Christie mysteries in my teens I would check them off in the front of one of the books I actually owned. Otherwise, I found, I'd pick up the same book over and over because the premises sounded so similar on the back cover copy. Then when I started using the library extensively after college I had a journal that I tracked my reading by author. It was very well kept.

Then life got in the way and more than a decade and two toddlers later there's no way I'd be able to keep up with a reading journal. Of course someone on the internet has come up with a solution. It's called Goodreads. You can use it as much or as little as you want - which is my criteria for a Cool Idea!

Sign in and set up your library. Keep track of the books you've read or want to read. Give them ratings and reviews. Or not. Friend people and other authors. Or not. Set up online discussions with your book club. Or not. It's totally up to you how you use it and to what extent.

I have a couple of friends that keep track of everything they read and I do mean everything. They even track books they pick up from the library or buy at the bookstore. I have another friend who has an account for her book club and tracks their monthly readings going back the 15 years they've been together.

I'm kinda down the middle. I have some of my favorite books from my keeper shelf listed with a one or two line review. I also have listed all the books I've read for the book club I'm in. I definitely want credit for those. I don't do a very good job of updating it as I go along. I tends to be in fits and starts and you know what - I'm fine with that and no one is going to bust me for being a slacker. It's mine to use how I want.

So, go and explore. Friend Paulo Coelho or Susan Wittig Albert or Kelly Corrigan. Invite your friends and friend others. You might find books you'll enjoy are on other people's shelves. That's the good part. It's Goodreads and it's definitely a Cool Idea!