(She even created a lovely graphic!) ----->
What I truly loved and appreciated about all the comments and discussion was that all of us have very different systems, or none at all, for tracking books we wish to read.
It was great to see the immense diversity
among our various systems;
among our various systems;
it truly runs the gamut of possibility!
Each person seems to be satisfied with their system! Cool!
(that was Jenny @ The Reading End's comment) without a TBR list.
I think my jaw dropped to the ground when reading this posting!
I would be lost lost lost, and more lost, without my TBR list!
Along with all those other lists on Goodreads (Each shelf is really just another list!),
and now the ones I have created on my Library's website!
While I strongly dislike the fact that Jeff Bezos (Yes, of Amazon fame...)
owns Goodreads, I am not giving it up unless I absolutely must.
Although I in no way otherwise support or shop at Amazon, just on basic principles.
(The only two times I have mad purchases was when
I received a gift card and had no choice!)
I received a gift card and had no choice!)
Though I am, quite simply, hooked on Goodreads!
You might say I am a Goodreads junkie!
I remember when Heather, one of my "Borders" Book Club members
first used her phone to scan a book while we were at a meeting.
I almost yelled across the table at her--"Wait! What are you doing?"
This was my introduction to Goodreads, which I downloaded immediately onto my phone!
I was definitely like a kid with a brand-new toy! I was off and running!
That was in July 2012 and...the rest...is as they say...history!
That was in July 2012 and...the rest...is as they say...history!
Though I did immediately discover that it was easy to overload the scanning system
and I couldn't just scan every book I own one right after another.
And...there are times, and it seems to happen in bookstores most often, when the system seems to take forever to scan a book, many times I must type in the title.
So, is it perfect? Certainly not. Shannon listed several bugaboos she had with it,
as did some who left comments on her blog post.
As do some others who commented, I use the "To-Read" shelf on Goodreads
for literally any book that grabs my interest for any reason!
That list is my reading "bible" and it is irreplaceable to me!
I can even track where I saw it or saw mention of it, etc.
Now...ummmm...I currently have 5183 books on that "To-Read" shelf!
Am I ever going to realistically be able to read ALL those books in this lifetime?
Of course not! But it is my "go-to" list for every book in which
I have become interested since that fateful day in July 2012!
And I am more than okay with that! I do not view this listing as a "to-do" list,
rather it is a record of my interests, not necessarily my reading goals!
(Though the analytic side of my brain thinks it might be fun
to calculate how many years it might take me to do so!)
And it serves as a very handy device when selecting future reads.
For example, when I decided to participate in "Book Challenge by Erin 4.0" this spring,
it was so easy to select the books using this listing as my guide!
In addition to the "shelves" I have created in Goodreads, since I am concentrating on reading books from the library and not purchasing as many books as I have in the past,
I have "lists" on my library website! These are a bit more timely so that, once again,
it is easy for me to place holds, since I can do that directly from the lists.
Those library lists include: Book Challenge by Erin 4.0, Borders Book Club, Diversity, Nonfiction, Emma Watson's Feminist Book Club (on Goodreads),
and Really Really Want to Read, Once Available!
This last one mainly refers to new releases which may not be available from one of the member libraries until 6 months after the release date.
Plus I keep several listings in the "notes" function on my phone,
mainly dealing with (1) those books I want to post reviews for on my blog,
(2) those books I really want to own, so will watch for when out and about,
and (3) my "reading schedule" which includes those books for which I have deadlines: Literary Wives, Borders Book Club, Little House Read-Along 2016
(which I am cohosting along with Bex of An Armchair by the Sea),
including any and all challenges in which I am participating.
Some of those challenges for which I have registered:
Classic Children's Literature Event 2016, 2016 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge,
2016 Southern Literature Reading Challenge, just registered for
The Pickwick Papers Read-Along which should remedy the fact
that I've NEVER read a book written by Charles Dickens!
And the one at which I am already failing rather miserably, #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.
The only good news about this last one is that comparatively with the past, I am purchasing and bringing into my house very few books and am reading most all that I don't already own from the library, so there is improvement,
I just need to READ THE ONES I ALREADY OWN FIRST! :)
But others grab my attention and seem to be immediate must-reads!
Ah, it is quite the conundrum!
For me, the secret is not to over-stress about any of these lists
except the "reading schedule"!
So, thank you for bringing this topic of discussion to the forefront on your blog, Shannon!
How about you? Do you keep a TBR list? Or not?
I can even track where I saw it or saw mention of it, etc.
Now...ummmm...I currently have 5183 books on that "To-Read" shelf!
Am I ever going to realistically be able to read ALL those books in this lifetime?
Of course not! But it is my "go-to" list for every book in which
I have become interested since that fateful day in July 2012!
And I am more than okay with that! I do not view this listing as a "to-do" list,
rather it is a record of my interests, not necessarily my reading goals!
(Though the analytic side of my brain thinks it might be fun
to calculate how many years it might take me to do so!)
And it serves as a very handy device when selecting future reads.
For example, when I decided to participate in "Book Challenge by Erin 4.0" this spring,
it was so easy to select the books using this listing as my guide!
In addition to the "shelves" I have created in Goodreads, since I am concentrating on reading books from the library and not purchasing as many books as I have in the past,
I have "lists" on my library website! These are a bit more timely so that, once again,
it is easy for me to place holds, since I can do that directly from the lists.
Those library lists include: Book Challenge by Erin 4.0, Borders Book Club, Diversity, Nonfiction, Emma Watson's Feminist Book Club (on Goodreads),
and Really Really Want to Read, Once Available!
This last one mainly refers to new releases which may not be available from one of the member libraries until 6 months after the release date.
Plus I keep several listings in the "notes" function on my phone,
mainly dealing with (1) those books I want to post reviews for on my blog,
(2) those books I really want to own, so will watch for when out and about,
and (3) my "reading schedule" which includes those books for which I have deadlines: Literary Wives, Borders Book Club, Little House Read-Along 2016
(which I am cohosting along with Bex of An Armchair by the Sea),
including any and all challenges in which I am participating.
Some of those challenges for which I have registered:
Classic Children's Literature Event 2016, 2016 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge,
2016 Southern Literature Reading Challenge, just registered for
The Pickwick Papers Read-Along which should remedy the fact
that I've NEVER read a book written by Charles Dickens!
And the one at which I am already failing rather miserably, #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.
The only good news about this last one is that comparatively with the past, I am purchasing and bringing into my house very few books and am reading most all that I don't already own from the library, so there is improvement,
I just need to READ THE ONES I ALREADY OWN FIRST! :)
But others grab my attention and seem to be immediate must-reads!
Ah, it is quite the conundrum!
For me, the secret is not to over-stress about any of these lists
except the "reading schedule"!
So, thank you for bringing this topic of discussion to the forefront on your blog, Shannon!
How about you? Do you keep a TBR list? Or not?
