Recently as part of some estate work, I arranged for the removal of the contents of the deceased person's home library (she was an avid reader). There was a Journal at the end of the book shelf and when I opened it, it read "THE BOOKS I HAVE READ IN MY LIFETIME". The inception date was 1933; the entries were: date started, date completed, title of book, author, comments. It made me think, how many of us have recorded every book we have ever read? What a legacy to leave behind.
I have been an avid reader since early childhood- I suppose with a librarian as a mother, I was destined to do so. I love this idea and may start immediately. I read approximately 300-350 books a year, so that will be quite a project!
That's a great idea. Wish I had started doing that earlier. Reading and books are about the only thing my mom and I have in common and I've been devouring as many as I could get my hands on since 2nd grade.
I starting journaling the books I read in 1998. I read an average of 110 books a year. I used to write comments about each book, but discontinued that practice in 2002, due to lack of time. I now keep track of my books two ways - my journals and a great website www.librarything.com. It's real purpose is to make a list of your personal library, but I use it to keep track of the books I've read, whether I own the book or not. It's free to start an account with up to 200 books. A year membership is $10 and a lifetime membership is $25. I didn't want to splurge on it myself so my husband gave me the membership as a Christmas gift. (He even printed a "gift certificate" for me that he made up on his computer.) I started reading when I was three and I wish I had started my list back then.
How many of you voracious readers pick up a book that sounds good, start reading it and realize you've already read it? Since you can access your librarything account from anywhere, you can check your list before you buy or borrow a book.
Ellie, I say the same thing when I go to my library. "They have no new books. I have read everything. People need to write more books." Now when I go to the library I make sure to get at least one classic and one children's or teen book. I also ask my 17 year old brother in law what he is reading in school. I've gotten some great recommendations that way.
This is an excellent idea. I did start only a few years ago to list the books I read for that year.. but it fell by the wayside. As I've been a voracious reader since I was six years old, and am now just into my seventh decade, I've read literally thousands of books, Sometimes I go to my local library and think 'Haven't they got ANYTHING I haven't read" LOL!
I loved this idea. I've added books I'm reading in my journals. It's always interesting to see what was interesting me during certain times. I highly recommend reading some of the classics, Dickens, Steinbeck, George Elliot, Jane Austin, Thoreau, Victor Hugo just for a change. You see how much life is the same and how much it has changed over time and it's great for educating yourself in literature.
Thanks for sharing this idea. I think I'll start one and try to remember books I've read that I really liked to fill in some of the many years of reading.
I am currently saving the hardback books I have read and when I have enough I am going to make a coffee table base out of them. I already have a peice of tempered glass to use as the top. Hopefully my kids will think it's interesting enough to save when I'm gone. Sandy
I've been doing something similar with a spreadsheet on my computer since about 2000. I keep track of the title, author(s) and date read. I hadn't thought about keeping comments with it. It is interesting to see how my reading habits have changed. For instance, it takes a lot longer to finish a book since my kids were born. I can also tell when I was pregnant--lots of baby books.
I never thought about it as a legacy to leave behind. My almost 3-year-old already enjoys "reading". When he gets older, it might be nice for him to see what his mother read and what she thought of it. I do have some blank journals lying around somewhere. Sounds like a new project!
I am a homeschooler and an "older" mom. I began saving all of our library receipts when my son was still an infant. I have since found the time to began creating scrapbooks of our day to day activities and the receipts are there. Not only his interests but mine as well. I do agree it is quite a legacy and when I am long gone he will have something to remind him of what my interests were.
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