Tracking Your To-Read List

July 23, 2010

Maybe you're like I used to be.  You get into great conversations with people about new books, and you find yourself jotting down titles and authors onto napkins and the backs of receipts.  Later you find these crumpled scrawlings and wonder "What was so great about that book again?".

I urge you, booklovers, to free yourselves from the myriad scraps of paper and treat the books with the respect they desrerve.  There are now a number of websites that will help you keep track of all of your books--which ones you want to read, which ones you are reading, and which ones have you already enjoyed.  At the top of the website list are LibraryThing and GoodReads.  Both allow you to set up a free, personal account.  It's easy to find particular editions of books to add to your account.  After that, you can sort your books into categories, make notes about them, or write reviews.  Perhaps best of all, you can also add friends to your account and see what other people and groups are reading, so you'll never be short on ideas for what to read next.  In addition, Mid-Continent Public Library's new online catalog features a "My Lists" link to help you track titles for reading, school projects, or other purposes.

Give the Internet a chance, and, like me, you'll wonder how you survived using just those scraps of paper.

Brian M.