Book a Week people or other book lovers.....where do you track the books you have read?

[Ottakee]

I am interested in the Book a Week challenge but I am way behind the times.  I have no idea what Mister Linky thing is or how to use it.  Is that where you keep track of the books you have read?  What about Good Reads?  Is that similar or way different?

If anyone can point me in the direction of a 101 or Dummies class for learning this stuff, I would appreciate it.
 

Also, if I do the Book a Week thing, do you have do the themes, or bingo or other options?  I want to try to read/listen to 52 books in the upcoming year and am always looking for new books/authors, etc.  I just don't think I will have it in me this year to be that adventurous.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Ottakee

[Loesje22000]

Hi!

 

I track my books with Goodreads.

One doesn’t have to do anything one doesn’t want to do.

Last year we had several new BaW readers. Several of them aimed about 10 books for 2017. That is okay!

Some people, like me, like the Bingo, others don’t

Some people do monthly challenges. I don’t.

And others are just happy they find time to read again!

 

So I would say:

Join the thread and read :)

[marbel]

I use Goodreads also.  It's very easy to  do.  The link to my page is in my sig.  Join up and friend me!  There are other hive members there too.

 

I am a BAW failure.  The thread moves too fast for me; I can't keep up with reading and then it seems I have nothing to contribute to the conversation. But that's just me. Maybe I'll try again in 2018. 

 

A challenge is good.  I set a goal of reading 60 books this year.  I won't make it; right now I am 9 behind.  If I had nothing to do the rest of this week but read short books, I guess I could make it!

 

ETA: The BAW thread and Goodreads are great for finding new books and authors.  When you look at a book on GR, you will also see suggestions for similar books.  You can also see what your friends have read, and what they thought of the books.  

Edited December 25, 2017 by marbel

[LuvToRead]

Goodreads.  It's very simple.  You can can use it socially, but I just use it to keep track of "want to read" and "read".  I also use the notes section to indicate if I can get the book from my local library, ebook library, etc.

[EMS83]

I still use Excel.  :o

[Lady Florida.]

I'll add my vote for Goodreads. You don't have to use any of the social aspects if you don't want to. When I started using it I only tracked books. Now I have Goodreads friends and belong to some groups, but that's all optional.

[Lady Florida.]

I just wish there was a way to subcategorize yearly goals- like X biographies, X fictions etc., but it works well enough.

 

 

 

There's a work around for it. You can create extra shelves for those categories and when you put a book in one of the three main categories (Want to Read, Read, Currently Reading) you can also shelve it in your other category. I have categories for biographies/autobiographies/memoirs, audio books, books that were recommended, my book club books, etc. 

 

That won't do exactly what you're looking for but at least it helps somewhat.

[Loesje22000]

One thing I like about Goodreads is to find the translations of titles. It is a huge database!

[mumto2]

 

 

I now track on Goodreads but the first couple of years that I belonged to BaW I kept track in a notebook. Goodreads is pretty easy and if I can say that believe me it is. We would be happy to answer any questions. I have no clue how to do Mister Linky and it certainly is not a requirement for BaW.

 

I only recently started enjoying the challenges on BaW. At first it was simply a place where I learned about new authors. I recently had my old (2013) notebook out and glanced at my long wish list and am happy to report that I have tried many of those books now! I've done the Bingo a couple of years now. It's fun but I doubt I could have done it when the dc's were younger.

[marbel]

I think Mr Linky is for linking to a blog.  I vaguely remember that from my own blogging days. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I hope.  

[Zebra]

I keep track of books I've read on a spreadsheet. Also, another spreadsheet has all the books I'd like to read.

 

I don't do challenges or use Goodreads.

 

I have followed the thread for years, but many years/weeks don't post. The whole point for me is to find book recommendations. I pop in and out when I have time.

 

Don't be intimidated; it's simply a place for readers to share.

[Rachel]

I use to use a small spiral notebook but I’ve been using Goodreads for 3 or 4 years now. It’s nice that I can categorize books, easily look up books by the same author, see what my friends are reading, keep shelves for my kids, and more.

[VaKim]

I'm another Goodreads user. I don't use the social aspect either. Just use it to keep track of what I read and find suggestions. I also rate and sometimes review what I read, but only for myself, so I remember things about the books. I like that you can have separate shelves, and I have one called "gave up on" for books I started but just could not finish for whatever reason. I will usually post a note about what I didn't like about it. That keeps me from starting the same books over and over just because I see them recommended somewhere. 

[Mothersweets]

I use Goodreads, too. It's super easy to keep track of books you have read and books you want to read. 

 

And don't be scared of the Book A Week thread! :). You can post as much or as little as you want. Everyone is super nice and all different kinds of readers are welcome! I tend to read fluff with a little classic lit or the odd contemporary novel  thrown in and I generally post once each week. 

[Critterfixer]

Personally, I'm writing them down in the front pages of my journal. I have a non-fiction list and a fiction list. I'm just trying to read more.

[ErinE]

I use Goodreads also. It's very easy to do. The link to my page is in my sig. Join up and friend me! There are other hive members there too.

 

I am a BAW failure. The thread moves too fast for me; I can't keep up with reading and then it seems I have nothing to contribute to the conversation. But that's just me. Maybe I'll try again in 2018.

 

A challenge is good. I set a goal of reading 60 books this year. I won't make it; right now I am 9 behind. If I had nothing to do the rest of this week but read short books, I guess I could make it!

 

ETA: The BAW thread and Goodreads are great for finding new books and authors. When you look at a book on GR, you will also see suggestions for similar books. You can also see what your friends have read, and what they thought of the books.

There can be no BAW failures - just posters who pop in and out of the thread. I post the books I’ve read plus a review if I liked it. I don’t always participate in the conversations. I notice many posters do the same.

[ErinE]

I use Goodreads. You can link it to your Amazon account, but I don’t. It’s definitely expanded my reading possibilities. It seems there’s a list for everything.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I am one who joined BAW this year after lurking for a number of years. Some of those readers can be intimidating (100+ books) but I use them as inspiration. There are some lovely BAWers who really know their stuff and their knowledge and reviews have been quite helpful. I have also been drawn in by how friendly the BAWers are; even when there are disagreements about books, authors, etc. It's refreshing. There are weeks I can read the entire thread and post and I feel connected. There are times when multiple weeks pass and I don't visit the thread. No one has ever made me feel small or insignificant when that happens. I just pop back in, read what I can, post what I can and hope to keep up when I can.

 

For tracking: I use Goodreads (thanks to the BAW thread) and my bullet journal. I created a page with a bookcase with blank books to fill in as I completed books. I made way too many non-fiction books and not enough fiction. I only tracked title, author, and basic genre in my bullet journal. I used Goodreads for rating and writing a review if I was so inclined. I liked the tracker that told me where I was in the challenge and earning that completed/finished stamp when I hit 52 books was nice.

 

I did not do BINGO or any of the posted challenges this year. I was simply happy to keep up with the Book a Week challenge and hit 52 books.

 

Robin (the amazing Robin) does a wonderful job creating the challenges and keeping the BAW going. There are other posters who are always linking free or reduced cost books. I am grateful to these BAWers as it helps keep me motivated.

 

I do hope you join BAW. It is a no pressure, amiable group and I think you would love it.

 

Edited to add: I am so happy I took the plunge this year. It's been a highlight of 2017.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Scoutermom

[marbel]

I think the name of the BAW thread may lead people to believe that one has to read a book a week to belong.  Even though I called myself a failure, it wasn't because I can't read 52 books most years.  The failure part has more to do with keeping up with the thread.  It's very clear in all the weekly intro posts that everyone is welcome and that there is no requirement to read a book a week, participate in the challenges, etc. 

 

 

[Robin M]

Hi Ottakee, 

 

Dive on into the 52 weeks book thread anytime.  The challenges are all optional and just there for fun, to help us spread our reading wings with new and different authors and genres.  52 Books is the goal, but don't let it intimidate you. It's there as inspiration to get reading.    When we first started several years ago, some of the ladies said they could never read 52 books,  so set their own goal. And now, find themselves reading more than 52.  The book a week thing kinda restricted reading those big fat books some of us love to read.  So it segued into read what you want and if it averages out to 52 books, that's great.   The most important thing is the reading and after that, getting to share with other fellow readers and discovering different books that we may have never considered reading before.   You can participate as much as you want, when you want.  Some weeks are pretty busy, others a bit more slow.  We're a pretty diverse group of readers from the fluffy light reads to the heavy classics.  

 

The 52 Books blog is the spot where links to all the main and mini challenges can be found, as well as the weekly post. Plus Mr linky for those who have a blog and like to write book reviews.   Mr Linky is the name of the program where you add your url address to link to your blog. There are some folks outside of well trained mind who are involved in the challenge as well. 

 

As most of the gals have indicated, there are several ways to keep your lists. Goodreads, journals, spreadsheets.  I'm terrible at keeping Goodreads up to date so have a page on my personal blog - Scrawls and Scrolls - where I keep track of all the books I read.  And when I totally forget to update that list,    :svengo:  I can scroll through the 52 books weekly thread to find my reads and write them down.   Each weekly thread is linked so easy to find the week before or week after.

 

Drop in anytime. It's pretty much a non stop book party with the door always open and everyone welcome!

[Lady Florida.]

There can be no BAW failures - just posters who pop in and out of the thread. I post the books I’ve read plus a review if I liked it. I don’t always participate in the conversations. I notice many posters do the same.

This +100. There's no such thing as book a week failure.

[Ottakee]

Thanks. Looks like I will be joining you this year....at least to some degree.

[mama25angels]

Thanks. Looks like I will be joining you this year....at least to some degree.

I think I will try it too.

[Ottakee]

Now off to try to figure out Good Reads.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Now off to try to figure out Good Reads.

Yay! Let us know when you join. We can link up as Goodreads friends.

[Word Nerd]

Another Goodreads user here.

[guilfordlake]

For whatever reason, I can't get into Goodreads. When I bother recording the books I've read (and the notes from said books), I use Workflowy. One of my goals for the new year is to do a better job tracking the books I read.

Edited December 26, 2017 by guilfordlake

[Matryoshka]

I joined BaW this year for the first time.  I was totally intimidated - I'd only read 8 books the year before, and that seemed like a lot!  But everyone was so friendly and reassured me that I didn't actually have to read a book a week.  I originally set a goal of about half that, and that seemed super-ambitious.  But somehow reading about what everyone else was reading was so inspiring, and also gave me tons of ideas of other books I wanted to read, that I ended up reading around 150 books this year ( :svengo: )  I think that must be even more than I read when I was a book nerd in high school.  But if I'd only read the 20-something, or even  5 or 10 or 15, that still would have been a success.

 

The BaW ladies introduced me to Goodreads, which is where I've been tracking my books and maintaining my To-Read list.  You can create shelves to sort them, but you can also sort by multiple shelves, so I could search for 'to-read, nonfiction, German' or some such thing.  And you can create whatever shelves make the most sense to you.  I keep a Goodreads tab open on my laptop and my phone all the time (yes, I'm one of those who always has too many tabs open), and I just pop in regularly.  With all the friends I have from BaW who also update, I always have an interesting feed to look at to see what new books (or old favorites) others are reading or have discovered.  That makes it really fun.  But I do all my social discussing here, not on Goodreads.

 

I did also end up making a Word table to keep track of what books I was reading for different challenges, but that's just an extra level of nerd no one needs to aspire to. :lol:

Edited December 26, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Violet Crown]

Agreeing that there is no way to fail at Book a Week. I do few challenges (only those that happen to coincide with something I wanted to read soon anyway) - don't use Goodreads - often miss threads pretty much entirely - and take the occasional sabbatical. I keep my book list on a piece of notebook paper in a folder on a bookshelf. Pretty often I just list the book(s) I've read that week and don't talk about them, unless someone else wants to. Robin has yet to cast me out for nonparticipation. She has plenty of bells and whistles for those who want them; there are lots of participants who read copiously and discuss the books intelligently and at length; all of that is optional.

 

tl;dr

BaW Rules: (1) Read a book. (2) Repeat.