How do I know what I read 20-something years ago? It certainly isn't from memory because I can barely remember things from last week, let alone decades ago. No. Some time after graduating from college, I picked up one of those bound blank books Crate N Barrel was selling at the time and started to write down the titles and authors of books I had read. Ever have that experience of picking up a book, starting to read, and going,"Hey! Have I read this one already?" I suspect it's the curse of reading mystery series--even if they have letters or numbers to help you keep them straight. So, in order to avoid that, I started to keep track.
Though I'm sure I missed books here and there (and I did not include books I read in either of my graduate programs), I've pretty much been filling this little book ever since. On the inside cover, I've also recorded the addresses and phone numbers of the places I've lived (and in which reading has taken place). Twelve different locations in the last two decades!! That's not counting the house we sublet that summer. Happily, the last address on the list should remain the same for awhile. Tenure and a mortgage payment will do that. :) I just counted, and I have about 16 pages left in the book which means a couple more years of reading at least.
My recommendation is to start keeping track. It's fun to look back and see what you've read and when. I can also see what books I like to re-read from time to time. I've gone back and re-read various Harry Potter titles just before the next has come out and every two years or so, I read Emma Bull's War for the Oaks, a sentimental favorite for so many reasons. (A topic for a future post, perhaps . . . what do you re-read and why).
As for the final installment of Harry, take your time and savor it. I know that feeling of "not wanting it to end" very well. It's how I know a book (or movie or TV show) has really captured me. I don't want to leave the fictional world (Hogwarts, Sunnydale, etc.) and in many ways, the fictional world clings to me for days/weeks afterwards. That's the draw of good stories for me. I like to escape.
Happy reading!
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3 comments:
i've often thought of doing this very thing. but, i'm lazy and haven't ever done it. maybe i'll start today, though. I'm in the middle of 4 books at the moment, so my list will start off with a bang!
I actually did that every summer as a kid. So, about five years ago, I decided to start keeping track again. It's been fun, at the end of the year, to see how much fiction vs. non-fiction, kidlit, re-reads I've done in the past year.
Look at me, finally reading some of the earlier Fertile Plots blog entries...anyway, I just want to chime in here, since I too started keeping a list about 4 years ago. I was inspired by my friend Rachel, who is a writer; she told me that every time she reads something (and she reads a lot - it's part of her job!), she tries to write a paragraph or two, giving a summary of the plot and comments on the book. I thought that this would be really useful to keep track of what I read, and I've found it's great for making me think a bit more about what I've just read.
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