I have also created an excel spreadsheet using the same data so that I can easily sort through all the books to see exactly which ones I've read and how long it has been since I read them. But I could never break the habit of maintaining a hard copy of the same information. And as of February 1, I have been doing this for fifty years, something that blows my mind. What was I thinking all those years ago when I jotted down that first title information? Certainly not that I would be sitting at something called a computer and writing a note to the world about what I had just done. And most certainly not that the list would stand at 3,490 titles some fifty years later.
The world has changed drastically since February 1, 1970, and so have I and everyone I know. But the list goes on and on. Strangely enough, I find that to be rather comforting. Browsing the list brings back lots of memories as I try to remember what was going on in my life when I read specific titles. It still surprises me that the memories work in both directions: sometimes the book title by itself reminds me of a certain period in my life, and sometimes it's the date that brings back clear memories of reading the book.
Here are a couple of sample pages of what the list actually looks like:
I kept a list before the actual blog too, though not as extensive as yours! After I started blogging I went back and wrote posts about some of the books from my handwritten list, to jog my own memory- only it was sad how little I remembered of some of them. I wish I'd made some kind of notes instead of just the author/titles.
ReplyDeleteI do wish I had made some notes on each of the books, Jeane, but then I probably would have ended up giving up on the whole thing at some point. It surprises me how just writing down the date next to the books read has helped me recall more about them than would have otherwise been the case. Lots of memory-triggering links going on.
Delete50 years worth of reading. Wow. That's amazing! I keep a list of the books I've read, too, but I've only been doing it for the last 5 years, or so. So it's not nearly as long as yours. :D
ReplyDeleteYou'll be there before you know it, Lark. I know I was. LOL
DeleteI've been keeping notebooks for about 15 years. I really wish I'd been doing it for 50 years too, then I might know the titles of some of those 'lost' books that I'd like to read again but cannot remember the title or the author.
ReplyDeleteMy excel spreadsheet is invaluable, Cath. It's kept me from re-buying a book or re-reading one I have around the house on numerous occasions. It's particularly useful, I find, when trying to keep up with my series reading.
DeleteCongratulations on keeping up with your list, Sam! It is quite a challenge to keep track of reading over a 50 year period!
ReplyDeleteI was shocked a few months ago when I realized this anniversary was coming up so soon, Jen. I'm especially surprised that I didn't lose this latest notebook somewhere in all the movies I made from country to country in the last three decades. It was always in-country with me, but somehow or another it survived.
DeleteI just love this so much!! I wish I had done this my whole life. I've read two on your pages - Night Lights and Rumpole of the Bailey. And maybe the Robert B. Parker - I was on quite a kick of his books for a while when he was still living. Is your wife a big reader, too??
ReplyDeleteMy wife reads three or four books a month, on average, but she's not a list-keeper like I am. She's very casual about her reading and doesn't stress out about goals and such the way that I do. Sometimes I think she has the right idea. :-)
DeleteSam, thanks so much for sending the link to this post - very impressive. Were you an accountant prior to retirement? You seem very methodical.
ReplyDeleteSure was, Diane, a CPA, in fact, although I spent the best part of my career working in North Africa and Europe as finance manager on oil company projects in Algeria. My wife tells me it's not easy being married to an accountant...I suspect she's right about that.
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