Ways to Record Your Reading Progress

⛤= I do this

Handwritten Notebook ⛤

I have one notebook that has all of my book recordings in it. I put the book title, author name, date I finished, and what star rating I give it. It’s simple, but nice to have when I don’t have access to my digital list.

Desktop Notecards ⛤

I have several reading/book related note cards on my desktop. I have one for finished books, books I want to buy, books I want to check out at the library, books I want as ebooks, and reading goals for the year. I use the note cards as “side thoughts” something set for reminders more than anything. Being in reading slump the past couple years has me forget about certain books, so writing them down (with release dates if they’re not out yet) helps me remember them. Sometimes I get in the mood to read because I present myself with more options.

Twitter thread ⛤

I am on my second year of recording what I read on Twitter. I do this so my followers can see what kind of books I’ve been enjoying. It’s also nice for when I want to check when I finished a book earlier that year all I have to do is pull up Twitter. There is one flaw I’ve noticed this year, though. It’ll only load half of the thread, or in my case, only to February. I would have to search the last book I finished to see the whole thing. Still debating if I want to continue doing that next year.

Goodreads

I have a goodreads account, but I’m setting it up like an author account. Besides that, I don’t really use Goodreads anymore. It is good for people who want to organize their books with more digital details. You’re able to shelf books you’ve read, interested in reading, not interested in reading, and whatever else you want. You can make a shelf of all of the books you read for a book club. Really, your imagination is the limit. There is an app you’re able to use on your phone as well. Just know that a lot of the complaints that people give about Goodreads is the drama that comes from the reviews. So if you don’t want to get sucked into that, just avoid reading reviews. As a tool by itself, Goodreads is not too shabby.

Spreadsheet

There is a learning curve for using a spreadsheet. I’ve never used a spreadsheet to record my reading progress, but I know a lot of readers do! It is straight data, and can very detailed like Goodreads. You use formulas, and are able to color code your text. That’s as far as my knowledge goes with this; you’re welcome to do your own research and make it your own if this suggestion intrigues you.

Digital Document ⛤

This is how I first started to write down everything! I use Google Docs as a more “formal” way to do things. With the ability to add headers, and format the text to what you want, it gives you a different form of freedom. Sadly, Google Docs is a general tool, and will only help readers so much with recording our progress. If anything, Docs is a good place to store and write book reviews more than anything. Simple paragraphs and lists. If that’s what you’re looking for, then Google Docs is for you.

Making Videos/Joining Booktube

I used to make videos for Booktube (tried twice) and just concluded I wasn’t comfortable being in front of the camera. I enjoyed the editing part more than anything. Becoming a booktuber is a great way of keeping track of your reading life! In the Booktube world, people make videos of the books they buy, the books they want to read, and a summary of the books they finished. Although it’s underappreciated, some people also do book reviews as well. Being a Booktuber is a hard feat, especially when growing an audience is so difficult. Know what you’re getting yourself into before taking on the task!

Thank you for reading! I post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Follow me on Twitter @StarAsphodel