Thursday, September 3, 2009

Literary Bite: Reading Logs

Due to an unfortunate event in my life - aka The Fountainhead, I do not have a new book to report on this week. 

BUT, that does not mean that I am at a loss for words. (Let's be real, I am quite the Chatty Cathy.)

I am a huge advocate of the Running Log (see the sidebar on this blog). What you may not know, is that long before the Running Log, I was all about the Reading Log. I have been keeping record of all the books I've read since January 2001. That was mid-8th grade. A LONG time ago. 

There are a few reasons I am so into Logs. 
a) I like to keep a record of what I've done to look back on.
b) It's satisfying to finish a book and record it. (Same feeling as logging a run). It makes it feel like it really happened. Because if you don't write it down, and then completely forget about it, it's kind of lost, right?
c) When friends ask for book suggestions, I can look back and remember which ones I liked. 
d) I'm a teeny-tiny bit OCD.
e) And I'm really glad that I now have this almost-9-year record of books I've read. 

So I'm a Logger. I suggest you become one too. Everyone has their own style, but this is how I do it (feel free to copy me):

- My reading log is an unassuming small green notebook. Nothing fancy.
- When I finish a book, I write down the title and the author. 
- I only log completed books (Thus my determination to finish The Fountainhead.)
- If the book is a repeat, then it gets a star. One star for every other time I've read the book. (So if I just read a book for the third time, it will have two stars next to the name.)

That's all. So get logging!

To prove my point that logging is useful, here is a list of my most-read books - available to you thanks to my star system. Most of these books come from pre-college, just because college reading really cut into my own personal reading ventures. But that doesn't mean they're not good!

Night - Elie Weisel *

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman**

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman***

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman***

Brighty of the Grand Canyon - Marguerite Henry*

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott*


The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J.R.R. Tolkien***

The Call of the Wild and Other Stories - Jack London*

The Chosen - Chaim Potock*


Little Men - Louisa May Alcott***

Going Solo - Roald Dahl***

Mossflower - Brian Jacques*

The Butterfly Revolution - William Butler*