A few years ago, I started recording a list of books I'd read in the back of my journal. Then I stopped keeping a journal, but I kept up my list.
When my mom died, we found a spiral journal in a desk at their house. It was her book journal, with a list of books she'd read. Her list was dated (month and year when she read each book), and each title had a 1-2 sentence description of the book.
My siblings gave me the notebook--a treasure. I've enjoyed looking over it, and have gotten some ideas for "what to read next" from my mom's descriptions.
I also got inspired to keep my own book journal. Now I record title, author, and a 1-2 sentence description of each book I read. My journal's on the left in the picture; Mom's is on the right.
I finished a book last night, and this is what I wrote:
The Voyage of the Narwhal, by Andrea Barrett. Naturalist Erasmus Darwin Wells explores the arctic on a ship which meets with extreme circumstances. 19th c. romantic views of the Arctic is destroyed.
3 comments:
I've been keeping mine for about two years now, Jane, and I enjoy doing it. My entries are probably more like 6 or 8 sentences, what I liked about it, why I read it, that sort of thing. I use a 5.5" Moleskine notebook. It's not at all for posterity- I'm sure Mom didn't intend hers to be either!- more for me to keep track of my own reading. I only enter books I read in entirety!
That sounds like a book I would like - I love those arctic adventures for some reason....even though I hate to be cold.
I'd love to see your book journal, Bill!
And EVZ--I also enjoyed the cold weather stories; I was reading them when it was about 90 here!
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