I've decided to put my reading journal online. Until now, it resided only in a blank book I was gifted with many years ago, around 1970, I think. It has a gnome motif and is called a Gnome Gnotebook. I am continuing to write in it, given it's barely half full, but thought I could share its contents here because, well, I'm addicted to blogging, if you haven't guessed. Once all the previous years have been entered here, I'll add to it as I add each book I finish reading, similar to the list I maintain on Shelly's Book Shelf. And when I list a book (in more recent years) that I've reviewed there, I'll hotlink it.My reading journal is not detailed. I list title, author, and make note if SF (science fiction), and NF (non-fiction). Genre can be iffy at times (lots of times), so this is a hit or miss thing. I don't expect everyone to agree with what I include in SF or exclude. And genre is even fuzzier when it comes to separating mysteries from suspense or thrillers or spy fiction, so I never indicated those, nor horror.
I do not rate books. I don't like comparing if I can help it, which is what a rating system boils down to. I expect each book I read to stand on its own and I judge them on that basis. What I look for in my reviews is whether or not I liked the book and if so, did it have an emotional impact on me? Did it grab me by the heart and did I need to forcibly sever the connection when I reached the last sentence? If I have time, I'll try to add a comment for each title to indicate if I liked or didn't like the book. For this, I need to trust my admittedly spotted memory, but then, that will depend on how memorable the books were.
In addition, it seems that I didn't write down everything I read, merely the ones I wanted to remember. As luck would have it, I actually remember reading books I don't see listed. A few that I knew I read, I entered in years close to when I think I read them. Others, I will probably leave out. Not recorded are the hundreds of children's mystery series books I devoured: Nancy Drew, The Dana Girls, Trixie Beldon, a few Judy Bolton and Kay Tracy mysteries, plus The Bobbsey Twins (my younger sister's books), Clara Barton, Cherry Ames, a couple of Happy Holisters, even the Hardy Boys books I read as an adult.
My reviews, which don't date back further than sometime last year, over on Shelly's Book Shelf, will tell you in detail if I liked something. You'll also note the link in the sidebar for My Favorite Books. I'm not good at picking just a few favorites of anything, mostly, so the lists, which are by genre, are rather long.
At any rate, if you stop by, I hope you find a title or two that intrigues you enough to give it or them a try. After all, that's a big part of why we share online what we read.
