How do you keep your lists of books that you want to read/acquire?

Hello all!! I love to look at all the books everyone has read and keep a running list of all that I would like to read/acquire. I'm sure everyone else is the same!!

Any suggestions? I was keeping a list in my purse in my planner, but its getting rather long and sometimes I can't remember what the book is about. Depending on my mood, I may not want to read a certain book. Do you divide into fiction, non-fiction, biographies? Do you write a quick summary of the book or what its about? Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

I have been one of those list-in-the-purse people too, only to find it was in the wrong purse, etc. Now, I'm thinking about a tag in my LT library, something like; need it, want it, desire, to buy. I have had good responses so far from bookstore owners about checking out my profile to see if I already have said book I was interested in. Only be sure to keep your password private and cue the computer when you sign out to not remember it on that computer.

My library only lists books I own, so for the "books to read" they are labeled TBR, and subdivided into "haven't read yet" or "haven't finished yet". My "to acquire" list is my Amazon wishlist. I do keep a list in my purse, but it's mostly upcoming books in different series(-es?plural of series?) or books I really, really want right now!

I used to keep a list of books I already owned in different series, but I didn't update it often enough and it got confusing.

I keep a special book for the purpose and that works. I highlight the books I particularly want to buy. To keep the books in my memory, however, I have to read over my list at least once a week.

I keep a stick post on my livejournal (i.e. it is post-dated so it always stays at the top) that includes a list of all the books I want to read, books I want to buy, and a few other things like when the tv shows I like to watch are on (I never remember) and what movies sounded interesting. I can access my LJ from anywhere with internet and I'm on the internet a lot, so it seemed the most logical place to put it.

I've always kept a list of "Books to watch for", usually on a single sheet of paper that I keep with my appointment book.

For a span of years back in the pre-computer age, my list grew until I was keeping it as a separate 3x5 notebook. Now, it's back down to a single-page document, one that I update on my computer and reprint as the old one (gets crossed off)/(falls apart from use).

Eventually, I imagine I'll somehow integrate my Want List with my LT account; I've homesteaded a second account for the purpose, but I most likely won't start actively using it as a Want List until I figure out some sort of dedicated hand-held device (yay, "LT for Palm").

Bob, if ONLY my tbr list could fit on a single sheet of paper!!

Like others, I tag books to be read on LT.

Books I have but have not read are tagged so on LT (with ones that are on the top of the stack getting the extra tag "on deck").

Books I don't own but would like to are on Amazon in two wishlists - one for books I haven't read, and one for books I've read but would like to own my own copy. I don't always buy them off Amazon, but it's a convenient way to have them in one place and to scroll down the list looking for cheap used-book listings.

Bob, if ONLY my tbr list could fit on a single sheet of paper!!

miss_read: I find that as I age, I can no longer keep track of more than a single sheet of paper.

When I'm browsing a bookstore, a single-page list of (say) 50 "Books to Look For" is typically perfectly appropriate for my time and budget. That is: I don't have the time or money to browse for everything.

I find that I'm beginning to use BookMooch as a 'wish list'.

(And LT came along just as I was wearying of keeping the hard copy of my home-brew catalog up-to-date. Relatively soon, I'll have my LT catalog available on a hand-held device. THEN watch out....)

I keep a small spiral notebook in my purse that has books written down on it. When I am looking around the bookstore I will write down titles to books that look interesting and then check online when I get home for reviews on it.

I keep a moderately lengthy amazon wishlist...plus a whole lot of titles in my head...that I consult before trips to the bookstore, for ideas. Then, once I start shopping, all prior wishlist commitments disappear and I end up bringing home whatever looked good at the time, and wondering why my unread pile keeps growing.

In fact, this happened to me just last night. But I always end up with such good stuff that way!

Yup, I've got my 'to be read' list on Bookmooch, too.

But, with over 100 books on my BM Wishlist, and 125 on my 'save for later' list, the TBR pile just keeps getting deeper! I'm one of those people who feel obligated to mooch when stuff is available--as soon as I have the points, that is--when something shows up on my wishlist.

But...the problem is that when a book I have wishlisted comes up, I am starting to think "Hmmmm... where did I hear about this one and why was I interested enough to add it to my wishlist?" LOL--bookmooch lists need a reminder column so I can add notes to myself about where recommendations came from.

I've kept a "TBR" list and the oldest item on the list has been there for 41 years. It is Journey to the End of Night" by Céline and from what I have read over the past four decades I do not think I will ever read this book.

I have some books on the list that have been on for at least ten years...and I am reconciled the the idea that rereading books that I really love will often trump the siren call of the new.

I also used to put a list on paper in keep it in my purse (you know, handy in case I stop by the bookstore!) But I always lose the paper or they get so torn and old that I have to make another list.

So what I've done now is use Amazon shopping cart as a way to keep my list. (I don't know why I never used the Wishlist, but I don't.) When I decide maybe to get a book or two (the most I buy at a time is 4) I just peruse my cart list and jot down about 5 books to choose from. I go to the bookstore, get the books, and sit down and read a bit from each. Depending on which one (or two!) I really want to read at the moment, that's the one I'll get and the others go back on the list.

It's always worked for me, I can't handle really long lists.

I used to write down the names and authors, and sometimes the ISBNs or publishers of books I was interested in finding, on business cards, napkins, post-it notes -- anything that was handy at the time. It finally hit me -- too many chunks of paper!

I entered them all into Notepad (don't want to get too fancy...), but transferred it all over to Word document. Now the titles are italicized and the author's names are blue , and it's much easier to read. So, I print it out and carry it with me. The problem is, it's a full 2 pages long, in a 10 font.

I've now gotten into the habit of leaving the list with the owner or manager of the last store I go to on a given day, and printing out a new list before I begin my next quest. I also let them know that I'm looking for a quality (and hopefully first) edition at a reasonable price, and I will be back in a few weeks, or several months.

being Canadian I use the chapters.indigo.ca wishlist option (it allows me to see if any of the books I want are in the stores I frequent or are in the area) I keep a notebook in my purse if I'm perusing a bookstore and I see something I might like, but may not want to buy right away (or in the instances of used bookstores to tally up how much my growing pile is :D)

I use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and then I color code them based on genre.

I use the "My list" function that my public library provides, to keep a list of the books I want to read that they have. When I hear on LT about a book, I can search for the book to see if the library has it and if they do, add it to my list from the results page. Currently I have twenty-some books in my list. The library has enough of the books I hear about that lately I've been buying fewer books. I also have a text file in which I list books that the library doesn't have. Every so often, when I've added a few books to it, I print out a new copy and replace the one in my wallet, so that I'll have it with me if I get to stop by a used-book store..

I am keeping a list of books that I want to read on my Nintendo DS that are available from Project Gutenberg here (I don't have them all entered yet) :

http://reader2.com/ajwyrm

I also have a wishlist on Amazon for more modern titles that I will (usually) just check out from the library.

I keep an Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs that correspond to the tags in my LT catalog. My catalog contains many, many books that I don't own and many, many TBRs. I buy few books and prefer to use my local library. Once I finish the book, I write myself a short review and rate it. If it rates the highest (3-step scale), I'll typically put it on a to-be-purchased list. The Excel file stays on my home computer, my work computer, and my PDA, all synchronized as necessary.

I've kept a list in a journal since July 2004. In the front I list the books that I want to read, in the back I list the books that I have actually finished.

For my to-read list, I used to just note the title and author, but I now also make a very short note of why I want to read the book and where the recommendation came from (if relevant).

When I'm too tired to read, or only have a few minutes, I like to read through this book of lists. I find it very relaxing.

I keep a database list on my computer and every so often (2 maybe 3 times a year) I format it a printit out. Then I cut the Pages down and bind them with a Japanese 5 stitch bind. That way I can carry the list with me. In the time between printings I cross out books which have been purchased and scrible new books on the backs of the pages.

Because I'm usually finding out about books or authors that could be of interest on the Internet, I add a relevant page as I go along to my Favourites in IE Explorer (in a subfolder called 'Possible next reads').

I'm really confused. Why not just add a book to your Library list under the category of "TBR", whether you own the book or not? Works for me.

#24 - You can put anything in your library you want and tag it however you want to. There are no shelf "police", but just as everyone has a different idea of what their library should contain, they also have different ways to keep track of things.

I only enter books I've read in my LT library, but at Shelfari it's different. They have a separate shelf to keep books you are looking for. I suppose none of it matters much to me because I am not into the statistics and numbers of it all, but it's amazing how much those numbers mean to other folks here! :)

I do keep a separate list of books I've read each year on my computer in my Works file. Just the title, month read, author, genre and a star rating. It's easier to look there for me because I haven't entered all the date read stats here.

I also have a folder on my toolbar with links to author's bibliographies whose works I'm interested in but need to be read in order.

MrsLee,

All good points. LT has so many good features. I don't use them but they are a nice touch.

I started using LT to catalog my books. Now I scan all the group messages and drop a few book titles found there into my TBR file. I get great pleasure changing the category when I'm done reading. And I try not to focus on the numbers either. That ol' TBR pile is getting huge!

So true