As a reader I have a tall TBR (to-be-read) pile. My goal is to move those books into the JBR (just-been-read) stack. Then my intention is to get them shelved on Goodreads.
You remember that bit about the road to the bad place being paved with good intentions?
Lately, I am confronted by a weird phenomenon as a result of the digital revolution in self-publishing. Don’t get me wrong, I think eBooks are wonderful. The ability to travel and take along ALL of my favorite reads without loading up an extra piece of luggage has been a boon.
I read on dedicated devices, cell phones, computers, tablets, etc. I’m not picky. I still read print versions too, but mostly reference materials. Almost all the fiction I consume these days is in a digital format. One downside I’ve found to the digital version of a book is that I don’t see the cover once I begin reading. That page is left behind by the advancement tab, never to be seen again. Well, at least until I archive the book.
This often leads to having NO idea which title I’m reading or the name of the author. I doubt I’m alone in this situation. After seeing a book on my bedside table, in the car, on the couch, beside my desk… eventually I learn to associate the cover design with the title and the author. Then it’s imprinted. I can see that combination of elements (or even something similar to it) even years later and know it’s a volume I’ve read.
Ebooks don’t do this for me.
The extra frustrating part of this conundrum is that when I get around to updating my shelves on Goodreads – I don’t know what I’ve read! And I feel bad. I want to let writers know I read their work. I want other readers to know writers read too.
Taking a little bit of extra effort to gather up my reading devices and sorting through the archived files to locate all the books I’ve read and then shelving them on Goodreads is a small thing. I want to do it. The reality is I don’t always have the time. Again, I suspect other people struggle with this too.
Since I read two or three books a week this way – and often listen to audiobooks while driving – by the time the end of the year rolls around, the virtual pile is lengthy. Some of you have made wonderful recommendations about books you thought I’d like. I read many of them. Someday, I hope to share my thoughts on the ones I really enjoyed.
If you’ve come up with a system to combat this challenge, please share. And, happy reading!
Lesann Berry 