105 Ways to Give a Book

Organizing Book Thoughts On A Completely Random Day

I have today off work. I usually work on Wednesday, so this is actually an extra day of freedom in my week. I should be using this time to clean up my so very messy house. And I did a little bit of cleaning. But mostly... not.

I read a book. Desperate Journey. I liked it. I’ll talk about it later.

I puttered around the Internet. Found this great riff on the new iPhone. (Thanks Daily Nooz).

I ordered two shirts from One Horse Shy, the TEAM PLUTO shirt and the Stewart/Colbert 2008. I debated on the Orange is the New Tan shirt, but went with the others.

I laughed at the Chickens to the Rescue Stage Performance and promptly wondered how I could steal — I mean use — the idea. I enjoyed a review of Toys Go Out over at Seven Impossible Things, and not just for the subtle, anti-Tulane references.

I checked on another kidlitosphere friend to see if we can still help her win a photo contest and we can.

I threw in a load of wash. And then another. And there will probably be at least one more. I’ll fold the clothes and match the socks — oh so many socks — during the American Idol show I recorded. Don’t scoff, it’s the perfect laundry-folding show.

I need to put my sweaters in my dresser drawers, because apparently it is no longer going to be a balmy seventy degrees, but actually winter. And it’s January, so probably about time I got around to putting the cold weather clothes in my room rather then pulling sweatshirts out of the boxes one at a time.

But in the book world, a post in Finding Wonderland started me thinking about how I organize my thoughts about books. As I am done with a book, I make notes. Sometimes its just little reminders, a quote from the book, or a thought I had while reading. Sometimes I basically write the whole post. I tried writing in a notebook, but I kept misplacing it. I tried writing in a word document, but I found I would want to add to it at work. Now I send my notes in an email to myself and file the message in a reviews folder until I want to use it. Some, I suspect, will never be used. Some I use the next day; it just depends what I feel inspired to write about it.

So while I winterize my wardrobe, only three months behind schedule, comment and discuss your own system for remembering, recording, and reviewing books.

4 comments:

web said...

That is basically how I work, except I try not to ever leave the review unfinished and move on, because I pretty much never come back. If I don't pull all my notes together into a review within a day or two, I might as well kiss it goodbye.

I can't read another children's book in the meantime, either, which is another reason not to linger too long.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link. Yes, Toys Go Out is great. If I had remembered your "anti-Tulane" review of it, I'd have linked to you. I have a vague memory of reading that. And now I'm going to go read it again -- your review, that is. Cheers!

Bill said...

Do not taunt iPhone.

Michele said...

I mark up a book with small sticky notes to show what quotes I want to use or to highlight a point I want to discuss, then I write the review - sometimes in my head, depending on when I finished the book and when I'll get a chance to get to my Blog. I try to write a review within 24 hours or less of finishing the book - but unlike web, I will start a new book before I've written a review of the previous book...