Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers [Spiral-bound]

Rachelle Rogers Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

The ultimate organizing resource for book-lovers and a self-published hit, Read, Remember, Recommend gives readers a one-stop shop to keep track of their reading. Featuring 60 cross-referenced lists of literary awards and notable picks (Pulitzer, National Book Award, 100 Best Books of the Century), this journal offers more than 2500 suggestions to help readers discover great literature and new authors. The journal also provides room to record books read, jot down thoughts and ideas, and keep track of recommendations, books borrowed and loaned, and book club history.

Unlike anything on the market, Read, Remember Recommend keeps readers coming back to bookstores to purchase recommended books, creates opportunities for add-on and return sales, and celebrates the readers' love of books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This journal is a terrific resource. Definitely better than any reading journal I have come across thus far. (Review's By Lola 20100326)

The book is a real treat for a reader. (A Garden Carried in a Pocket 20100320)

This is where I gush like a frickin' waterfall and demand that you pick up this book immediately if not sooner! Forgive my text-speak here but OMG! Where has this book been all my life?! I have purchased and read several "books-about-books" references in the past: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Book Lust, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List (all of which are excellent,) but Rachelle Rogers Knight's Read, Remember, Recommend stands out from the crowd.
(Susan Evans Well Mannered Frivolity 20100331)

You want a list of all Pulitzers, National Book Awards, National Book Critics Circle Awards, Hemingway Foundation/PEN Awards, Governor General's Literary Awards, Scotiabank Giller Prizes, Trillium Book Awards, Man Bookers, Costas, Orange Prizes, Miles Franklins, New York Times Best Books of the Year, (and more but I'm starting to run out of breath) BY YEAR, here it is in one place. With little boxes next to each book that say "Own", "Recommend", "To Read" and "Want". Oooh, I want, I want, I want. (Sandy You've GOTTA Read This 20100402)

Attractive and informative, so if you are looking for something to use yourself, or to give to a book-loving friend, this would be a good candidate. (Harriet Devine Harriet Devine's Blog 20100402)

Anyone who is a compulsive reader, like me, will understand the difficulty of managing the habit. The book buying and reading compulsion that results in manic book buying and lazy days on the couch with nothing to do but read. Read, Remember, Recommend provides so many tools to manage the reading life. It is one of the most useful reading journals that I have found. (Books Like Breathing 20100402)

It's GREAT, and would be a welcome addition to any book lovers collection.
(Bibliophile by the Sea 20100404)

Read, Remember, Recommend is an excellent resource for stellar literature, online recommendations and information, and a place to write down reader's thoughts about their books as they go along. (Savvy Verse & Wit 20100405)

This is a brilliant book for book lovers-how smart of Rachelle to come up with this organizing and fun journal! (Library of Clean Reads 20100405)

I love this reading journal and think it would make a fabulous gift for the readers in your life! (Bermuda Onion 20100406)

Who would appreciate Read, Remember, Recommend? Honestly, any reader!
(Book Club Classics 20100406)

All in all, Read, Remember, Recommend is a wonderful reading journal which I am sure most bibliophiles would love to have. (Melody's Reading Corner 20100407)

a fun resource for readers who like to keep track of what they read. (Diary of an Eccentric 20100408)

This is the coolest book journal that I have seen and used. (Books and Quilts 20100408)

This spiral bound book would be a perfect present for yourself or a book looker in your life! (Books and Other Stuff 20100408)

...an absolute must-have for all book lovers. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I've had looking through this book. This book has so much information in it that I hardly know where to start.
(Booking Mama 20100410)

I can't recommend this journal enough to those who are like me: you love books, and you wish that you had one place where you could record everything to do with your reading. I'm sure when I've used up the pages provided I'll have to go out and buy an updated version. Now that I have one, I can imagine being a reader and blogger without one!
(Book Chic 20100414)

...a great, reasonably priced gift for the booklover on your list. (A Bookworm's World 20100419)

This is my favorite reading journal ever. (Considering All Things Literary 20100419)

The journal is reader-friendly with an attractive cover that book lovers can identify with. (Books Love Me 20100424)

About the Author

Rachelle Rogers Knight is a passionate reader who has enjoyed books her entire life. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Forest Biology from Utah State University and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Weber State University. Rachelle lives in Utah with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks; Spi edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402237189
• ISBN-13: 978-1402237188
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am passionate about books. I love to share great books I've read, chat about books and hear new reading suggestions.

A few years ago, after my second baby was born, my reading life was lost in scrapes of paper. Myriad reading suggestions in the form of magazine and newspaper clippings, emails and names jotted down on old receipts littered my nightstand and purse. When I was able to get to the bookstore for some quality alone shopping time, I was unsure of what to get. I knew I had month's worth of suggestions built up - but where? I wanted to read a Pulitzer Prize winning book from the previous year, but
couldn't remember where I had put the list tracking my 'Pulitzer Challenge'. I was at a loss at my monthly book club to offer feedback about the month's selection. I knew I had some noteworthy discussion points and assumed I would remember them for the meeting.

In a pursuit to get my notes organized, I created an all-inclusive reading journal. Read, Remember, Recommend was born. No longer would I want for a place to quickly jot down a must-needed book or an author's name after hearing an interview. When reading late night in bed with thoughts of the book I was reading buzzing in my head, I now had a place to record these fleeting thoughts and comments. When I researched the location or setting of a particular book, I could record websites to share with my book group. My reading life was now organized.

Another reason I created the Read, Remember, Recommend reading journal series is to help bring notable literature to the attention of all readers. People who are passionate about reading are perpetually searching for noteworthy suggestions. If you are going to spend time reading, you want to be acquainted with exceptional literature. The lists in the journals offer stacks of suggestions in both contemporary and classic literature, spanning centuries. Each list represents the inspiration and effort of an individual or group of people devoted to publicizing what they believe are examples of the world's greatest literature.

As humans, we were born to gather. And we love to look at what we've collected. We bibliophiles (book lovers) need to gather books. We can't deny it--and shouldn't try. And who among us can resist a good annotated list? It is wonderful to turn over the pages of a reading journal--your personal bookshelf in miniature--to see what you have assembled. These journals were created with the book lover in mind. I hope that there size, its ease of use, and the information contained within it will inspire active and involved reading. We also hope it will help you savor your reading accomplishments. When you've scrutinized the lists, go back, note the check marks, check your notes,and celebrate! What you have read will be yours forever.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Bookworms! March 31, 2010

By Susan B. Evans

Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is where I gush like a frickin' waterfall and demand that you pick up this book immediately if not sooner! Forgive my text-speak here but OMG! Where has this book been all my life?! I have purchased and read several "books-about-books" references in the past: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, Book Lust, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List (all of which are excellent,) but Rachelle Rogers Knight's Read, Remember, Recommend stands out from the crowd.

From well-known awards lists such as Pulitzer and Man Book Prize winners, to lesser known awards such as Indies Choice and Dublin Award winners, Read, Remember, Recommend gives readers almost 150 pages of award winners and books that have made various "notable" lists - something for everyone. To the right of each listed book, the author has given the reader space to catalog books owned, recommended, to-be-read, and to-be-purchased.

Read, Remember, Recommend allows the reader to be insanely organized. The remaining pages of the journal are devoted to your to-read, recommendations, loaned books, and journal pages to record the books you read along with dates and page numbers. My only gripe is that there are not enough actual journal pages for the prolific reader. What is given in the book is really just a beginning point for journaling: 47 places for books to be read, 97 places to list books read with dates and page numbers, 67 places to "journal" about books read, 48 places to list books you recommend to others, 32 places to list books loaned and 32 places to list borrowed books - it may sound like a lot, but you could fill these pretty quickly if you're a serious reader.

One of the best features of Read, Remember, Recommend is the "References and Resources" section in the back of the book.... Knight has organized 25 pages of web addresses for all manner of literary prizes and awards, as well as online book club sites, book exchange sites, social networking sites for readers, and - my FAVORITE - book blogs! I am thrilled to tell you that many of my favorite book blogs are listed in the literary blogs or lighter book-related blogs section. My blog is not listed, but I can forgive that because this book is FANTASTIC!

Rachelle Rogers Knight's Read, Remember, Recommend is the absolute best journal for readers! The copious checklists and reading suggestions are a book-lover's dream and the literary resources listed in the back of the book are exhaustive and thorough. Bibliomaniacs interested in chronicling their adventures in reading will fall in love with Read, Remember, Recommend! Read more ›

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a good fit for me August 12, 2010

By Debra Hamel TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Spiral-bound

Read, Remember, Recommend is a spiral-bound reading journal with six tabbed sections: Awards and Notable Lists, To Read, Journal Pages, Recommendations, Loaner Lists, and Resources. In the introduction to the journal the author explains that one goal of the book is to "promote great works of fiction and literature," and indeed this purpose of the book is given pride of place. The Awards and Notable Lists section takes up the first part of the book and is over 150 pages long, containing lists of award-winning books from Pulitzer Prize winners to winners of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Next to each award-winning book listed there are checkboxes: Own, Recommend, To Read, Want. For my own purposes this section is pretty much wasted space, but there is presumably some subset of readers out there who are serious about reading through lists of award-winning books. If so, this would be a great tool for the purpose.

The To Read section is far briefer, with room to list 50 books that one is interested in getting one's hands on, and with the checkboxes Own, Recommend, To Read, Want. "To Read" would seem to be an otiose checkbox, but maybe you could check it off after you're read the book to indicate that it's no longer among the to be read.

The Journal Pages section ought to be the meat of the book, one would think, but it weighs in at only about 60 pages and it's stuck in the middle. The section offers four pages for simply listing read books by title and date finished. The rest of the section includes pages on which one can write more detailed information about the book--passages to remember, comments and thoughts, etc.... Confusingly, some of the entries allow a half page per book, while others provide a page and a half or two pages of space and include additional fields, such as "words to define" and "passages to remember." By my count there is room to journal about 66 book.

The Recommendations section is eight pages long, with room to note to whom one has recommended particular books. I can't imagine anyone being anal retentive enough to want to record their recommendations, but again, there must be someone out there who does this.

Loaner Lists more helpfully provides room for one to record books lent and borrowed. It's eight pages long and half of each page is given to lent, half to borrowed.

Finally, the Resources section provides a bunch of information: websites of book awards, a list of book blogs, definitions of literary terms, etc.

A book journal is like a calendar or planner in that the selection of format and how one uses it is a very personal thing: what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. If you're trying to decide what book journal to get, you'll want to at least see pictures of the potential choices yourself to see if it can fit into your life. As for me, Read, Remember, Recommend simply doesn't fit the bill. I have a number of issues with it:

* The Awards section is unnecessary and takes up an inordinate amount of space
* The Journal Pages section is weirdly laid out and doesn't offer enough space
* Information found in the Resources section could easily be found on the web
* I can't imagine wanting to write down whom I've recommended a book to
* The Journal Pages section has room to write about 66 books; that is, once you've finished those, this thick, elaborate book is defunct

On the plus side, the book is attractive, and the spiral binding and tabs are a big plus.

Read, Remember, Recommend is like one of those thick calendar/planner type books. They look great. They look as if you could organize your whole life around them. But in practice they're too much, corresponding to someone else's vision of how the information you use should best be organized. For me a sturdy blank book would be preferable, a Moleskin maybe, to which you could add your own tabs if you needed to designate different sections. That would not only be better suited to one's individual needs, but it would in the end provide a lot more usable space. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite find! April 9, 2010

By pdxdre

Format:Spiral-bound

This book is a great resource and organizing tool. I picked this book up after hearing the buzz circulating about it and I love it! This book is perfect for many different types of readers. For those like me, who have trouble keeping track of what I have read, what I want to read and perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY, the books I love that I have loaned out-this is ideal and keeps me feeling organized. And, don't we all secretly thrive on a sense of organization and accomplishment? I do. This book facilitates that.
I have already taken my version along to my local book store to refer to when I was perusing the shelves and discovered that I walked out with a few books that have been on my "list" forever, but are always forgotten once I step into the bookstore.
I am planning on using this as my go-to gift for graduation season...which is quickly approaching. Spreading the joy of reading and our collective knowledge of literature will make our overgrowing world seem a bit more familiar and local.
For me, I like that the book is not some huge binder that would be difficult to throw in my purse. Perfect size.
If you have not picked this book up yet, you should. It is going to spread like wildfire!
More to come....heck ya! Brilliant idea.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for all but the voracious reader April 4, 2010

By Cathy G. Cole TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Spiral-bound

Billed as the ultimate organizing resource for book lovers, Read, Remember, Recommend gives readers one spiral-bound place to keep track of their reading. According to most of the people who've ever worked with me, "organized" is my middle name, so when a publicist for Sourcebooks asked me if I'd like a copy to read and review, I couldn't say no. (Most organized people seldom turn down opportunities to fine-tune their skills.)

When I received the book, the very first thing I did was get in my comfy chair with the book and a pen and start turning the pages. There are six tabbed sections in the book:

1. Awards and Notable Lists
2. To Read
3. Journal Pages
4. Recommendations
5. Loaner Lists
6. Resources

The largest section by far is Awards and Notable Lists. This section is invaluable for anyone who loves to read the winners of any major prize in the English-speaking world. I tend to avoid prize winners, yet I'm always interested to see how many of them have slipped through my radar. Each prize is listed by year, with 2010 and 2011 blank so this journal has room to grow. Author and book title are next followed by columns for Own, Recommend, To Read, and Want. I found those columns to be of the "glass half full" variety. There were several books that I read but didn't own and wouldn't recommend to anyone, yet there was no column for me to record any of that.

The second tabbed section, To Read, was much too slim for any sort of rabid reader: ten pages with space for six entries... or sixty books. My wish list at Paperback Swap has 200 books that I want to read, and my reminder list there holds over 300 additional entries. I don't think I've had as few as sixty books I've wanted to read since I was six....

The Journal Pages section could be very useful; however, I read well over 150 books in a year, so this section would be too small for me as well. If you're starting to get the distinct impression that I have reservations about this book, you would be correct. It would be perfectly fine for anyone who reads a dozen or so books per year, but for the dedicated, serious reader, it's just too small. A three-ring binder format would be much better, especially for sections like Journal Pages and To Read.

The Recommendations section would help me keep track of where I learned about certain books, but it, too, was small.

The Loaner Lists section could come in handy for those who loan out their books. I don't, since I had someone borrow books that were near and dear to me and then subsequently lose them. If you have things like that happen to you and you're passionate about books, you soon learn not to loan them out.

The last section of the book, Resources, is a gold mine. There are URLs for all the book awards, a section listing URLs for book blogs, bookstore blogs, social networking sites for readers, book exchange sites, and book clubs. Not sure of a literary term? Look it up in the glossary in back. Of all the sections in this book, Resources is of the most use to me.

I think Read, Remember, Recommend is an excellent resource for people who enjoy reading and would like a bit of guidance in order for them to read more. For anyone who is a dedicated, voracious reader, the book may be of some use, but several of the tabbed sections are just too small. I would also wonder if the format is the best for voracious readers and bloggers, among whom I count myself. So much of the tracking and recording of my personal reading is done on my computer. I really can't see myself picking up a book to do this when I have spreadsheets and other forms already at my fingertips.

Be that as it may, this idea is spreading. There is already an edition for teens, and editions are in the works for Mystery Lovers, Romance Lovers, Nonfiction Lovers and Kids. What interested me the most was this: "Watch for ebook versions of both journals--track your reading from your computer, iphone, or electronic reader." Now that really interests me! Read more ›