I have always loved to read, which makes working in a library very enjoyable. I have loved reading as far back as I can remember, although I spent more time reading at some stages of my life than others. I read a lot of books in high school, but not so many in college, mostly because I was spending more time doing required reading instead of reading for pleasure. Shortly after college I worked in Downtown Chicago for a year while living in the suburbs, and I read many books on the train, traveling back and forth to work. I didn't start keeping a list of all the books I have read until about fifteen years ago, and now I sincerely wish I had started many years before. One of my smart coworkers made a list of all the books she read, even in high school, and I wish now that I had thought to do the same thing.
When I started keeping a list of the books I've read, at first I wrote them all down chronologically, then eventually transferred them to a typed document. I did this until I found Goodreads. I have found that this is a wonderful place for me to keep track of books I have read, and also books that I want to read. Not only that, but you can put them into categories of your own choosing. Since I started using Goodreads I have added most of the books that I remember reading, and have split them up into categories. I am a big fan of historical fiction, so I have quite a few historical fiction categories, including Middle Ages, Civil War, World War II, and more.
Another benefit of Goodreads is having friends on the site and seeing some of the books they read. When you are finished reading a book, you can rate it from 1-5 stars, and you can see the ratings your friends give for their books. I have some friends who have reading tastes similar to mine, and I like getting ideas from them about other books to read. It's a great place to get book recommendations. Under the "browse" feature there are a bunch of great options, including new teleases, which lists books written by well-known authors that will be published in the next six months. Goodreads is one of my favorite websites!
