All I do is keep a list of my recently read titles in the front half of an old exercise book 'acquired' from the younger son and in the back I list books that have been recommended or I have read about (usually from the w/end papers). These halves are just about to meet in the middle.
I know several people here have beautifully hand-tooled, leather-bound, gold-leafed, velum-paged tomes and they have been ashamed, on my behalf, that I cannot do better . . . but, there you go, I'm too old to change. And as for the memory; don't even start. :-)

I keep a record of books read alphabetically by author, date published, date read, and a brief description in 6x9" looseleaf noteboks. I've been doing this since 1998, and I now have four notebooks. Not that I read a lot. It does help me keep up with series books, and now that I can request library books online, I can order sequentially the ones I've missed, assuming they have them, of course.

I started a reading journal in May (of this year). For the same reason you are. I also keep mine alphabetically by author. I record on the author's page the title, date read, date published, number of pages and the publisher. I only write a few words (often one word) about the book. It's just over 6 months now and I have already learned one thing. I read alot more than even I thought.

Since September 1980, I've been keeping track of my reading in inexpensive imitation leather diaries. You can easily find these in any book or stationery store. I write down the title, author, date finished, year published, number of pages, and category (ie: novel, biography, play, etc). I am not a voracious reader, so I have not found this system too much of a chore.

I really encourage readers to keep some sort of a book journal. Its very much like keeping a diary, but is much less work. It is also very satisfying to look back at all you've read. Even slow-readers (like me) can feel a sense of accomplishment.

I've tried several online sites, but I really haven't found one which suits my needs.

Years ago I used to have a small pocket boolet, to write down books that I read:
title, author, date published, date I started it and finished it, and a couple of sentences about my impression/experience.

Now I do it in my computer. I have several folders:
Book Log, where I compile the information I mention above.
I also mention any book-related activity like library booksales, and which books I bought in the sale. Since usually I buy many, I want to have an idea later how long they've hanging around, waiting to be read. .

Another folder is Books to Check Out: books that I have seen, and may want to read. Here I write also which branch of library system has it, if I am not going to buy it.

Timallan,
what do you mean that you have tried several site online but no one fits your needs? I'm not familiar with this.... and what advantages does it offer versus doing it in your computer?

My local library has a computer program that I can access from home and lists in alpha order all the books I have borrowed. I intend to count how many books I have read this year, add on 20 to allow for books purchased and another 50 for books from other libraries. Out of interest this should give me a rough total. As I read about 4 humorous- mystery books a week I sometimes pick up one I have already read but have forgotten who-done-it so it really does not matter! I am more interested in the characters and funny situations in any case.

I used Bibliophil for years and loved it, but I've been unable to add books to my list there since August. I'm now looking for a new website or computer system for my book lists. I've also kept a back-up notebook since 2002. It's just a simple list of title, author and date finished.

Simple 3 x 5 cards, with book title and author and library where found, secured with a rubber band. Have stacks of these.

Mostly I don't. If I forget a book enough to read it again, well, I get to experience it twice. As a deliberate re-reader, I don't see this as a problem.

Rosefolly

Reader in transit, I've tried both Bibliophil and Goodreads. My ideal site would let me keep track of the books I read (yes, even including the books I reread) in a straightforward and easy way. I grew disenchanted with Bibliophil because often I could not find the books I read in the database. Also, the site seems to be struggling at the moment.

I think Goodreads is really just a social networking site, (albeit one geared towards readers, which does not interest me.

I think computer software might be the answer for keeping track of my books.

timallen,
I am confused about your Goodreads statement. It is possible to have a zillion "friends" and spend time in discussion groups, but it is also just as easy to tailor your account so that you do not get those invites. I use it to keep track of my books in an organized fashion. I like Goodreads because I can name my own shelves (reread, for instance) and keep notes, or reviews, about the books. I can print lists when I want to. like my to be read when I find it list for when I go used book cruising. It is easy to cross-reference as well.

I have a reading journal, plus I enter the books into an Excel file that I can alphabetize for quick reference.

If you are particular about your data, I don't think anything beats the simplicity and ease of use of an Excel spreadsheet. You can customize that to your heart's content.

I tried Goodreads and LibraryThing at the same time to see which I liked better, and LibraryThing won out. I'm not there so much for the social networking. LT allows me to do what I want with my cataloguing and keeping track of what I've read. If you want to keep track of multiple dates read for a book, the worksheet for each book allows you to do that over at LT. I also ended up preferring tags (how you organize at LT) over shelves (how you organize at GR). It's really a matter of personal preference and how you think about your categories and data. If all you want to do is keep track of what you read, Goodreads is probably just as good as any other free service out there (but realistically, how long can they afford to maintain that site and keep it free without compromising with ads or some other revenue producing tactic?). Either site allows you to export to Excel.

I've now tried both GoodReads and LibraryThing. So far I prefer the latter simply because more of the books I have read are in the database. I also like being to choose the actual cover of the edition I've read. Of course it's not perfect. I disagree with how it handles the issue of dates of publication. I personally prefer to note the year in which the work was first published, not necessarily the edition which I read. Other people may not think this is particularly important.

The downside with LibraryThing of course is that it is a pay site. I have not reached my 200 book limit (I only entered a few years of books). Once I reach 200 titles, then I would have to pay $25.00 to continue. I haven't decided whether I am willing to pay for that privilege.

GoodReads is a very good site. I didn't know that I could block on the "friends", quizzes, etc. Many people would enjoy those aspects of the GR experience.

This may sound strange, but I am not particularly interested in "rating" books. If I like a book, I will remember the experience of reading it. Only rarely do I force myself to finish a book I don't like.

After I've read a book (that I know I'll read again at some point) I lightly pencil in the month and date up in the corner of the first page. Helps me keep track of how long ago I read it, and in fact if I've read it or not. Those I don't want to ever read again go right into a donate pile. That's about as organized as I get about my books - keep it pretty simple.

Timallen-I have a "quit-life is too short" shelf just in case I am tempted again by something that was attractive yet deadly.

I have kept a perpetual diary for several years. I fill in Author and Title on the date I finish a book, say who owns it, and give it a score out of 10 (I don't know why I have such a large scale, I don't bother to finish a book I would score less than 6 and 9 is my highest ever *g*)
I have just recently transcribed it all to an Excel spreadsheet which allows me to look at years, or authors, or books by score etc.
I tried for a while to keep another book with brief notes about the book, and although I found it very handy, and good to read back on, I never seemed able to keep it up.

I started my list/s on an excel spreadsheet over 10 years ago. It includes 1) the books I want, 2) the books I have and 3) the books I've read. A long while back, I found myself purchasing the same book more than once, so my spreadsheet helps with that too. The spreadsheet also includes book title, author name and first date of publication. These things allow me to sort my list in several different ways. My only regret is instead of including year read, I've just used a checkmark so to speak.

I do wonder sometimes when I'm in the bookstore what others think of my list when I flip through the pages (it is over 20 pages long now). Seems kinda anal, but it does keep me more organized than I used to be.

Good luck with finding a method that's right for you.

Kathy

I use good reads on a regular basis. It's great. Haven't tried the other ones.

Just after personal computers hit the market, I twice tried to create a book inventory, but the data entry task was so daunting that I gave up after a couple hundred entries. Then 10 years ago, inspired by this forum, I started keeping track of books read (new only, no re-reads)in a Word table, with columns for author, title, date read, type (e.g. nonfiction, SF, YA...) and one for optional comments. I use Word, so that the comments can be as long or short as I please. I keep one file per year, since the comments can sometimes ramble on (the 2009 file is up to 16pp were I to print it). The comments are optional, so I don't feel any particular pressure to enter something, but I have discovered a peculiar pleasure in going back over the files and reading the notes I do make. They usually bring back sharp memories of the book.

Apparently I have some kind of a steel trap of a mind when it comes to books.
I simply can remember the books that I've read and pretty much recall the storyline.
I would be very lax about keeping any kind of record.
After teaching school for 27 years, this would smack of some kind of assignment!!
Enough record-keeping.....let the mind run amok!!
Bring on the To-Be-Reads and the Possibly-Already-Been-Reads!

I don think there can be any set pattern that can remind you of whether you have read a book or not. But yes a true reader happens to remember a line or two that might have attracted him/her very much in that particular book and hence is bound to never forget that... I am an online purchaser of books and i rarely go to a bookstore where I can flip through pages and see whether I have read the book or not....And i really miss doing that...but between my tight schedules, A1Books.com keeps me on track of which book to read and which book I have already read...Maintain a list !!!

I use a program called Bookpedia. I too was buying books that I had already read (is it just me or are jacket description becoming more vague?) The program has space for descriptions, comments, ratings etc. Entries can be added just by typing in an ISBN as long as you are online. It sinks to my Ipod and can be searched by author name or title. I highly recommend it. The program only works on the Mac platform though.