Thursday, April 8, 2010

Review: Read, Remember, Recommend by Rachelle Rogers Knight

I love journals, and I love making lists.  (Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who writes lists or scrawls on sticky notes only to misplace them or never look at them again, but I digress.)  So as soon as I tore open the envelope containing Read, Remember, Recommend -- a new reading journal put together by Rachelle Rogers Knight -- I grabbed a pen and settled in the recliner.

Read, Remember, Recommend will help book lovers keep tabs on the award-winning titles on their shelves and more.  There are pages of award winners, from the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award to the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction, and readers can check off which titles they own, want to own, want to read, or would recommend to other readers.  There are a couple of lines for readers to insert winners over the next couple of years.  I quickly found that I don't own too many award winners, but no matter.  I can see how this section would be useful for those participating in reading challenges that require them to read certain award winners or those looking for book club selections.

Other sections provide pages for readers to list books they want to read; books they've completed, with space for comments, the name of the person who recommended the book, new vocabulary words, and passages to remember; books they want to recommend to others; and books they've loaned or borrowed.  The final section features numerous resources, including Web sites for book awards, social networking sites for readers, book club resources, and even book blogs (though I can't say I agree with using the term "lighter" to describe many of my favorite book blogs, especially since they provide more detailed reviews than you'd expect from a "lighter" blog).

Overall, Read, Remember, Recommend is a fun resource for readers who like to keep track of what they read.  If you're like me and read numerous blogs on a daily basis, you come across tons of books that catch your eye, and this resource provides a place to keep track of these titles for future reference.  However, those of us who blog about everything we read or keep track of books we've read or want to read using Goodreads or LibraryThing might find it a bit redundant.  But my only real complaint is that each section has too few pages, especially if you read a lot of books on a yearly basis.  If the book wasn't spiral bound and offered as a binder instead, more pages could be added to each section as needed; readers could either photocopy the pages, or extra blank pages could be provided and used in any section.  Still, I can see myself using this book for the resource lists or to jot down passages and other thoughts I might have forgotten to include in my reviews, and I think it would make a great gift.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Read, Remember, Recommend from Sourcebooks for review purposes.  I am an Amazon affiliate.



© 2010, Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce content without permission.

12 comments:

Lisa said...

I've been seeing this around but kind of skimming over the posts. Your review made me stop and read, though and now I'm going to have this!

Becca said...

I WANT. I must have this. Your review has cemented it into my brain. Bookstore here I come! lol

teabird said...

Sounds delicious, blog or no blog! It's a notebook, it's about books -- I'm there!

Veens said...

I wish there were more pages but I think this is a perfect gift for me!

Serena said...

I do like this as a gift idea. I think it has great potential. I also wish there were more pages or ways of adding pages.

If anyone wants a chance to win a copy, I have an extra one up for grabs on my blog.

bermudaonion said...

I agree with you - the journal is fantastic, but it needs more pages!

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

Yes, I thin all book lovers agree that it needs more pages. But it is an excellent resource for all the lists and I started making check marks right away in mine.

Blodeuedd said...

I want that one :D
I keep forgetting the books I see

Amused said...

I am so intrigued by this journal! I really want to flip through it in person and see if it will work for me. I hope it will :)

Bibliobabe said...

Hey Anna,

Thanks so much for your great review of my journal.

I've seen the comments about needing more pages (or a refillable option) and will definitely take the feedback to Sourcebooks for the next edition.

Also, I'm getting a much bigger list together of all the great book blogs to mention!

Thanks again,
Rachelle Knight (Bibliobabe)

christina said...

I've seen this around the b'sphere and it looks intriguing. I'm concerned about the limited pages tho'.

Anna said...

*Lisa: I hope you like it. It's a fun resource, especially if you like writing in journals. ;)

*Rebecca: Enjoy!

*teabird: I hope you enjoy it.

*Veens: I hear future editions may feature more pages!

*Serena: Looks like we felt the same way about the book. I'm finding it fun and useful, even if I'm not using all of the sections.

*bermudaonion: Seems like most of us feel the same way. At least we think it's such a good resource that we want more of it!

*Nicole: Me, too!

*Blodeuedd: That's one of the reasons I've been using it so much. When it's time to go book shopping, I'm wracking my brain trying to remember the titles I've seen that I want.

*Amused: I hope you find it helpful!

*Bibliobabe/Rachelle: Thanks for stopping by my blog! I do hope they add more pages or make it easier for us readers to add the pages. Thanks for a fun resource!

*christina: I think the best thing would be to check it out in person and see if you think there are enough pages.