SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion
Quick Reference & How-To's
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How do you keep track of your series?
My slumps seem so hit in December also, I used to plane my reading month by month and it worked that way for a couple of years but then the beginning of last year that plan when out the window completely. I ended up with a list a month with not a single book read from it, so I just got rid of the list and I read whatever I want now, for some reason if I plan to read a book even if I really want to read it I end up not reading it, so now I go with the flow of whatever mood I'm in and that has worked for me and last year was my best year yet when it comes to the number of books that I read yearly.
So totally understand Stephanie, that's exactly what happened to me too. Though I read about the same amount, its the enjoyment thats better. Not having to read something for a challenge that I don't want to read is so freeing.
It is freeing, I hated the feeling of not completing my list but I also hated forcing myself so it was such a relief of not planning anything and just reading what I felt like at the time. I also noticed that I stopped joining a lot of challenges that had page limits and time limits so I could just read whatever and have only this year started joining some again.
Thankfully I don't do any challenges. If I did I can totally see how my list would get annoying and I wouldn't want to follow it. My plan isn't super strict either if I happen to pick a series that I just don't enjoy I don't force myself to finish it. I'll trade out the books for a different series.
Rachel wrote: "I have about 12 series (they are always completed so I don't have to wait on the next one) going on at once where I read one book per series a month (I do it so I don't get tired of them). Once I get finished with my series books (already on book six whoo!) I read stand-alones until the month is done."That's a good idea Rachel! I might try it at some point if I'm stuck again. Right now I'm (thankfully) just starting to come out of my worst slump yet (after around 2010).
I have found that reading according to what I'm in the mood for works better than planned lists, too.
*waving HI to Thenia*
Steph wrote: "*waving HI to Thenia*"Hello! Long time no see! *waving hi back*
:D Good seein' ya
I completed your survey. Well written.
Peter, I also completed the survey, however, I couldn't get the age bar to slide along.You've got a good uni there, a few friends have graduated from UNE and were very happy there.
I keep the books in series in order on my shelves and will thumb through previous ones in the series if I'm about to read the new one. So far, the memory's still doing well! :)
I try & keep them in order on the shelves. However, with so many books, I've got them stacked 3 deep on nearly all the bookcases. Makes it a bit hard to find them sometimes. LOL.
Richard wrote: "I keep the books in series in order on my shelves and will thumb through previous ones in the series if I'm about to read the new one. So far, the memory's still doing well! :)"I actually reread my reviews on goodreads of previous books in a series before going on to the next one especially if there's a time span between books I'm reading in that series.
That's a nice way to do things JoAnne. Do you write reviews from every book you read? I don't, but maybe I should, because sometimes I find myself forgetting the plot of a book when I pick up the next one in a series. Usually though, I think authors are good at giving a brief resume of what's happened so far.
Well, I've used for a long time a book database. It began with my paper books (at 90's) and, when I began with ebooks, I created a new database. Now, although I keep on maintaining my database automatically, my main help is calibre, where I keep track of my books, their data(series, of course) and status (read/not read, rating, comments)...Anyway, I use FictFact too (mainly for getting new book and new series).
I use Calibre, its so easy and user friendly, I love it! It of course helps that I read only ebooks :) (though I do have a little library with paperbacks and a great big shelving unit in the living room stacked with my favourite books)
But yeah... it manages my whole library (which I can then backup to 2 different hard drives, you know... just in case).
I use 2 different lists: Author and Series and even then I can use tags like: read, unread, series finished, ...
I use Amazon to keep track of the books I still need, or new books in pre-order. I have so many wishlists now, lol, but it works!
oh oh oh... and I finally managed to put everything in Goodreads now as well :) that seriously helps too :D
I have various shelves - Next in Series, 01 left in series, series up to date, series completed, series abandoned, tried book one not impressed, to be published etcI also have a secret group here on GR of which I am the only member. I have a series thread and each post is a different series, with an index in the first post.
Challenges
(Not sure about the GR app) In a challenge thread long press (or right click) on the date and time of your post - copy link location.
I paste into a thread in my secret group, do all my planning, updating. It is really easy to use the pasted link to jump across and update your challenge post.
I'll be honest...I had a spreadsheet before for my physical books, but since I got my Kindle, I just kind of wing it.I hardly buy anything that not an ebook now, so I mainly just use Goodreads shelves to mark whether I own something or not.
I've still got bookshelves full of books, but I've added them all to a wishlist on Amazon in hopes of purchasing them in Kindle format so I can keep track of them all in one place. I wait for sales, so it's a very slow process. :)
I stumbled upon an iOS app called iReadItNow. The description states: Hello book lovers, welcome to iReadItNow.I haven't used it, but it looks similar to a Goodreads-like app minus the always (for now, anyway) free part of GR.
iReadItNow helps you to manage your reading life at your finger tips. But, iReadItNow is not just an book-archive app. iReadItNow focuses on recording your reading life in rich context. When you read it, how you read it, every proses that touched your heart, and so on, you can keep all these records in a simple and organized way. Don't forget anything about what you read. This is your own history.
With iReadItNow, you can :
- Archive books you read, not read, or want to read
- Add new books with easy to use barcode scanner
- Check in/out the date when you read a book
- Attach excerpts, notes on each book
- Enjoy beautiful graphs that shows your reading life
- Automatically share with friends what you read over Twitter, Facebook
- Synchronize data over multiple devices(*)
(*) requires Premium Membership, which is free for a year and $2.99/year after. You can upgrade to Premium Membership only from iReadItNow HD (iPad version)
You can check it out here: iReadItNow
A few years ago I had them all listed in a notebook, title, author, number in the series and a very brief description, the couple in the romance, so I could remember who the book was about. Problem came when my eyesight got worse and the print is too small to read in most of the books.
There went buying books except two or three a year of set series. So, I still have my notebook, but due missing reading because of vision problems, I broke down and bought a Kindle. Now, I'm going to have to find a better way to organize them, maybe even have to re-buy some series.
So, going to have to decide what to do now.
That is the precise reason I got my kindle - I can make the font as big as I want. The library is my best friend for ebooks now because I do have a bit of an issue with paying the full paperback price for an ebook. I can't share it with anyone where I can if I buy the book. Also the library has large print books where I live - I like those a lot better than the smaller print. But FictFact for me to keep track!
FictFact is a wonderful resource!
Anita Reads wrote: "That's a nice way to do things JoAnne. Do you write reviews from every book you read? I don't, but maybe I should, because sometimes I find myself forgetting the plot of a book when I pick up the n..."I think the most important thing in a review isn't giving info about the plot or the characters, although they could be mentioned, but why you liked it and why you didn't and the reasons. I hate review that state "I loved/hated this book" I want to know Why? What had you loving it or hating it? I remember reading reviews on a book and they were all about how great it was. No one said it had homosexual and threesomes in it. I don't have a problem with such books being written, I just don't want to read about it. It is great for those who like them, but to spend hard earned money on a book that has that and not be able to read it?
Janette, I sometimes read those books, and I may or may not put that in my review, but I do put them on my menage shelf. Shelvings are always listed on reviews, so remember to check there as well :)
Steph wrote: "FictFact is a wonderful resource!"I agree!! Best way for me to track my series reading, I love the new release calendar and I occasionally use the next book to read feature when I'm overwhelmed with choices.... and nothing is jumping out screaming "read me"...
What does everyone do to track series now that fictfact is down?
That’s an ongoing discussion around SOS, Angela. Feel free to jump in a join us: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... and https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... One of our members, Thenia, is working with a friend to create something very similar. Plus, other members are leaving suggestions for other options, in the meantime. I’ve been updating FictionDB because they’ll email when a new book is coming out by your favorite author(s). I’ve followed all my faves on Amazon as well and they kinda irregularly send out emails for new releases.
If been tracking on Goodreads primarily by creating shelves to track “series next” “to be released” I also have followed authors on Goodreads and Amazon and get regular emails of new books added or released.
I miss the calendar feature the most, so someone posted this site: https://readingbookslikeaboss.com/boo...
It has some, but tends to be more romance vs UF and PNR. It might help. This makes me want to help with keeping our SOS new release info But limited time at the present.
So, scrolling through Twitter one night a week or so ago I came across a tweet from NetGalley asking "How do you track your reading?" and I couldn't scroll fast enough, anxious to see what everyone had to say. Most said Goodreads. Some said bullet journals, calendars, iPhone notes app, index cards, etc. And one shared her Google spreadsheet ... you wouldn't believe how detailed it is! If I wasn't worried about being a creeper, I'd have replied. I think my OCDemoness passed out from organizational happiness. 🤣 Check it out and lemme know what ya think: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... Be sure to follow the rules and instructions, she's been quite thorough, to say the least. I've yet to do anything other than save my own copy and quickly scroll through the pages. Hopefully one day soon (hehe, how often is that phrase mumbled?) I'll find the time to actually start using it. Once you've copied/saved it for your own use, you can edit as fits your reading preferences.
That was incredible!!!Way more info than I'd want or need, but as they said, you customize to what you want, and I don't think they left anything out, at least that I could see.
I'll have to download it after I get back, just about to go out :)
Right?! Such a plethora of data to track. I'll be modifying mine as well, as I don't need to track all she's included. But, I'm waiting until I have some serious free time to devote to it.
Yep, its actually a bit overwhelming, and free time is limited ... always something to read or go and do or family :D
I was getting tired of not having an easy way to keep track of series I have read / am reading, so I created a web app that works with Goodreads to figure out what series a user has books left to read in. I did some testing with a handful of family and friends, and I am ready to throw it out in the wild. The Goodreads API only lets you make a call every second, so if you have a lot of books on your shelves it can take a good chunk of time to run (i.e. 20 to 30 minutes). But you can save after pulling the data, and choose to only refresh the data when you want to.
You can find it here https://www.seriestbr.com/
There is an About page that will tell you all the details on how to use the site. I hope some of you will find it useful. If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to send me a message on here.
Thanks,
Rick
Sandra wrote: "Yep, its actually a bit overwhelming, and free time is limited ... always something to read or go and do or family :D"So true! *shakin' fist at RL disruptions!* LOL!
Rick wrote: "I was getting tired of not having an easy way to keep track of series I have read / am reading, so I created a web app that works with Goodreads to figure out what series a user has books left to r..."
Sounds wonderful, Rick. Thanks for sharing your project with us. I'll have to check it out. When I do, I'll share my thoughts here.
Hi Rick, a quick question. If I sign up, it says: If you allow Series TBR access, Series TBR will be able to:I'm assuming access to my profile data would allow the site to pull my books read, TBR, etc, yes? But, why is access needed to "add and update book reviews"?
* access your profile data
* add and update book reviews
Also, is this data accessible by anyone other than myself?
Thanks!
Steph wrote: "Hi Rick, a quick question. If I sign up, it says: If you allow Series TBR access, Series TBR will be able to:* access your profile data
* add and update book reviews I'm assuming access to my pro..."
Steph,
Great question. That is just the standard access that is granted when using the Goodreads authorization. They do not allow for tailoring of specific rights. However, I am only using it for pulling data. It does not add or update anything on your profile.
And no, the data is only accessible to those who have rights to it based on your profile setting on Goodreads. So if you are set to friends only, and I tried to pull up your data, it would tell me that I do not have access to view your account. That is all determined by Goodreads behind the scenes. Those who can see your account, would be able to see your series data, but that is the same as them being able to see your shelves on your profile. So they are not granted any extra access than they have on Goodreads.
There is a terms of service agreed to when developers use the Goodreads API. It is found here; https://www.goodreads.com/api/keys
I made sure to adhere to it. Term #8 refers to adding, removing, changing data. So if I ever put something like that in place (i.e. a button that would let you add a book to your Want To Read shelf), I would have a confirmation and make sure you knew it was going to do something on Goodreads. But like I said, it only pulls data from your shelves.
I should also mention that it is easy to revoke access if you ever feel like you no longer want the site to have access. You can do that by going to Account Settings on Goodreads. Then click the Apps tab and scroll to the bottom. There is a section that says "Applications You've Given Access To." You would see Series TBR listed, and you can simply click Revoke Access to remove the granted access. If you revoke and decide you want to use the app again, it would access you to grant access again.
Hope that answers your questions.
Thanks, Rick. That does answer my question. But, now I have another. :) So, once I create a Series TBR account, others can view my series list? How would they do that? This is not necessarily a bad thing. If it's shareable in a view format, I may share it with others in this group, for example.
Okay ... creepy. How'd it know who I was before I told it? I clicked 'login' and chose 'self' (expecting to have to enter my info, but didn't), then it started pulling my data. What the what?! 😳😬
Steph wrote: "Thanks, Rick. That does answer my question. But, now I have another. :) So, once I create a Series TBR account, others can view my series list? How would they do that? This is not necessarily a bad..."So, the first thing to realize is that it is not really creating a Series TBR account. You are allowing access to Goodreads on Series TBR for your account for the device you are on. That device is keeping hold of a token that identifies who you are to the browser and Series TBR. Series TBR is then pulling data from Goodreads and displaying it. It allows you to ignore or delete things on the display to clean things up to what you only care about. This does not do anything to your actual books or shelves on Goodreads. When you save on Series TBR, it is simply saving a list of what you ignored or deleted from the display. That way the next time you come, it can pull that data up quickly. And then you can choose to Refresh the data from Goodreads whenever you have new stuff you want to pull in.
The dropdown on Series TBR lets you choose to pull up data for yourself or for another user by their username or user id. So if someone else wanted to look up the series for you, they could flip to By Username and enter angel4492 or By User Id and enter 2142019. Both of those things are found on your user profile on Goodreads. It would then check to make sure the person has access to view your data on Goodreads. If it does, it would run through the data pull and show the info.
Series TBR will only let you save the ignored / deleted for the account logged in. So no one else will be able to save over your ignores / deletes because they are not you. They would be able to see your series though. I figured this could be useful if there is someone who has similar tastes, and you want to look for series they have read at lot of. If you have any ideas for other ways you may want to share your series list, let me know. This is all a work in progress.
It knew who you were because you had already told it by granting it access to Goodreads. Doing that stores an identity token from Goodreads. That token contains information about who you are. The Goodreads app on Android does the exact same thing. You can see in the top right corner that it displays your name and a logout option. That logout would clear the token on that device. That token is saved specifically to the device (i.e. your laptop, phone, etc.) you are on. So if you tried to go to the site from another device, you would have to login from that device so it can get the identity token.
Hopefully that is not too confusing. I know it is developer stuff. But it is the same as when you go to a new site and choose to login using your Facebook or Google account. It routes you to Facebook or Google to approve access, and then the site you are using knows who you are.
I would be happy to discuss more if need be. I don't want people to feel uncomfortable.
Thanks for all of that information. Most of it makes sense. :) Importantly, the part about how it was able to identify me. My -- should we call it page? -- list just finished populating and the list is making my OCD side very happy. I had to save the information from your about page re: what all the icons mean, so I can reference them in the future.
At the moment, I'm still checking it out. But, as you would imagine based on my group's focus, I'm all about the series - most especially fantasy (PNR, UF, Sci-Fi, etc) series. Is there a way for the page/list to be broken down into genres?
Steph wrote: "Thanks for all of that information. Most of it makes sense. :) Importantly, the part about how it was able to identify me. My -- should we call it page? -- list just finished populating and the l..."
I took a look at what kind of information Goodreads supplies for genres. I can pull a list of popular shelves that a book is part of, which often people have shelves for genres. But Goodreads does not specifically have a list of genres that I can use. I think the list of popular shelves could be useful for that. I will have to do some digging and think about how to handle it. I put this on a feature request list, and will look into it further when I get some time. Thanks for the suggestion.
What a neat tool! Based on your back-and-forth, I'm checking it out, too. Thanks for the effort, mate!
Holly wrote: "What a neat tool! Based on your back-and-forth, I'm checking it out, too. Thanks for the effort, mate!"You're welcome. Let me know if you have any issues or suggestions.
That makes sense, Rick. I wasn't thinking about the fact that your site will only pull on what's already available here @ GR. I'll keep thinking on it, scrolling through the list and let ya know if I have any other suggestions or questions. Right now, one of my biggest is that my list is soooooo long. Is there a way to not ignore a series per se but a way to minimize the books in the series and only see the series name, when necessary, to limit the length of the list? Sort of like a drop down option, like 'click the arrow to show full list' or 'click the arrow to minimize the full list'?
Rick and others, I've created a separate thread to discuss SeriesTBR.com: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Fellow series addicts, my new book series tracking website is finally live!
Books On Track (aka https://booksontrack.net) - the site's Goodreads group can be found here.
Feel free to join us and spread the word to other series addicts! :D
Yay! Looking forward to using it, Thenia! Thanks for all your hard work.
I endorse Thenia's new tracking site!It's a great start :)
SOS: Serious Overload of Series
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I usually also join a countdown challenge, where I have to read books from each year since 2001, and to be able to finish that I have to do a little planning or I don't get to read books from the early years.