Book-Talk Monday: Wishlists
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how I have my books organized, both the physical books on the shelves in my office as well as the e-books on my Kindle. But what I didn’t talk about was keeping track of the list of books I want but don’t yet have. So let’s talk wishlists.
Online Retailer Wishlist Options
Of course, the most obvious place where I keep track of books I want but which (a) aren’t out yet or (b) I don’t have money to purchase yet, is the place where I buy most of my books: Amazon.
I recently split up my list there into several different categories, including one for just books. It’s so nice to have this ability now, so that I’m not having to sort through DVDs, music, and other stuff that I also want (so many things to want, so little money to get them with).
However . . . now that I have my Kindle, my book wishlist is filled with titles of upcoming books—those not yet released. Because most of the time, if a book is already out and I read a review of it or see it in a list of recommendations based on other titles I’ve purchased, I don’t add it to that wishlist, I do something else.
E-book Samples
I’ve recently had to stop reading several of the book-review blogs to which I subscribe (with Google Reader) because I was finding WAY too many books to add to my various wishlists. And when it’s a book that’s already out, instead of adding those books to my Amazon wishlist, I go ahead and download the sample chapters to my Kindle. Which is why, as I wrote about two weeks ago, I had to split my Historical Romance collection on my Kindle, creating a “samples” collection with more than 95 titles in it.
And since my wishlist on Amazon now contains mostly upcoming titles, I make sure I check it at least once a month to see if anything on it has released—so that I can download the sample chapters. (At which point I do usually leave it on the wishlist. I don’t really have a system in place for whether or not I should remove something from the Amazon list once I’ve downloaded the sample. Maybe I should think about that.)
And then, of course, I have the list on Goodreads that has all of these samples listed as well. But that’s more for record keeping.
At the Library
Because I wasn’t sure I’d ever get around to reading those samples (or the whole books they represent), I took that list of samples from my Kindle and went through the e-book listings on my public library’s website and made a wishlist of all of them which they have available there. Granted, they don’t have a lot of them (fewer than half), but at least they have some, so now when I need something new to read (and don’t have the funds to purchase anything new), I can go to that website, see what’s available, and download it and be reading within a few seconds.
Pinterest
Then there are those books (out or upcoming) I see which grab me with their oh-so-pretty covers or great marketing copy. And it’s so easy just to click that Pin It button on the tool bar. So I have a Books I Want board on Pinterest. And the great thing about this is that it’s public and a friend of mine who works for a bookseller can occasionally get Advanced Reader Copies or spare marketing copies of those books for me, so now she can see which books are on my radar so if she sees them, she can pick them up for me.
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I must keep lists of books I want to read, because if I don’t, I’ll forget about them—because there are always so many new books coming out. Will I ever get to everything on my lists? No. Not a chance. Because as I just said, there are always so many new books coming out. But at least I’m trying to get to as many of them as I can.
How do you keep track of books you want? Where/how do you keep your wishlists?
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KayeDacus.com 
I’m trying to move all my “wishes” on to Goodreads.com. I haven’t done all the categorizing you can apparently do there, but I have a big “to read” list there. I also enjoy seeing what some of most reading-obsessed friends are reading!
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I’m all over the place with this. I have a bookmark folder of “Books to Check Out” but I rarely look at them once they’re bookmarked.
Once my samples collection got up over 95, I went through it and bookmarked some of the books from Amazon, but added most to my Shelfari shelf. Like you, I doubt I will ever get anywhere near them.
The best part is when Amazon puts some of those books on promotion and they’re free or ridiculously reduced for a short time. Just picked up 4 YA books this week from that.
(Tailor Made Bride and The Lady of Bolton Hill were two I can immediately think of that I got free from Amazon at some point.)
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Yep, I got both of those when they were free, too.
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I have a mailbox that I add emails to with names of books. I have a to read pile so huge, it’s hard to justify purchasing many new books. And when I’m reading a book that references another book, if it’s interesting and I’m not at my computer, I write the title on the last page and include the page number where it is referenced. Have a blessed day.
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I don’t have a system, but need one very badly. I do have a wishlist on Amazon, but I am not very good about going back to it. Especially, now that I have my Kindle and download all the freebies onto it. I should check out Goodreads.com. I also like the idea of using the libraries website.
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I have an Amazon wishlist. (Pretty covers are a definite draw) My really high tech system is a piece of paper I keep in my wallet. :-))
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Since I’m too lazy to dig for a pen and the little notepad I keep in my purse, if I see something while I’m out that I want to remember to put on a wishlist later, I take a photo of it with my phone.
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I take photos of book covers with my phone, too – especially at the Library, as a lot of the titles I want are in the pay section, so then I can come home and see how much the ebook costs.
I also have an Amazon wishlist, and a Goodreads To Read list. Goodreads also send me a monthly email of upcoming releases from authors on my shelves, which is a good reason to keep my shelves updated!
On the first of each month, I do a blog post of new Christian fiction coming out that month, noting which ones I will be reviewing and which ones I want. I compile this mostly from Amazon and Goodreads, but I think the ECPA also has a similar list. Mine just includes the major CBA publishers, not the Love Inspired etc, because there are so many of those.
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What is your blog?
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Misty, you can click on her name to get to her blog.
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Haha! This is a great idea. I take pics of all sorts of things while shopping, pretty furniture, craft ideas….. Can’t believe I haven’t thought to snap a book.
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I have a Amazon Wishlist.
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I use Goodreads, but also have a list on Google Docs that I am (slowly) transferring over. There are too many good books out there!
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