Because I’ve culled books pretty seriously each time we’ve moved, I don’t actually have that many. They’re shelved by genre and there are only a few places in the house where disorganized piles start to sprout. So when I’m looking for a particular physical book, it doesn’t take too long to find. I check the appropriate shelf, the end table, and the small bookcase in the guest room. Done.
Ebooks are a different story. I’m pretty sure I bought a particular ebook a few months ago. I don’t see the file in the Readings folder on my computer. Does that mean it’s on my Sony? Or did I leave the file in Downloads and copy it into Stanza on my iPod? Or maybe I got the Kindle version for some reason. Or the Nook version. I don’t think this one was available through iBooks…
Finding an ebook is not just a quick walk through the house. I have to scroll through several different catalogs to find it. (This one was in Stanza.)
So I’m thinking I need a single catalog. I have an account at LibraryThing that I haven’t really updated since before I got my Sony. I’m not sure it was ever up to date–I think I got it in Columbus, and didn’t get everything entered before we packed up and moved to Illinois. It’s time to start poking at it again, though I suspect it’s always going to be the sort of thing that’s only mostly up to date. I’ve gotten as far as making a list of the different locations (both physical and virtual) to catalog, one at a time.
Recent reads:
The Third Sign, Gregory A. Wilson – I met Greg at Gen Con so I read his book (this is going to be a trend over the next couple book posts). It was a quick read, but with far prettier prose than the average action-packed fantasy. And I am very intrigued by the world’s history, since one thing I really enjoy in a book is a sense of history and a sense of hidden secrets within that history.
The Dip, Seth Godin (business/productivity) – What I got from this is his idea of giving up the things you’ll never be the best at to focus on the thing you can be the best at. Which, since I don’t really want to be “the best” at anything, is just a way of saying spend time on what’s important to you, not on what isn’t important. And don’t give up when it’s tough (during “the dip”) if it’s something you really want.
I don’t think I needed to read the book to figure that out. Anyway, I picked it up because I had recently run across some articles on the value of focus (vs maintaining broad interests/hobbies) and then someone mentioned this book. It didn’t actually tie in as well as I had expected it to.