So, remember how I mentioned I read a lot? Well, I do, although not as much as I did when I was younger and not as much as some people who, uh, read more.

I've not yet been attacked by the urge to read non-fiction. I read mostly genre fiction, RomanceBooks, ScienceFictionBooks, MysteryBooks and ChildrensBooks, especially fantasy.

Almost as much fun as reading, however, is playing with my books.

Buying

This includes going to library booksales (in addition to the online list) it is necessary to call your LocalLibraries on a regular basis and ask "when is your next friends of the library booksale?"

Arranging

You have to put the books somewhere -- and somewhere other than paper bags in the basement or attic or wherever. So you build bookcases. And if you are obssessive you build bookcases like mine. These bookcases (on castors), run along overhead track which keeps them from running amok. Despite this, I still have some bags of books I have yet to shelve.

Indexing

And of course, you have to keep track of all those books so that when you go shopping or when someone asks if you have a book or when you go to the library you have accurate information.

I kept thinking I ought to be able to do something useful with those barcodes on the books. But there are issues. And I'm lazy. So eventually I solved a lot of my problem by buying an inexpensive database called BYRON. At the time it only included romance novels. It now includes science fiction and horror. Someday it will have mystery novels.

Meanwhile, however, someone much less lazy than I proceeded with a great bookscanning project. I should have done this years ago . . .

Tracking

If, after the above, you actually have time left to read, you are probably looking for the ideal way to keep track what you've been reading (and maybe even make comments on them that other folks can see!). I was using bibliophil.org but have switched now to LibraryThing
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