Keeping track of what books I'm reading

Josh Parsley
Josh Parsley Member Posts: 33 ✭✭
edited November 2024 in English Forum

Hello,

 

I'm sorry if this is a basic question.  I just can't find the answer.

 

How can I keep track of what books I'm reading?  It's great that Logos remembers what chapter I'm on when I open the book, but what if I can't remember the book's name to find it?

 

The other day I started reading from a book and today it took me a while to figure out the name of it so I could continue.  Is there something that keeps track of your 'open books' or something like that?  Can I do something on the home screen?

 

I'm sure I'm just missing something.  Sorry if this is posted somewhere obvious.

 

Thanks,

 

Josh

Comments

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 33,189

    Hi Josh - and welcome.

    Good question, please don't feel bad about posting it.

    Three suggestions to see which works best for you:


    Others may well have better suggestions!

    Graham

  • Pam Larson
    Pam Larson Member Posts: 683 ✭✭

    Whenever I start a book, I add a tag to Mytags that says e.g. "began 10/24/2010". When I finish it I change the tag to "done".

  • Ralph Mauch
    Ralph Mauch Member Posts: 373 ✭✭

    How can I keep track of what books I'm reading?

    Hey Josh, the simple answer is go to "Tools">Library>History", which should pop a list of all the resources that you have looked at. I think mine goes out for about a week, but depends on how often, and how many resources you look through. Also, "Tools>Favorites" is a place that you can setup folders on topics or Books and then when you leave that resource click on "Add" to save the spot that you left off at. On my layout they pop up on the left side of my work area...You have the option to clear both of these, with the fav's you can right click and delete, with history you can clear and start new.

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  • spitzerpl
    spitzerpl Member Posts: 4,998 ✭✭✭

    Hey Josh, the simple answer is go to "Tools">Library>History",

    from the sounds of your question this seems to be the best answer, but using Favorites is an option if you know it's a book you want to read later while your reading it. simply create a folder called something like "books I've started" Whenever I finish reading a book I put it in a folder with the date I finished reading it so I can track what I have read. You could have a folder called "Read book" with a folder in it called "books I want to read", then another folder for "books I'm reading" Move them from the want to read folder to the I'm reading folder and then once they are read to a dated folder (yyyymmdd works best for sorting it).

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,194 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I use the tags solution, too. I have three different tags I assign: TOREAD, READING, and FINISHED. Then I can filter my Library for, e.g., mytag:TOREAD to find the next book I had intended to start reading. I like Pam's idea of adding started date. Hadn't thought of that. But since I'm only in the middle of one at the moment it's sort of not necessary.

    Another idea would be to save a Layout with the book you're reading, along with any supplementary tabs you've opened to help out (the Highlighting tool, for example). Then you open up that Layout any time you want to keep reading and voila you've got all your windows set up the way you want them. Read more on using Layouts here: http://wiki.logos.com/Layouts

  • nicky crane
    nicky crane Member Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭
    I have a layout called reading, but now I have started distributing new books among my Bible study layouts, of which I have several: OT reading, NT reading, Gospel reading, Psalm for church, and Joseph and Moses for Bible storying. I also have some books on my toolbar. I also have a to read layout, but don't use it.
  • Bohuslav Wojnar
    Bohuslav Wojnar Member Posts: 3,477 ✭✭✭

    I use the tags solution, too. I have three different tags I assign: TOREAD, READING, and FINISHED. Then I can filter my Library for, e.g., mytag:TOREAD to find the next book I had intended to start reading. I like Pam's idea of adding started date. Hadn't thought of that. But since I'm only in the middle of one at the moment it's sort of not necessary.

    Another idea would be to save a Layout with the book you're reading, along with any supplementary tabs you've opened to help out (the Highlighting tool, for example). Then you open up that Layout any time you want to keep reading and voila you've got all your windows set up the way you want them. Read more on using Layouts here: http://wiki.logos.com/Layouts

     

    I like Rosie the tag method. I use also Reading Books layout but there is one problem with it. The layout keeps the opened books on the page you saved the layout with. When I continue reading in iPhone and then come to the layout or read some more in Logos and do not save new version of layout every time, it gets me to the wrong place (saved location in the layout.)

    The best thing is t have tags or just to put books on the shortcut bar. It opens then on the last place I finished reading, whether on the iPhone or in Logos.

    Bohuslav

  • Ralph Mauch
    Ralph Mauch Member Posts: 373 ✭✭

    but using Favorites is an option if you know it's a book you want to read later while your reading it. simply create a folder called something like "books I've started"

    Right, I'm starting something like that also... It seems that in L4 we have more options to meet what seems like the best fit for our personal preferences. I was thinking about doing what Rosie had done, but it seems like so much work [:'(], and I'm just a simpleton, though it does need to be done if you want any kind of good results for searches (setting up priorities).

     

  • nicky crane
    nicky crane Member Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭
    Bohuslav
    "The best thing is t have tags or just to put books on the shortcut bar. It opens then on the last place I finished reading, whether on the iPhone or in Logos."

    Very neat! Would this also work with iPad?
  • Bohuslav Wojnar
    Bohuslav Wojnar Member Posts: 3,477 ✭✭✭

    Bohuslav
    "The best thing is t have tags or just to put books on the shortcut bar. It opens then on the last place I finished reading, whether on the iPhone or in Logos."
    Very neat! Would this also work with iPad?

    I do not have iPad but the software is basically the same. So I am convinced it should work.

    Bohuslav

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,194 ✭✭✭✭✭


    I use also Reading Books layout but there is one problem with it. The layout keeps the opened books on the page you saved the layout with. When I continue reading in iPhone and then come to the layout or read some more in Logos and do not save new version of layout every time, it gets me to the wrong place (saved location in the layout.)

    Yes, that's true. You'd have to remember to save the Layout each time (right click on its name in the Layout menu and choose "Update to current snapshot"), so maybe it's not the most convenient.

  • Josh Parsley
    Josh Parsley Member Posts: 33 ✭✭

    You guys are great.  Thanks for the suggestions. 

     

    All the physical books I read are either on the floor by my chair or on the coffee table.  So, I was wondering what my equivalent could be here.  Looks like I've got a few options to pick from here.

     

    Again, thanks!

  • nicky crane
    nicky crane Member Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭


    I use also Reading Books layout but there is one problem with it. The layout keeps the opened books on the page you saved the layout with. When I continue reading in iPhone and then come to the layout or read some more in Logos and do not save new version of layout every time, it gets me to the wrong place (saved location in the layout.)


     

    Yes, that's true. You'd have to remember to save the Layout each time (right click on its name in the Layout menu and choose "Update to current snapshot"), so maybe it's not the most convenient.

    I do religiously save the layout.  It would help to have the name of the layout displayed somewhere on the screen, as it can be confusing.  It would also be nice to have an undo option for when I click load instead of update...  Tho I can get round that.  I appreciate the layout options.

  • Rosie Perera
    Rosie Perera Member Posts: 26,194 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It would also be nice to have an undo option for when I click load instead of update...

    Sometimes if you accidentally load a new layout instead of updating, you can get back to the previous one through one of the snapshots on the right side of the Layouts menu.

  • PL
    PL Member Posts: 2,159 ✭✭✭

    These are all such great suggestions, thanks everyone!

    I didn't know that Logos keeps such a detailed history of my recent activities / locations automatically.  It's awesome.

    Peter