What is the best way to read a book and keep track?

Nathan Hastings · 2025-07-11T00:45:33+00:00

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I have several books that dont really assist me in sermon prep but are just regular books here. What is the best way to read these books and keep up with where your at in the book and not lose it? I tend to read multiple things at the same time on my phone or tablet.

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Michelle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/250904/what-is-the-best-way-to-read-a-book-and-keep-track

Hi @Nathan Hastings,

I use clippings, or I saved them as Reading layouts, or I never close them on my phone app & refer them when I'm on the desktop.

Logos appears to have an automatic bookmark, opening to the page where I stop if I read it on Desktop app, but I find that the syncing in real-time is not as sophisticated as Kindle or Audible so clipping is the way I go now or I use my brain to memorize where I stop.

Sometimes I have to get out of the comfy chair that I just sat down or worse (the bed) & walk a few steps to my desktop then open the Logos App & the book to see where I stop coz I forgot to memorize where I stop lol 😂

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/250904/what-is-the-best-way-to-read-a-book-and-keep-track

On Desktop I drag them to a folder in Favorites.

On Android mobile this doesn't seem feasible, so I would create a New Layout (from Tabs in toolbar) and load the books to read (you will be encouraged to save your current layout).

Chris Heil

@Nathan Hastings, upvote this suggestion. Not sure why such a simple task as reading a book cover-to-cover has to be so difficult in Logos.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/228911/reading-vs-reference-on-resources

DMM

I'm an Excel nerd, so I like keeping track of them in Excel. I also include in that print books, audiobooks, Kindle, etc.

I like to keep track of the # of pages in the book, how far I've read, the category, date I started and date I finished. This also allows me to see how many books I've read each year, how many pages or minutes, etc.

Though perhaps not quite what you're looking for, I've seen people will tag books with things like #Reading or #HaveRead or #Finished etc

Aaron Hamilton

I use the tags #Reading and #ReadLater

#ReadLater will show up in mobile in the Library within the Reading section.

JBR

I do the same thing in Logos that I do when I'm reading in Kindle; I highlight the first word of a chapter and add a note with the date when I start the chapter and when I finish the chapter I highlight the last word of the chapter and add a note with the date when I finish the chapter. I usually read books a chapter at a time and so it works really well for me.

Amazing there is no bookmark feature. So much great content, but just reading is not a straightforward process.

Thomas Glen Leo

I bookmark my books I'm reading in Logos in two ways: first, I use the number-short-cut favorites. So, for the book I'm reading at the moment, when I want to update the bookmark for that book, I key ctl-shift-4. When I want to go to where my bookmark is, I key ctl-4. These bookmarks are listed, with their numbers (1-9) shown, in the favorites panel, which I leave open.

I also highlight a word or two at the beginning of a paragraph (easier to spot) where I've stopped reading. My personal highlighting system doesn't use red highlighting, so that's my bookmark highlight. To avoid leaving a record of the highlight in my current Notes folder, when I highlight a new bookmark, I return to the prior bookmark, highlight it (that is, click and drag the mouse over it), and key "R". That removes the highlighting, and removes the note of it in Notes. This sounds more cumbersome than it is, because it's just habit.

The one limitation of the number-short-cut favorites is that they for some reason don't show up in the mobile app (don't know about the web app because I don't use it). But they do update across Windows installations, so when I move from my desktop to my Windows tablet, I've got my bookmarks in favorites. Plus I always have my red highlights to fall back on.

At the moment I have bookmarks in five books in Logos, so I really depend upon the bookmarks, because some books - such as those I'm reading with reading groups - get set aside for weeks at a time.

Graham Bennett

On Android mobile I select a few words when I stop and send to favorites. The link goes to a folder called mobile favorites which is also accessible on desktop.

Matt Hamrick

In Logos Bible Software open any book and read however much you want then just close the book.

Open book back up tomorrow or next year and it will open where you closed it.

Maria

I solve this with a layout I titled "Reading." In it, all the books I'm currently reading are open to the pages I'm currently on. I also have notes, a dictionary, favorites, and the highlighter tool open.

When I'm done reading for the moment, I save the layout as it is ("update active layout"), so that everything will reopen to the exact pages I was on. (I have the "update active layout" button right in my toolbar, so that I can save my layouts with one click.)

Books I plan to read at some point in the future I tag "#readlater."

Books I'm reading for a particular topical study I have open in a layout named after that topical study, and, again, I save the layout after each use.

Matthew R. Funk

Excuse my ignorance, Maria, but could you tell me how to get that "update active layout" shortcut? I also use it every time before I close my program.

DAL

Do it the old fashion way — Keep a reading log!

DAL

scooter

Keep the book on the very top shelf of your rig.

Move the book into a layout + read.

If the power blips off, I am right back at 'er from the top shelf into the layout.

Maria

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1373909#Comment_1373909

I'm quoting here from @Mark Smith because I forgot how I did it and needed to go find the instructions!

"You can also type Update Active Layout in the Command Bar and click on the bar to see the dropdown choices. Drag the option under Layouts to the shortcuts area of your main toolbar and drop it there. You can style that shortcut or name it at that point."

Edited to clarify:

The "Command Bar" is the bar that opens when you click the Logos logo in the upper left corner of your screen, not the search bar. After you type "Update Active Layout" in that bar, wait for the dropdown menu. The phrase "Update Active Layout" will be in that dropdown menu, and you will be able to click and drag it to the shortcuts area.

Maria

(Deleted repeated post.)

Matthew R. Funk

Thank you sooo very much!!!

Anthony Mankodi

I create a tag in the Library, for books that I'm steadily reading. The LOGOS tag for this is … #ReadLater. Tags can be created by entry by activating the 'info' key at the top right of the bar of the Library. Click the book you need. Add that tag for the particular book.

Open and read the book on any device. Close the book and you may reopen the book at the last closed portion when you open it at the tag. Experiment a bit. It works on any device seamlessly for me.

Hope that helps.

Blessings,

In Christ Jesus,

Tony.