Kindle Organizing Notes

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kindle-love-534x400I do quite a bit of reading. Up until recently, I was convinced that paper books were the way to go. And then I thought an iPad would solve all my “I want to read it electronically” problems.

Then, slowly, I started to think about how some of the “just like real paper” e-readers might be handy. I ended up getting one of the simple non-glowing-screen-versions last year, and I had a chance to find out just how having a pocket-sized bookcase at my fingertips could change the reading game for me.

One thing I quickly found, though, was that books could get lost in the shuffle. I needed to get things organized so I wouldn’t lose or forget what books I was supposed to be reading or wanted to read next. It seemed silly to keep written lists (in part because a certain child kept snagging my scrap of paper for drawing or a certain mom around the house (me!) kept throwing away the scraps of paper).

My key to organizing titles on my Kindle was using collections as bookshelves.

I have one collection titled “0current” for the books I’m currently reading. (The “0? in the front assures it’s always at the top of the list.) Some other collections I have:

  • Review fiction to read
  • Review nonfiction to read
  • Catholic books
  • Classics
  • GK (as in Chesterton)
  • P.G. Wodehouse (a new discovery of mine who I plan to devour)
  • Reference
  • Dictionaries

Since books can be in more than one collection at a time, I can cross-shelve in a way that’s not possible on my physical bookshelves.

I “archive” (aka “remove from device”) most of the books I finish reading. I have not been a big re-reader so far in my life and probably more than half of the books I read I won’t reread. I trust I’ll be able to find them again through the power of search engine smarts.

Some other helpful tidbits for organizing on your Kindle:

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About Author

If Sarah Reinhard isn’t off hiding somewhere with a good book, chances are she’s chasing a toddler or a dog (or sleeping, because every mom can use a nap!).  She enjoys the idiosyncrasies of life in an old farmhouse in central Ohio with her husband and children.  She has been blogging at SnoringScholar.com since 2006 and contributes regularly at CatholicMom.com and Faith & Family Live.  She can be heard weekly on Catholic Moments and Catholic Foodie and periodically on the Faith & Family Live and Uncommon Sense podcasts.