With respect to your angst about losing track of things you've watched and read, I'll make a suggestion to you - having pondered this issue for years and finally arrived at a workable solution - for me, at least. The issue I kept running into with movies was trying to remember their titles when I wanted to recommend one to someone. We'd be in a conversation and I would recall a movie I thought they would like or should watch for some reason, but couldn't remember the name of it. Especially foreign and Indie films (which I watch a lot of). So I started keeping a log of movies that I've watched. But only the ones sufficiently noteworthy. I don't log all of them. I keep a text file, each line of which is a movie title, the year it was made, the year I watched it, and a sentence description which will help recall it to me. It can easily be pulled into a spreadsheet (or a web program I wrote) so I can sort by year it came out, I watched it or title. I also keep a separate log for "execrable movies". The idea here is that too many times we'll rent/check out/otherwise stream a movie that we subsequently discover we watched already and hated. It happens more often then you'd think it should. I think they keep changing up the cover pictures and re-releasing streaming versions because they know people tend to remember the pictures as much or more than the titles. I'm not sure this execrable file actually helps in this regard, but at least it feels good to capture these so I can glare at them once in awhile.
Books I handled differently. In this case I wanted to keep track of everything I've read, and I only cared about the year I read it. So each line in that log is Title, author, year(s) read, and percentage-read. I added the last entry because I have a fair number of books which made some significant percentage of the way through but never finished. It is also useful to keep track of these. And there is an interesting thing you can do with that log format. If you add books you've bought but not read yet, leave the date and percentage off; it makes an easy way to keep track of books on hand waiting to be read. I check this before ordering books now, after finding I had two copies of several unread books.
Over the years I'll add books I will recall reading for one reason or another which I'd forgotten about. I'm sure there are many I've missed, but probably fewer as time goes on.
You're young. If you get started now, in twenty years you will be amazed at how useful this could be.
I just looked: 1187 books read, 210 on hand I haven't read (I go to used bookstores a lot).
BTW: "Girls" is in my movie list.
[I was tempted to include the URL to my private server so you could see the way my interface to these lists works, live. But being a public forum here my little private server would surely get hammered by search engines and hackers if I did. The reason I have it live is that often when I want to remember something from these lists, I'm out somewhere. I can browse my site on my phone and quickly retrieve things. You could do the same thing with something like Google Docs, though, if you don't mind contributing to their 'Susan Anderson' database of information for sale.]
That's why I keep a list of "to read" and "read" books on Goodreads. If that site ever disappears, there goes my list! It helped me get my estimate of having read about 80 books per year (although I skim a lot of them). Interestingly, since I have been retired this past year I have read a lot less, and I no longer have a TV so rarely watch movies. I have just felt "meh" about a lot of the stuff coming out and am finding it hard to get off the computer and actually read a book.
I've never seen those sources. Most of what I read are books footnoted or commented on elsewhere. Sometimes from book reviews, but often these have convinced me via hyperbole to read something which I ended up not at all liking the same way. Increasingly, I learn about books on substacks like this one. Everything is in a state of flux right now.
Maybe we can discuss another time. I'd be interested in your thoughts. My short/gut response to Disillusionment: part of me viewed the teller of the story as limited at best, possibly psychotic (and bringing to mind Camus' The Stranger), and another part of me said yes, I can see it that way; what does it all add up to, after all?
That's really interesting - and surprising, I suppose. I haven't read Disillusionment; I'll see if I can find a copy. I read "Magic Mountain" decades ago and still remember vividly many scenes from it (that incident where the guy skis up the mountain and gets stuck in a snowstorm in a hut is vivid to the point of almost being psychedelic). I've read Death in Venice, of course. And Dr Faustus. That one was fascinating. And in my mind I can't think of it without simultaneously thinking of Hesse's Damien.
I can't believe the actual books would be better than your brilliant and oftentimes hilarious summaries. Reading them made my morning! I will try some of the novels, though.
As for remembering, I long ago started keeping a log, and like you keep track on Goodreads as well. But I don't always want to post a review on Goodreads (I don't like saying negative things), so only my log has short summaries of everything.
I haven't seen that documentary but thank you for giving me something new to watch!
I don't know if you saw my other link in the comments about the Peggy Lee song--https://longreads.com/2015/04/28/how-thomas-mann-inspired-peggy-lees-is-that-all-there-is/
With respect to your angst about losing track of things you've watched and read, I'll make a suggestion to you - having pondered this issue for years and finally arrived at a workable solution - for me, at least. The issue I kept running into with movies was trying to remember their titles when I wanted to recommend one to someone. We'd be in a conversation and I would recall a movie I thought they would like or should watch for some reason, but couldn't remember the name of it. Especially foreign and Indie films (which I watch a lot of). So I started keeping a log of movies that I've watched. But only the ones sufficiently noteworthy. I don't log all of them. I keep a text file, each line of which is a movie title, the year it was made, the year I watched it, and a sentence description which will help recall it to me. It can easily be pulled into a spreadsheet (or a web program I wrote) so I can sort by year it came out, I watched it or title. I also keep a separate log for "execrable movies". The idea here is that too many times we'll rent/check out/otherwise stream a movie that we subsequently discover we watched already and hated. It happens more often then you'd think it should. I think they keep changing up the cover pictures and re-releasing streaming versions because they know people tend to remember the pictures as much or more than the titles. I'm not sure this execrable file actually helps in this regard, but at least it feels good to capture these so I can glare at them once in awhile.
Books I handled differently. In this case I wanted to keep track of everything I've read, and I only cared about the year I read it. So each line in that log is Title, author, year(s) read, and percentage-read. I added the last entry because I have a fair number of books which made some significant percentage of the way through but never finished. It is also useful to keep track of these. And there is an interesting thing you can do with that log format. If you add books you've bought but not read yet, leave the date and percentage off; it makes an easy way to keep track of books on hand waiting to be read. I check this before ordering books now, after finding I had two copies of several unread books.
Over the years I'll add books I will recall reading for one reason or another which I'd forgotten about. I'm sure there are many I've missed, but probably fewer as time goes on.
You're young. If you get started now, in twenty years you will be amazed at how useful this could be.
I just looked: 1187 books read, 210 on hand I haven't read (I go to used bookstores a lot).
BTW: "Girls" is in my movie list.
[I was tempted to include the URL to my private server so you could see the way my interface to these lists works, live. But being a public forum here my little private server would surely get hammered by search engines and hackers if I did. The reason I have it live is that often when I want to remember something from these lists, I'm out somewhere. I can browse my site on my phone and quickly retrieve things. You could do the same thing with something like Google Docs, though, if you don't mind contributing to their 'Susan Anderson' database of information for sale.]
That's why I keep a list of "to read" and "read" books on Goodreads. If that site ever disappears, there goes my list! It helped me get my estimate of having read about 80 books per year (although I skim a lot of them). Interestingly, since I have been retired this past year I have read a lot less, and I no longer have a TV so rarely watch movies. I have just felt "meh" about a lot of the stuff coming out and am finding it hard to get off the computer and actually read a book.
Read Carr's "The Shallows". It will help you get off the computer (and phone) more. It's a very important book for our times.
I think another issue for me is that now that I'm retired I'm not reading the journals listing all the new books coming out, so I am out of touch.
I've never seen those sources. Most of what I read are books footnoted or commented on elsewhere. Sometimes from book reviews, but often these have convinced me via hyperbole to read something which I ended up not at all liking the same way. Increasingly, I learn about books on substacks like this one. Everything is in a state of flux right now.
Here's a little piece of trivia for you by the way: https://longreads.com/2015/04/28/how-thomas-mann-inspired-peggy-lees-is-that-all-there-is/
Thanks! I never knew that. It was one of my father's favorite songs, so I knew it long before Mad Men. And now I want to read Mann's Disillusionment.
I don't know if you read the piece I linked to about it--https://www.thearticle.com/escaping-life-with-thomas-mann
Yes. I think the comments might not be in order, but mine was in response to the piece you linked to. I've also now read "Disillusionment."
I almost elaborated on both of those in the piece I wrote but I decided to leave all that inferred.
Maybe we can discuss another time. I'd be interested in your thoughts. My short/gut response to Disillusionment: part of me viewed the teller of the story as limited at best, possibly psychotic (and bringing to mind Camus' The Stranger), and another part of me said yes, I can see it that way; what does it all add up to, after all?
I found a reading of "Disillusionment" on Soundcloud and listened to it while fixing lunch. The song tracks the story more than I had anticipated!
Also, this is a remarkable performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCRZZC-DH7M
That's really interesting - and surprising, I suppose. I haven't read Disillusionment; I'll see if I can find a copy. I read "Magic Mountain" decades ago and still remember vividly many scenes from it (that incident where the guy skis up the mountain and gets stuck in a snowstorm in a hut is vivid to the point of almost being psychedelic). I've read Death in Venice, of course. And Dr Faustus. That one was fascinating. And in my mind I can't think of it without simultaneously thinking of Hesse's Damien.
I really need to read "Magic Mountain." I have been meaning to read it for years.
I can't believe the actual books would be better than your brilliant and oftentimes hilarious summaries. Reading them made my morning! I will try some of the novels, though.
As for remembering, I long ago started keeping a log, and like you keep track on Goodreads as well. But I don't always want to post a review on Goodreads (I don't like saying negative things), so only my log has short summaries of everything.
Great piece, Susan! I love these capsule reviews. A couple of things:
- Viv Albertine is a goddess. Did you see The Slits documentary, Here to Be Heard? I really enjoyed it.
- "Woman enters a horribly dysfunctional relationship. Remains scarred." is a summary for the ages.
- Not exactly arcane trivia, but I appreciate that "Is That All There Is?" is a Lieber and Stoller tune. I also love the PJ Harvey cover.
I haven't seen that documentary but thank you for giving me something new to watch!
I don't know if you saw my other link in the comments about the Peggy Lee song--https://longreads.com/2015/04/28/how-thomas-mann-inspired-peggy-lees-is-that-all-there-is/
I will have to look up the PJ Harvey cover!
I don't know if you've read Albertine's memoirs, but I have read both of them and she is an excellent writer.