Reading: status, stars and yearly goal

Guide 4 of 8

Regalzeile knows not only where a book stands but also whether you have read it. Three things go with that: the reading status, the stars and the date you finished. Together they make up your reading year on the overview, with a goal that tells you whether you are ahead of or behind plan.

Setting the reading status

Every book’s item page has a “Reading” block with three buttons: “Unread”, “Reading now” and “Read”. One tap is enough. The status belongs to you, not to the library — every member keeps their own details and sees only those. Even a reader may enter them. A book with no entry, by the way, counts as neither read nor unread; you set “Unread” on purpose, for instance for the pile by your bed.

The same section appears in the form when you add or edit a book. Records have no reading status; for them, the Discogs rating is what counts.

Stars and “Read on”

Next to the buttons are five stars. One click gives a rating; a click on the star that is already set removes it again. Switch to “Read” and the “Read on” field appears, filled in with today’s date. For books you read years ago, enter an exact date or just the year — “1998” will do. That way they count in the right year. If you read a book again later, the new date simply replaces the old one.

If other members have read the same book, the item page shows “Read by …” underneath — a good excuse for a chat at the kitchen table.

The yearly goal

The overview has a “My reading year” card. That is where you set, change or remove your yearly goal — 24 books, say. The card shows four figures: read this year, reading now, unread and your goal. Below it there is a bar for each year with a goal marker, and a sentence such as “2 books ahead of plan”. The goal is yours alone; every member sets their own.

In the catalogue

In the catalogue you can filter by reading status and sort by rating with “Highest rated first”. Rows and tiles show your stars in small, and the book you are currently reading sits at the very top of the overview as a card.

More in the Reading chapter of the Guide.