I read a lot of books. I usually finish a lot of books, too. Some readers don’t have a problem abandoning books that they’re not enjoying, but something in me just doesn’t feel right if I don’t finish books that I’ve started. Sometimes it takes a long time (years, in certain cases… looking at you, Anna Karenina), but I almost always come back to those books and finish them.

No, finishing books isn’t usually my problem, and neither is tracking them. My problem is figuring out what to do after I read.

As an adult, there aren’t worksheets for me to fill out, or tests to take. I don’t want to close the book and forget about it; I can’t just do that. I need closure of some sort. I’ve tried Goodreads, but there isn’t really a good forum for discussion there.

A couple of weeks ago, I read an idea in a comment thread on For Reading Addicts. A person named Pat shared that she (he, maybe?) keeps a journal in which she makes a list of three things about every book that she reads. That’s it. She didn’t specific what those three things are – whether they’re things she particularly liked, or didn’t like, or things she learned from the book. Just three things.

I like that idea. Sometimes I struggle to put my thoughts together well enough to write a book review. I don’t want to do that every time I read a book, but I want to do something. There are so many books that I’ve read just this year that I don’t really remember; writing down three things should be enough for me to get my most important thoughts out.

So, having said all that, here is my first 3 Things post!

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

1. I didn’t expect to like this, mostly because it’s historical fiction. I actually really, really liked it.

2. I did not like Frances or Lillian by the end of the story. I felt that they were both selfish and childish, Lillian especially, and I felt as though it ended with a bit of a deus ex machina.

3. Despite the things I didn’t like (the ending), I spend a good three quarters of the book being completely stressed out because I was so nervous for the characters! That, to me, is a sign of a good book!