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Weekend Open Thread

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blue and white stripey coverup

Something on your mind? Chat about it here.

Looking for a super relaxed dress or coverup? This one from Amazon caught my eye recently.

I like all of the stripes, including the way they go in different directions — and I love the blue. I'd wear it as an easy dress since I tend to be in long-sleeved rashguards or rashguard-dresses when I'm around the water.

The dress comes in blue stripes as well as green stripes, in sizes XS-XXL; it's under $35 at Amazon.

Sales of note for 6/12:

166 Comments

  1. I like the look of Nani swimwear but I need something with a sewn-in cup instead. Anyone have any recommendations for a sporty, colorful swimsuit with that feature?

      1. Do you have a recommendation for a specific suit? I know I can browse websites but it’s surprisingly hard to narrow down this feature. Not every site allows you filter on it, for example.

    2. I sew the cups in from the inside. If you are not a sewist, your local tailor can do it in 10 minutes.
      It opens up a much wider set of options for bathing suits

    3. I just got separates from Sheila May Swim and I really like them! Sewn in cups. I would size down 1-2 sizes.

  2. Have you asked for advice or shared your thorny situation? How did things work out for you? We want to know, whether it was a fashion, relationship, work, or other topic.

    1. I posted about beginning a house search in a VHCOL area. We ended up with a townhouse that I think we’ll be happy with, but man oh man, we could have done that without a realtor. It’s wild how much they get paid for doing almost nothing in the age of Zillow. Her role ended up being very small and administrative by the end – certainly not worth a percentage of 7 figures.

      1. I feel like you know who is a good person when things get weird or something goes sideways. Otherwise, people just seem to be floating on reasonable people acting reasonably (which is very hyper-market-local). You will never really know, I think. IDK that many of them see enough to know what is “market” in many places. I know that many people are at bigger brokerages, but my sense is that because they are treated as individual profit centers for how they get paid, everyone keeps their non-publicly-available stuff very close to the vest. Every other realtor is treated as a rival and a threat, so sharing info can only hurt.

    2. I’m the one whose kids went berserk in the library in our house of worship. They wrote apology letters, lost their electronics until the end of school, and lost their freedom to roam for an indeterminate but long period. At least when confronted with the evidence they were immediately remorseful and owned right up that they were playing “the floor is lava” (WHY?!).

      2. I’m sorry if this is the wrong response, but that is way more adorable than anything I had in mind. It sounds like they’ll have learned!

        1. It’s okay. :) I’m sure I’d find it adorable if they weren’t my kids, and that I’ll find it adorable in 15 years.

      1. Sorry, no, it’s just me — an anonymous poster asking for updates for anyone who’s curious

  3. Confessions post — tell us the thing you wouldn’t usually say out loud.

    ** No Judgement Zone **

    1. The cookies I bring to the office are vegan and use TOFU! (there is an allergen tag I make “contains: wheat & soy”). But still I take a lot of delight in all the judgy Mc judgersons eating them.

    2. My psychiatrist was right when he said “things are always going to be harder for you” (due to trauma, adverse childhood experiences, brain chemicals, etc). The goal is to do these things anyway. But I’m very tired of having chronic problems! I just want to be recovered and healed already, even though by most metrics I’m doing extremely well and much time passes without incident.

      No, I am not an anxiety poster. So at least I’ve got that going for me lol.

      1. Well done for hanging in there in spite of how hard things are! Please fill in this sentence with whatever thing is hard today, and read it out loud to yourself:

        “I see how hard _________ is for you right now, and I’m so proud of you for showing up anyway. I know that for you, it’s the equivalent of running a marathon UPHILL, when for others it’s an easy run/walk 5k around the lake. Signed, Internet Anon who was on the Corporette Forum on Friday afternoon, May 29 2026”

      2. Hmmm, I’d get a new psychiatrist, this sounds like a terrible thing to say to someone. Very Mitchum Huntzberger telling Rory she didn’t have what it took to be a journalist. Your shrink shouldn’t limit you that way.

        1. It’s honest, though. Things are always going to be harder for people with mental illness, no matter how well they are treated. Accepting that can be essential to building a good life.

        2. Mitchum was right. And Rory proved him right by melting down and stealing a yacht rather than shaking off his comments and getting another journalism job!

          1. I didn’t put much stock in that immediate reaction, but she rather proved him right in the revival I thought.

        3. That’s more ACT than CBT, and acceptance and commitment therapy is a good form of therapy for people with more “real problems” that you literally cannot change and last a very long time/forever (difficult family, health problems, etc). And as the first word suggests, you’ve got to start by accepting the situation – things are always going to be harder for you. If you’ve had CBT and felt like you’ve not gotten much out of it or just end up arguing in circles with yourself, changing to ACT is a good move.

      3. I come from all of those same things minus the brain chemicals, extremely traumatic childhood..
        What I have found has helped me and (take what you like and leave the rest) has been the adult children of alcoholic and dysfunctional parents program. It is a different 12 step program than any of the other ones. This is the PhD.
        The things that happened are still true. I still have responses learned in childhood to adapt to the crazy I grew up in however, today, I know how to take care of them. I wish you all the best.

    3. My husband mentioned someone commented about giving him a job that would change our lives, and our children’s lives, financially in a mind blowing way. It’s a career path he stepped away from to be the amazing dad and partner he is. I didn’t even know that could be an option at this point. I’m embarrassed that I wish he’d take it; even if it means more time away from us. Especially since were doing fine on the path we’re on now.

    4. My life has been so very difficult for going on at least 15 years. I am an “old” and fully understand that life has its ups and downs but it has been only down for so long now, much longer than any other period in my life. It is so hard and just seems to keep getting harder.

      3. Same. I see you. Between the pandemic, a surprise divorce leaving me isolated in a small town that is “his” town, elder care while being the only child/relative in my state, and ever increasing workload with no availability of additional staff (public service, gov’t), I wish that I could have just one day that was for or about me. One day where I wasn’t dancing to the tune of all the other needs, desperately trying, not to catch up or get ahead, but simply not have some disaster occur. I haven’t had a vacation or even a short trip since December 2019. Sure there are millions of people who objectively have it worse than I do. But for just one fucking day, or part of a day, I would like to be like to feel cared for instead of being the person madly juggling, trying to keep all the balls in the air.

    5. I love my kids and my husband, but I feel like I am always doing something for someone. I also have a demanding job as a lawyer and come home and feel like there are just more tasks and more demands for me to do (including elder care). I don’t feel like I do anything for myself or just because I want to do it. I also have a very hard time spending money on myself and I sometimes feel resentful that I spend so much on my kids, which then makes me feel guilty (and turns into a cycle…)

    6. A dear friend just got diagnosed with early-onset dementia. While I fully intend to be supportive, I am already exhausted with supporting my elderly relatives with dementia.
      Part of me wishes I could just tap out of the friendship.

    7. I suck at punishing my kids. Taking away devices just seems like a punishment to me and DH too since then we have to deal with whiny kids even more.

      1. Yeah that is definitely a good one to keep to yourself.

        There are plenty of events for adults in public spaces where I live.

          1. Not a mom, and don’t care what OP said. Children are people, and wanting public spaces to be free of some subset of people is a bad path to go down.

          2. They are people but not adults, so don’t have the same rights to be anywhere. Like why are kids at the beer garden? Honestly.

          3. …because that specific beer garden is not restricted to 21+, unlike plenty of other beer gardens and bars?

            Don’t pick one of the very few all ages bars if you don’t want it to be all ages. Idk, seems pretty simple.

        3. But are they truly child free? Also, the commenter below suggesting having adults only spaces is akin to segregation is quite the take.

          1. If it’s not open to the public, then it’s not public anymore. Why are children not part of the public? Who else isn’t?

          2. I’d be ok w child free spaces. They don’t understand norms yet and are disruptive. Keep them at home until you teach them to fully behave.

          3. Okay, team, let’s hide away everyone who might not understand norms — children, adults with conditions like autism, dementia, or Down syndrome, folks who are new to the cultural context they’re experiencing — just to make sure Anon @4:53 isn’t disrupted.

          3. OP here, I was thinking more like brewpubs, but go ahead and assume things to try to make me look bad, I guess.

      4. Our local public library has adults only areas. Also it’s not public, but highly recommend adults only resorts and cruises for travel.

        (I have kids, love kids in certain situations but also understand the desire for child free spaces.)

    9. I regularly have gardening dreams about a guy I had a workplace FWB situationship with 20 years ago. It lasted roughly two years, off and on. I also still feel real embarrassment over it for many reasons including: 1. a very drunk confession of love that happened on the tail end of a night out (it was not love), 2. after I ended the situationship, an unnecessary and very drunk confession to a senior colleague that the situationship had occurred, and 3. if you can’t tell by now, embarrassment that all of this happened in the workplace bubble that I still sort of occupy. Yes, I interact with these people on occasion. I deeply regret my behavior, while I also try to remember a lot of us did things in our 20s that we now regret. Thank you for starting this thread so I can at least write it down and put it out there!

      1. A friend has nightmares about a similar situation 20 years ago. She was on super strong anti anxiety medication which may have contributed to poor decision making and lack of inhibitions. They don’t prescribe that stuff any more thank goodness!

    10. We are getting some HVAC work done and my husband is driving me crazy wanting to discuss the minutiae with me over and over. I literally. Don’t. Care. I responded to his “bids for attention” the first 100 times and now I’m done.

    11. Some of the dumbest people I’ve ever met have PhDs. Same with doctorates in education.

      2. It amazes me how many people I have met with advanced degrees and I intellectual curiosity.

        1. I think it’s actually a little easier to make it through the system if you focus entirely on box checking.

          Eventually I swear there can also sometimes be some pettiness or stigma if someone is really, very talented, to the point where they’re more skilled than their own mentors. Surely they’re just savants who are fundamentally lacking in something essential? Well it can happen, but sometimes they’re just that great and are resented for it. Maybe that’s more of a tenure track hazard than just degree acquisition though.

      3. Not surprising. In the 90s, fellow grade who couldn’t land a job just carried on in education if they could afford it or were willing to take on the debt. Some are now PhDs etc.

    12. I find NYC really unappealing, and I am astonished how self-important people can be about NYC.

        1. London is so overrated. I think Paris is overrated too. Smaller European cities are much more my vibe.

          1. Nah London is amazing if you’re in the right place for you. Holland Park is hard to beat, but the trick is to also have a place in the countryside, or once you have kids, to just live in Surrey and commute to London. There are SO many things to do for almost any taste.

            However, places like Camden are objectively dreadful yet remain on the tourist trail!

          2. I mean the same can be said about NYC. It’s obviously very different if you’re commuting from the Hudson Valley or even if you own a weekend house there to escape to. I think it’s clear OP and the responses were talking about the actual cities.

    13. I don’t want to go to work anymore. I want to go hang out on a farm, ride ponies, and play with baby goats.

  4. If you do micro-needling, how often do you go and do you think it helps? Trying to deal with being older and also having rosacea, so lots of potential things to get at the cosmetic derm’s office. Luckily not a lot of prior sun damage due to office job + decent sunscreen use over time (and not living in FL or California, where people are just out more).

    1. I loved my results but I think it’s contraindicated for rosacea. At least my provider double checks that I don’t have it every time.

    2. Once a year, after initially doing three treatments about a month apart. This is based on my dermatologist’s recommendation. Once-a-year treatment is for maintenance and I think it works.

    3. 3-4 months in a row. you need 4-6 otherwise don’t do it. It definitely pays off, months later

    4. The best thing for my rosacea has been prescriptions from my dermatologist for Ivermectin cream and Metronidazole. They are long-term maintenance medications (they don’t get rid of it and you;re done), but as long as I use them, I have no rosacea bumps or redness.

  5. my child is going to georgetown for a week this summer – any suggestions on a nearby hotel for a night or two around drop offs? checkin the first day isn’t until 2:30 so in theory we could stay outside of DC a bit and drive the last hour or something that morning. thank you! we’re a 6 hour drive away

    1. What are you looking for? If you just want reasonably priced and convenient, I would look for something in Crystal city in Virginia right by DCA. There are a lot of decent hotels there.

    2. Highly recommend the Georgetown Inn on Wisconsin Avenue. It’s not as pricey as most hotels in Georgetown and is just a short walk to campus.

  6. i’m about to place an order at loft – has anyone gotten anything there that’s truly great? their stuff can be so hit or miss

    2. I’ve really loved the Palmer wide leg pants, and I normally don’t like wide leg pants!

      1. They are cute! What is your shape? I’m pair shaped, and am looking for some easy summer pants.

  7. Health question for the group. I am a 48 year old woman, two teenagers, big job. I get a reasonable amount of sleep. I wash my hands a lot. Take vitamins. But in the last two years, I have been sick with a cold virus at least 6-8 times. I just can’t seem to stay cold-free. Last fall was the worst – it lasted 8 weeks and turned into a sinus infection and was miserable – but the rest of them are no picnic either, even when it’s only a 10 day virus. I’m picking up these colds even when the rest of my family doesn’t. Any suggestions or theories on how to prevent this? I’m starting to feel like a wilting flower.

    3. If I were getting sick that much, I’d start masking more. I say this as someone who had to mask for a very long time in the pandemic and who is SO eager to never mask again but it also sucks being sick as frequently as that.

      1. Same. Cheap; no side effects; not a medicine (if polypharmacy is a risk / concern).

        1. Just make sure the water was boiled at some point prior so you don’t get a fatal infection from raw tap water. (I just use the leftover water from the kettle.)

          2. yikes i hope you clean your kettle more than I do mine, we have a gooseneck with a lid so you’d think we’d be motivated to descale more often than we apparently are.

      2. Yes, i regularly neti pot during cold/flu season and am rarely sick despite having three kids in daycare.

        Also, wash your hands regularly and be careful about not touching your face.

    5. Have you ever been tested for common stuff like low IgA, deviated septum, nasal polyps? Or more unusual things like a chronic infection that keeps going dormant and flaring, or abnormal immune counts other than IgA?

      Handwashing doesn’t have a lot to do with cold viruses, but did masking make any difference when you were masking?

    6. I think one’s doc is a good first stop for medical questions.

      I like to mask (or at least have a mask handy) in situations when I’m going to be very close to strangers for a few hours (theater, planes, etc.).

    7. That was me. I got my bloodwork done and it turned out I was very deficient in Vitamin D. Now I take a Vitaamin D supplement in addition to my multi, and I only get sick 1-2x/year.

    8. FWIW I go through periods where I catch everything and others when I catch nothing. Any chance that resonates with you? My theory is that my immune system gets built up when I’m catching everything, then uses that to fight off everything, then gets complacent because I haven’t been sick in a while, and then the cycle begins anew.

      1. Anyone’s immune system would be on the defensive after just one infection. I’d wonder if something was getting depleted rather than built up.

    9. Have you had bloodwork done? There are various immune deficiencies, but Specific Antibody Deficiency can cause/result in frequent/long duration sinus infections.

      1. also Team Get Bloodwork Done. Are you bruising easily? How do your nails look? I’d just want to make sure that you and your PCP take a good look at the numbers. i might even just pay for one of those Quest blood tests you can take without a doctor because a lot of them will test for a lot of tiny minerals and things you might have an imbalance in. iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D… i don’t think any are on a regular blood test, at least not with all their markers (like with iron I know they only include 1 test routinely when there are like 8 ways to test for low iron… we just went thru this with my elderly mother where we had to keep asking for more little blood tests.)

        1. I was overtly deficient in zinc when tested. I remember someone here objected that it wasn’t protocol to test for the symptoms I had on whatever flowchart they apparently put all their faith in, as if it were a diagnostic test for a medical condition and pre-test probability rendered it useless in a random asymptomatic man off the street. Anyway addressing zinc deficiency helped with my nails, my PMS/PMDD, and my ENT said it could help with head colds too. My doctor did make sure to follow up on why I might have been deficient.

    10. I was also always getting sick. Always carrying hand sanitizer and a mask has really helped. I mask for mass transit, grocery shopping and medical appointments. A combination that seems to have helped a bit more is Azasteline spray and Pataday eyedrops. There is some actual research on it.

      1. It probably makes more sense to strengthen the body than to hide from the unhide-able.

        2. What’s hilarious is that the same people who spout this anti-mask nonsense are also the ones avoiding strengthening the body with vaccines.

    11. You probably had Covid and that depletes your immune system for at least a year.
      Agree on a basic bloodwork to ensure d and b12 are in a good range (not just at the low end of “normal!”).
      Good sleep and nutrition are key.
      Then yes to oil of oregano occasionally and saline nasal spray daily (just get the arm and hammer kind of Amazon. Once you do these you’ll see how great your nose feels after, I am truly a changed person since using these).

      Then focus on gut health. Consider a daily probiotic or ensuring you get fermented foods in your diet. Consider ginger or turmeric and even kombucha.

      Daily exercise also boost immunity.

      Get some direct sunlight on you. You don’t need sunscreen for 10 minutes in springtime sun. It’s good for you. (Beyond that sure use sunscreen!).

  8. I am weighing a job offer. I’ve been recruited, I am not actively seeking. I think I would enjoy my role about the same at current vs future. No commute change. I have one level to ascend to at current job, and that’s on the table for me next year. Potential job is a much larger company and has two more levels I could ascend. Minor schedule differences. Pay isn’t super different, although bigger company could offer substantial bonuses and current doesn’t. I know a ton of people at both my current role and the potential role, basically I have been a consultant to them for 5-6 years. I have noticed a lot more trust with my colleagues in the last year or so, the thought of that emotional conversation for me to leave makes me a little sad/I know it would be hard to have and come as a shock to them. I also don’t think I could ever return, current firm is nice but they often burn bridges. Potential job has more of a chance at getting bought/sold, current job has more market risk which can impact my pay.

    I honestly do not know how to decide. Both are really good options. I am confident I will be happy staying and happy if I left. How do I choose?

    1. If you were not looking and a recruiter reached out to you, that could indicate they are having a hard time filling the job which would be a major red flag to me in this economy. (Maybe not if this is how your industry usually hires). Also, if job security is very important to you and you’re reasonably happy, I’d stay put for now. It looks to me like there is a lot of risk and not much to gain by leaving.

      1. This. If you are reasonably happy where you are you should just stay. The devil you know.

    3. Assess your political capital and potential lost/gained opportunity. I’ve always preferred to be a big fish in a small pond so bigger is less appealing to me. If you’re a star where you are consider the effort to build that rep in the new place. Consider your boss in both places – are either of them brighter stars? If so, follow that one, better opportunities usually follow when your boss is highly regarded. Just a few of the factors I’d think about.

    4. Kind of a silly thought exercise, but this helps me sort out my feelings when things on paper are pretty even.

      Pretend you chose to stay, and it’s a year in the future. Think about how you feel about your decision. The pretend you left, it’s a year out, and think about how you feel. Any differences?

  9. What is it with drug ads? IIRC, my parents said that drugs used to be just marketed to doctors, who then thought about their patients and recommended what was needed. Maybe this gatekeeping was bad? But I see why it existed. At some point that changed. Also, opioid crisis and pill mills. Now, it seems that the drug ads find me everwhere (and Serena: why are you on my TV telling me to take a weight loss shot? As far as I know, you aren’t in any group this type of drug is designed for). And I don’t ever have to ask my doctor for them — with online pill places (which I can see the point of, also), I can basically just pay and get.
    TL;DR: are we our own PCPs now, self-referring for pitches that resonate? Does anyone ever get even gentle pushback? Or pushback that is medically based?

    3. JFC, it’s great people have more knowledge today and GLP1s are for a lot more people than you realize. Get over yourself.

    4. No, we are not our own PCPs. Yes, people encounter pushback and are not prescribed everything they ask for. I believe USA recently cracked down on drug ads in easily policed arenas, so ads have increased everywhere else. Serena went on GLP1s after her blood sugar and weight increased postpartum; as far as I know, she’s still on them, which is probably a good idea given her family health history.

      A lot of pain patients with proven histories of consistent, responsible use would benefit from easier access to opioids, and a lot of people struggling with addiction would benefit from better access to methadone. Innocently inappropriate prescribing stemmed from false claims made in promotion aimed at physicians, so limiting marketing to physicians wouldn’t have changed anything.

    6. You must be very susceptible to advertising. Learn to tune that stuff out and you’ll be happier for it. It’s 100% designed to sell you stuff, not for your personal betterment.

        1. I read that in Europe you have the option to pay for an ad-free instagram. It’s telling that apparently it’s more lucrative to not offer that option at all in the US.

        2. It’s good you understand your own limitations in this regard. Truly. I think a lot more people should be getting rid of social media entirely, and you should be proud of yourself for doing it.

    7. Drug ad themselves aren’t new; we just have (relatively) new ways of being marketed to.

      It’s so difficult and expensive for me to see my PCP that I attempt a differential diagnosis on myself ahead of time, vs. listing my symptoms an hoping my doc thinks it’s more than anxiety/weight. “I’ve been experiencing X + Y symptoms for [time]. I tried [idea 1, idea 2, idea 3] with no effect. I would like to explore [possible diagnosis] via [test].” Or similar.

      (I believe Serena Williams was pre-diabetic and/or struggled with high blood pressure; also Black women have higher rates of heart disease/diabetes)

    8. There used to be regulations prohibiting drug manufacturers from advertising directly to consumers. Those laws were repealed maybe 20 years ago (?) and then direct to consumer ads exploded and became ubiquitous like they are now. Personally I wish the powers that be would bring back those regulations.

    10. Drug ads aren’t new in the US. Drug manufacturers actually get a tax break for their advertising costs!! That’s been in the federal tax code for decades at this point. (As a tax policy person, I’d love to look up the history of that provision some day. I just can’t imagine what lawmaker introduced it with a straight face.) I’m not sure where you’re seeing these ads – online, tv or print – but they’re not new wherever they are. I remember seeing the two page magazine ads when I was younger.

  10. Fun thought experiment – If you could travel anywhere for a week in North America this July, no budget. Where would you go and/or where would you stay?

    3. I’ve always wanted to go to one of the Maine beach towns. With unlimited budget, I’d rent a really nice beach house or stay in one of the higher end inns, depending on how many people were joining me.

    4. Also a hot weather hater, so somewhere relatively cool. Alaska, Maine, Lake Superior, coastal CA, Yellowstone or the Tetons or somewhere in the Canadian Rockies?

    5. Somewhere very far north in Canada, in a well-stocked cabin with all the amenities, where it is cold enough for a roaring fire in the fireplace every night.

    6. One of the luxury resports in the Muskokas. You’ll bump into lots of Canadian celebs.

    8. Wyoming or Montana, because I live in the South and it’s nice to escape the humidity. Also, if you go later in July, it’s huckleberry season. (Glacier is my favorite national park I’ve been to, but they dropped vehicle reservations this year and I suspect that is just going to lead to massive crowds.) I would throw Banff area in this category as well, though I haven’t been yet.

    10. Lake Louise

      Tell me all the things I should do there and where I should stay.

    11. Not North America, but physically close: Greenland. It’s so remote there’s no real way to do it on a budget. I had a trip planned last summer but it was going to be about twice the cost of a typical Europe trip and I just couldn’t justify it. But you have an unlimited budget :)
      Otherwise a luxury small ship Alaska cruise. Silversea is great.

    15. Yoga retreat or health spa, with daily massages, positivity in abundance, and pleasant weather! Also excellent reliable trustworthy skilled childcare.

  11. Any hotel recs for a college visit to Cambridge, Mass? Priority is soaking in the college vibes. We will not have a car and would like to keep it to $300/night but that looks like it will be tough.

    1. Harvard Square Hotel if you’re visiting Harvard and 907 Main if you’re visiting MIT.

      1. I assume she’s visiting both? As an MIT alum, I’d stay near Harvard Square. MIT doesn’t really have “college vibes.”

  12. What is better than goodreads if just setting something up? Or is GoodReads it? I’d like a way for my teen to track the books he’s reading. Thx!

      1. +1 Storygraph, especially if he’s a reader who loves data. Storygraph has great analytics on your reading habits.

      2. +1 if he’s actually interested in tracking. As a major bookworm I have tried to enjoy tracking my reading but it’s just an annoying chore to me and as such nothing ever works. (If I had to guess, I read ~160 books a year, but it’s a mystery.)

    3. They make special hard copy reading journals to track your reading, I love mine. I also have Goodreads but there’s something about the paper. I also track my new book acquisitions. I’ve bought 38 books this year so far (new and used) and read 25. One thing I learned about myself when I started tracking books read is that I was starting a lot of books and not finishing them. Of course It’s fine not to finish every book you start reading, but these were books I was enjoying and I realized I was just getting distracted by the next shiny new thing. Now I’m much better at finishing books and planning out my next reads.

      1. This has been the value add of mydramalist for me; I go back to the dramas I enjoyed but got distracted from, and I even know where I left off without trying to figure it out. (For those who don’t watch Asian dramas, the episode counts for some genres can be substantial!)

        Libby has helped me with this some for books, but tracking hard copy books would probably be a good idea. Often what happens to me is that a book is due back at the library before I finished it, not that I decided not to finish.

    5. To what end? I tend to think all digital tracking of reading is a waste of time that could be spent reading.

      1. Agree. Is he asking for this or are you trying to optimize an otherwise enjoyable thing?

      2. When I was applying to college, some actually asked for books read lists! So it may be different for teens if they’re reading classic literature and keeping track.

        For light reading, I rely a lot on my library’s borrowing history to see if I’ve already read a book or not, but if nothing were tracking it for me, I would absolutely pick up the same book more than once. I’m terrible at remembering titles and authors. For me it saves reading time not to start the same novel again and then realize “I think I read this before” or often “I dropped this before for reasons.”

        1. I’m always getting trapped in the “Did I read the first chapter at the end of the previous book as a coming attraction or did I actually read this book before?” trap. I don’t think my library has my borrowing history where I can access it. I’ll have to ask about that.

      3. It can be useful if you read a lot over many years. I try to write a brief note for each book I read and it’s been a good exercise to 1) force me to articulate my thoughts coherently, 2) revisit prior thoughts on books I’ve reread, 3) be able to search my reviews, recommend, or discuss books that I’ve read long ago. I prefer a digital interface for this.

      4. I agree you shouldn’t force a kid to do it if they’re not interested but I couldn’t live w/o Goodreads to help me keep track of what I’ve read and whether I liked it. It takes like 2 seconds to log a book and a star rating. If you’re not writing reviews, it’s not a time-consuming endeavor.

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