94-year-old grandmom's book log spanning 80 years inspires people to start one of their own

If a person reads a lot, it becomes challenging to keep track of what they have read. If you are one of them, who might have read hundreds or thousands of books but do not remember a relatable book when someone asks you for a recommendation or about your favorite book, a trick from this woman might help. A 94-year-old woman did a simple thing to keep track of all the books she had read since she was 14 years old. She kept a detailed log of every book she read with the name and the author. The woman had read about 1658 books in 80 years, approximately 2 books a month, per My Modern Met.

The woman's grandson and a professor of theology and literature at Alphacrucis University College, Ben Myers–who goes by @_BenMyers_ on X–said that such lists can reveal interesting things about a person. He wrote, "My 94-year-old grandmother has kept a list of every book she ever read since she was 14 years old. Amazing archive of one person's mind over nearly a century." Nada, who passed away recently, was a refugee with challenging beginnings. She had to leave Germany with her family under difficult circumstances in 1943 due to the Russian invasion during World War II. Unfortunately, the woman could not complete school due to such a shift in her life. 

Nonetheless, Nada spoke several languages, including German, Serbian, English and Hungarian. The professor shared that his grandmother started reading books in English when her family moved to Australia. Myers shared that his grandmother was from a poor peasant family and read whatever she could get her hands on. Her reading included everything from religious books, classics, fiction and poetry. The woman had a special love for poetry and wrote some of her own in a diary.

The man also shared his grandmother's favorite book from the long list, "I've seen a number of requests for my grandmother's favorite book. Here's one example: she has had a stormy love affair with Goethe since first reading him in 1947 (#61 on the list). Recently, she told me about a reconciliation with Goethe after a dispute and prolonged breakup." 

Books held quite a huge significance in her life. In her memoir, Nada wrote about the time she was living in a German farmhouse as a refugee from Yugoslavia. She shared that she would read German novels aloud to her mom to practice her German language skills. It was at this time that she discovered Dostoevsky and Dumas. She was super excited to find a book hidden in the wall of the house she was staying in. The homeowners of the place said that they weren't interested in books and she could keep them. The book was "The Greatest Thing in the World" by Henry Hammond, the 1891 edition, written in Gothic German. The grandmom enjoyed the book and read it many times. She even decided to base her life on the said book.

People were quite impressed by the list and took to the comments to express it. @NoyAvril wrote, "My Nan used to color the top circle of page 8 in pencil from the books she borrowed at the local library. It is such a joy to go into the library when I go home and see an 8 partially shaded. I need to touch the pencil mark every time." @MichelleLugiai expressed, "I would love to read her memoir and her book list. Are either published? If so, what's the title?" @ServetDei commented, "Wow, this is beautiful. A testimony of someone very disciplined and organized. I'd love to have met her."