Keep a small notepad or journal to write down the titles of books. We often stumble across the titles of favorite books that we may have forgotten while in conversations with friends, reading the newspaper, or browsing through a bookstore or public library.
Categorize your list in terms of subject matter. Fiction, novels, and short stories can be one category. Other categories may include poetry, history, philosophy, the various sciences and so forth. Each category may be broken down into small subcategories such as medieval history, 19th-century poets, German novelists and so forth.
Arrange the authors or titles in each category in alphabetical order.
Write a brief synopsis of each book. This is the most time-consuming, but also the most rewarding, part of making the list. Writing a brief one- to two-paragraph summary of the book helps you to better understand and interpret the subject matter and content of the book. It also helps to make your list a valuable tool to refer to when you need to reference a particular book or author.
Develop a rating system for your list. Although each of the books on the list is among your favorites, you may still prefer certain books on the list over others.
Share your list of favorite books with others.