--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started to write book reviews as a…" description: "\"I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my thoughts about what I'd read before all memory of them vanished.\" — Debra Hamel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg" --- # I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my… ![“I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my thoughts about what I'd read before all memory of them vanished.” quote by Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg) > “I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my thoughts about what I'd read before all memory of them vanished.” [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing reviews preserves thoughts and prevents ideas from fading, turning reading into a lasting dialogue. **In simple terms:** Reviews help remember what you read. Key Takeaway Write reviews to keep insights alive. Themes memory literature reflection Mood thoughtful introspective Type educational reflective When to use this quote - academic work - personal journaling - book clubs Key Concepts cognition documentation learning Questions to Reflect On - How do reviews change your reading habits? - What methods help retain book insights? A Different Perspective Requires time and discipline to review consistently. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book review](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-review/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Vanished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-vanished-2185697/) [My thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-thoughts/) [Recording Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording-thoughts-2723194/) [Reviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reviews/) [Started Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-write/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) [Thoughts Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-read-733193/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Existence is without memory; of the vanished it retains nothing - not even a memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/existence-is-without-memory-of-the-vanished-it-retains-nothing-not/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [It is certain that I cannot always distinguish my own thoughts from those I read, because what I read becomes the very substance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/it-is-certain-that-i-cannot-always-distinguish-my-own-thoughts-from/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Coleridge wrote a poem called ‘The Eolian Harp,’ in which he explored the notion of music slumbering on its instrument. 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And it's important to take that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-sharples/nearly-every-writer-writes-a-book-with-a-great-amount-of-attention/) [Madeline Sharples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-sharples/) > [The individual attributes of warmth and competence are often perceived to be negatively correlated. That doesn't mean they actually are, but that's how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/the-individual-attributes-of-warmth-and-competence-are-often/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) ## More by Debra Hamel > [These days I'm probably happiest when I see my two daughters loving one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/these-days-i-m-probably-happiest-when-i-see-my-two-daughters-loving/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [What did it for me was a blurb on the back of a book I was reading. The blurber wrote - I just looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/what-did-it-for-me-was-a-blurb-on-the-back-of-a-book-i-was-reading/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [I don't understand the mechanics behind things, so a site that I find impressive may not really be more technologically advanced than something which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-don-t-understand-the-mechanics-behind-things-so-a-site-that-i-find/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [My book review site and first blog, which I started in 2003. 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The best thing I can come up with is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/my-life-has-been-sadly-lacking-in-snails-i-can-t-clearly-remember-any/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [Research is all well and good, but I definitely enjoy writing the most. I will happily sit at my computer and work on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/research-is-all-well-and-good-but-i-definitely-enjoy-writing-the-most/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [If you neglect your blogs they don't take up much time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/if-you-neglect-your-blogs-they-don-t-take-up-much-time/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [What I find amazing is how sometimes ideas will just click, seemingly without effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/what-i-find-amazing-is-how-sometimes-ideas-will-just-click-seemingly/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [I discovered Twitter, as I remember, and the idea of watching a global conversation go by immediately struck me as a fantastic thing. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-discovered-twitter-as-i-remember-and-the-idea-of-watching-a-global/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [I'm always impressed that as we go through life most of the stuff we do doesn't matter that much, at least not ostensibly: you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-m-always-impressed-that-as-we-go-through-life-most-of-the-stuff-we/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) [Explore all 13 Debra Hamel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my thoughts about what I'd read before all memory of them vanished.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debra Hamel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-means-of-recording-my-thoughts/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-means-of-recording-my-thoughts/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/debra-hamel-34434_book_i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-mea_1521417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I started to write book reviews as a means of recording my thoughts about what I'd read before all memory of…” — Debra Hamel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Debra Hamel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I started to write book reviews...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-means-of-recording-my-thoughts/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/i-started-to-write-book-reviews-as-a-means-of-recording-my-thoughts/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```