We all have ways of reviewing books we've read, whether it's writing in down in a notebook, leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or telling everyone in earshot about it.
Stefanie Dreyfuss, however, used her own personal system of abbreviations, and it's totally inspired and brutally honest.
Author Lauren Tarshis, Dreyfuss' daughter-in-law, shared her discovery of Dreyfuss' codes on Twitter as she sorted through her belongings after Dreyfuss's death last week at the age of 96.
I lost my mother in law last week. She was 96 and one of my best friends. A lifelong lover of books, she kept track of all she read on index cards and recorded her opinion in code. This is the key to her code and the cards we found among her belongings. https://t.co/Iabmek9B7F
"Books for my mother in law were a refuge," Tarshis told BuzzFeed. "She experienced many reversals in her life. She was incredibly resilient and brave. I think that books were a great source of strength, reassurance, distraction, and identity for her."
Tarshis and her family didn't know the specifics of Dreyfuss's book rating system while she was alive, but "she was a woman of systems, of endless lists," Tarshis said, adding that she also kept track of all of the shows she watched on Amazon, Netflix, and Acorn.
"We were left behind hundreds of books, including many rare books and first editions; most have her notes and clipped reviews tucked into the back," Tarshis said.
May this lover of books, lists, systems, and abider of readable piffle rest in peace.
