What should a reading cast list look like?
Four columns are enough: name, who they are, how they connect to the main character, and the chapter where they last mattered. Fill a row only when a character does something that counts, update it at the end of each session, and read it before you open the book again. Print the template below or copy it into a note. For supported novels on iPhone, Magic Bookmark builds a cast list like this automatically, limited to the characters you have met.
Why use a template at all?
Because a blank page invites too much writing and a cast list only works if it stays short. Fixed columns force one line per person, which is what you want to glance at in the thirty seconds before you start reading. The same sheet works for print, ebooks and audiobooks.
How do you fill it in without spoiling yourself?
Write only what you have read. Do not look characters up to complete a row; leave a cell blank until the book fills it. Note the chapter number in the last column so that, when you come back after a break, you can see who was active most recently. For a series, carry the sheet into the next book and strike through anyone who has left the story.
Group rows by family, faction or place once the groupings become clear, usually a quarter of the way into a big book. Leave space at the bottom of each group for latecomers.
When is an app better than paper?
When you read in short, scattered sessions, or listen to audiobooks where you never see a name written down. Magic Bookmark, from Yomu, builds a cast list for supported titles from a photo of your page, the page number or the last phrase you heard, and only shows characters you have already met. Kindle's Ask this Book answers "who is this?" questions inside Kindle ebooks in the US. For any other book, paper is still the most reliable tool.
Each session
- Read the cast list before you open the book
- Add a row only when a character does something that matters
- Update the last column for anyone who appeared
Coming back after a break
- Reread the rows with the latest chapter numbers first
- Reread the last chapter you finished
- Fill any gaps from the book, not from a wiki
Starting the next book in a series
- Strike through characters who have left the story
- Reread the final chapters of the previous book
- Start a new sheet stapled to the old one
| Name | Who they are (one line) | Connection to the main character | Last mattered (chapter) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: the ferryman | Runs the river crossing, owes the narrator a favor | Helped her escape in the opening chapters | Ch. 4 |
Questions readers actually ask
- What should I include in a cast list for a book?
- Name, one line on who they are, one line on how they connect to the main character, and the chapter where they last mattered. Anything longer becomes a summary you will not reread.
- Is there an app that makes a cast list for you?
- Magic Bookmark does for supported novels on iPhone, built only from what you have read. Kindle's Ask this Book answers character questions inside Kindle ebooks in the US.
- Should I keep a cast list for audiobooks?
- Yes, and it helps more than for print, because you never see names written. Spell names the way they sound and fix them later.