Trying to Retain More of what I Read

I rarely finish books that I start reading. Usually I'll get what I need out of it, plan to finish it, and start a new book in the mean time. Some may shake their heads in disbelief, but I don't think this is a problem.

While I feel like retain "a lot" of what I read, a few months down the like and I usually only remember the gist. I'm wondering if I couldn't retain more details if I were to take notes when I read. Writing down notes physically on paper is an option, but transcribing them so I can easily reference them becomes a burden. My handwriting is also horrible as I write with paper so rarely.

One thought that comes to mind is to setup a personal wiki where I can just store anything and everything, including notes on book and articles that I read. I could easily link/categorize content. I don't necessarily want to make everything I read and write fully public and managing which page are private, which are public could become a chore.

The other thought is, I have this blog why don't I just write what I learn here. Start interspersing notes about books / magazines that I read here on this blog. It should help me retain more of what I read as well as help people discover new and interesting topics.