My Reading Journal: A Notebook and Diary for Book Lovers

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The truth is, even when the most voracious readers finish a book and are blown away by how fantastic it was, we just don’t always remember it weeks, months, and years later. A book club is a wonderful way to share your love of reading with others, and it’s always fun to see things from another’s perspective.

Start anywhere–today, last week, the start of the year. Write down the book, author, and any details you want to record. That might include: Journaling about books can help you remember the story, characters, and the feeling of reading those books. Try to think about the different elements they have applied in their manuscript: their point of view (POV), their use of different figures of speech, their use of poetic devices, etc. It is not wrong to make some comments about them from time to time, especially when you read something that seems to pop. You can also refer to reading log examples for more related examples on book journals. 5. Relate the book to what’s going on in your life. My journal also includes the rest of my life: my appointments, to dos, collections and lists. I love that everything is in one place and I carry it with me everywhere. That’s why I switched from a dedicated book journal. I found I was forgetting to write in it (and sometimes I was lazy)! That defeated the purpose. When I have it with me everywhere I go, it’s much easier for me to remember. Book Journal SuppliesBut when I start coming across passage after passage that makes me pause, read it again, and try to internalize it, I want a meaningful way to engage with those ideas. And obviously, for me, that starts with a reading journal. How a Book Journal Improves Your Reading Life I’ve discussed tons of options for ways to use a book journal to enhance your own reading life, and I’m sure there are more. Now it’s time to get started on your own reading journal! Reading challenges are a fun way to shake up your reading life, and they can take so many forms. A lot of people start reading challenges at the start of the year, but you can start a challenge anytime, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be bound by time. But when I started my first reading journal this year, I wasn’t sure how it would work for me. I’d gotten out of the habit of journaling in general and I thought Goodreads might be enough, flawed as it was.

One fan raved: “Anne did really think of everything with the book journal. The size is perfect, the colors are happy, every section is a delight. If you love to read you will thoroughly enjoy this journal!” Abby Hargreaves is a New Hampshire native living and working as a Children’s Librarian in Washington, D.C. She fulfills the gamut of the librarian stereotype with a love of cats, coffee, and crocheting (and likes a good run of alliteration). Her MLIS degree enjoys the company of a BA in English from Hollins University, making Abby an advocate of women's universities. Her favorite color is yellow. This is also useful for removing books from your TBR–which for me, also happens frequently. If a book doesn’t work for a trusted reader friend, I’ll go in and cross it out. Same thing if something about the book is problematic (e.g., American Dirt). When you become invested in a book for too long, you become so emotionally attached toward it that you possess the ability to remember almost every detail that happens in the book.Is there a particular type of book you like to read? Maybe you love history, non-fiction, or romance novels.

A dedicated book journal for your reading challenge can be especially useful if your challenge will span a whole year (or even longer). It can help you stay focused on your goal and remember to work in those books that help meet your challenge. The word “spread” is just a term used for a section within your journal. So for this idea, you would use a year-at-a-glance calendar and pencil in a reading plan for the year. Finally, what I’m calling a “ thoughtful reading journal” is a type of journal that I haven’t actually started yet, but that I’ve been wanting more and more in my reading life. I am especially realizing this in 2020 as I read more nonfiction and more books for my antiracist education.My next reading journal will be a place where I can make notes as I’m reading, of the things I’m learning, questions I have, quotes or ideas that stand out, and concepts to explore further. A reading journal isn’t hard to put together and can help you achieve (and even surpass) your reading goals this year. Writing things down– with pen and paper, not just online–is proven to help memory. And in a busy life with work, family, kids, friends, blogging, and–yes–lots and lots of books, I don’t always remember what I’ve read, or what I want to read. You may be the same. I started out with a dedicated reading journal where I just listed what I read with a few sentences about the book to help jog my memory. This can be especially helpful when reading a book series to help remember where I left off.

Reflecting on books in writing can help you clarify what you read, what you learned (if anything), and what you thought about it. Reading Journal Ideas A do-it-yourself book journal gives you the freedom to make a journal that works for you. If you like several of the types of journals described above, you can combine them into one journal. If you want to experiment with layouts, you can. Want to make it part of your bullet journal? You can. Have you ever been out shopping or talking with a friend and heard of a book that seems perfect for you?Some of the book plots are derived from the imaginative minds of creative geniuses while there are some book plots that are inspired from daily real-life events. Do you ever set reading goals for yourself? Maybe you want to read a certain number of books each year or even every month?