The ultimate list of things to track in your reading journal
If you love books and are looking to make your reading experience even more meaningful and literally memorable, you may want to start a reading journal.
A reading journal is basically a log of your entire bookish experience, from books and authors you love, to reading trackers, to book reviews – anything related to books. It is also a place where you can plot and plan your reading schedule and document your progress. The possibilities are endless!
Here are some of the page templates that you can use when you start a reading journal.
The complete set of printables are available in my Etsy shop. When you purchase, you will receive high-resolution PDF and PNG files. For either format, you have the option between the set with more lines that is optimized for A4 printing, or the set with wider spaces optimized for A5 printing. Or, you can totally mix-and-match them however you like.
But even if you are planning to create your own, feel free to scroll down, get ideas, and create your own unique design to suit your needs.
Note: The photos below are what are A4 templates look like.
1 – Book Lists
Your Bookshelf
If you’ve got artistic gifts, you may want to draw an image of your bookshelf. Or just take a photo, print it, and post it on a blank page.
List of Books You Own
You may want to keep separate lists of your physical books, e-books, and audio books. Or, you may combine your books in one long list and indicate their genres. Do what suits you best.
DNF List
You do want to take note of those.
TBR List
You may use one, two, or all of these templates. I personally use the third option, making separate lists for physical books, e-books, audio books, and devotionals. I also use the yearly TBR template to add whatever book I want to read when I don’t know when exactly I’m going to read it. It’s like a brain dump, but for books.
Monthly Themed Reading
If you want to set a theme for each month.
Bookish Wishlist
We all have wishes, often too many.
Book Releases
If your favorite authors are coming up with something new or you’re just on the lookout for popular book releases.
Books Acquired
…whether the books were bought, gifted, or whatever.
Books Destashed
…whether sold, gifted, or donated.
Borrowed/Lent Books
If you borrow books, whether from the library or a friend, it’s helpful to keep track of them so that you will not forget to return them on time.
You also want to keep track of books you loaned out to friends.
Book of the Month
If you follow the BOTM, you may want to keep track of those featured books using one of these templates. I personally don’t follow BOTM, but I do use the first template to commemorate the best book that I have read for each month.
2 – Favorites
Favorite Books
Of course.
Favorite Authors
A list of your favorite authors is a staple in every reading journal. But it you want to really follow your favorite authors, there is also a more detailed template for that.
Authors You Don’t Like
I don’t know about you, but I have already experienced buying a book by an author I don’t like. LOL! So, this template is very useful for me, and maybe you need this, too.
Favorite Fictional Characters
Book boyfriends, anyone?
Favorite Bookish Quotes
…for your collection of bookish quotes, either from a book or just about reading in general.
3 – Reading Trackers
Reading Log
If you want to start a reading journal, I’m betting you want to keep track of the books that you have read.
ARC Tracker
If you are a book reviewer, you may want to keep track of ARCs (advance reader’s copy) you receive for review.
Year-at-a-Glance
It’s nice to look back to an entire year of reading.
Yearly Reading Tracker
If your goal is to read every day, you may use a template like this to mark your streaks. Or maybe you want to log the number of hours, instead.
Monthly Reading Tracker
Or you may do your tracking on a monthly basis.
Series Tracker
This template is useful if you are following a book series.
Reading Session Log
This is totally optional (all these templates are optional), but you may want to do a bit of a reading challenge for a particular book and log your sessions.
Reading Challenge
Speaking of reading challenge, there are also useful templates for that.
Bookish Adventures
For some extra fun in your reading journey.
4 – Book Reviews
Fiction Book Reviews
Nonfiction Book Reviews
Book-to-Movie Reviews
Oh, we bookish people have a lot to say about movie adaptations!
Book Summary
If you’re not in the mood to review a book but want to scribble its summary or anything you want to remember about it, there’s a template for that.
5 – Book Community
Book Buddies
Our book besties hold a special place in our hearts.
Book Club
If you are part of one or several book clubs, it’s helpful to keep track of session topics and other things that you need to remember.
Bookish Gift Ideas
For our book besties and ourselves, too.
Favorite Book Bloggers
It’s nice to keep a list of your favorite book influencers and reviewers.
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There you go! I hope my templates inspired you to start a reading journal. I promise, this is going to make your reading experience more fun, exciting, and worth cherishing.
If you want the high-resolution printable version of the above templates, click this link to my Etsy Shop.
Happy reading!
