I love Goodreads! It is a great place to track reading, keep lists, read reviews and converse about books! I love being able to hop on the app and mark a book recommendation in a matter of seconds. But I’m a paper girl and sometimes I need something analog. So I decided to play around with a handwritten reading journal – in a Traveler’s Notebook. It’s a place to track all things books and reading while having fun with pictures and ink. So far I’m absolutely loving it and I think it’s going to be a great fit 🙂
If you’ve ever thought about keeping a reading journal, here is a list of things I’m including in mine + a video for added inspiration!
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This Year’s TBR
At the beginning of the year, I made a list of the books I wanted to finish in 2018. Any reader worth her salt knows that this isn’t a static list and I will/have read books not on this list but it’s a starting point that every reader needs to have.
Reading Challenges
Okay so in the past I always hopped on the reading challenges bandwagon and sign myself up for several. But then I would fail at all of them and…well yeah. This year I didn’t join in on the fun until I was putting my journal together. I checked out a Master List of Reading Challenges and picked out a few to keep my eye on. It’s too late to participate in some of the online activities but I’ll follow quietly and have my lists tucked in my journal. And next year, I’ll give it another go starting January 1.
Book Review Notes
I’m not terribly good at this but I NEED TO KEEP NOTES ABOUT WHAT I READ. We often forget about what we read and why we liked or disliked a book. Writing notes gives us a place to go back to later when you want to revisit a great or not so great read.
Book Recommendations
Pretty self-explanatory. I get recommendations from people, Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, the library, Instagram (bookstagram), and, my favorite, Anne Bogel’s What Should I Read Next podcast. Two on my recommended list are:
- Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (read)
-
Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life by Lee Berman & Jeremy Bernard (currently reading)
This Year’s Releases
I keep a list of the books that are going to be released in this year. A couple that I’m looking forward to are:
- I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel
- Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace, and Life by Dr. Caroline Leaf
Series You Want to Read
I’m not just on the look out for good books, but also good series to sink into. I found several on Goodreads to checkout and add to my list!
Books Read This Year
Last but not least, you gotta keep track of what you’ve completed during the year. I have a space in mine not only for the reviews but also quotes and passages that struck me. I also keep track of how I consumed the book – physical copy, Kindle ebook, or audiobook.
Do you keep a reading journal? What kinds of things do you keep track of?