8 Reasons to Start Using a Reading Journal

Reading journals in three styles

So you’re considering getting a reading journal but aren’t sure if it’s worth the time? Now if you can’t guess by the title, I’m here to convince you how fun reading journals are! I started using mine last year, and I’m in love with it. I feel that I can recollect better what books I read and what I thought of them than before when I didn’t use one.

Here are 8 reasons why you should start using a reading journal – and ideas for the spreads you may want to include in yours if you choose to make one yourself. If that sounds too time-consuming to you, you can always buy a journal designed for readers.

1. Stay Organized

The number one reason why people use planners and journals, surely? (Besides the pretty stickers and washi tapes, of course!) You can use a reading journal to organize everything related to reading: To be read piles (whether physical or e-books), wishlist, new releases, books you buy, books you read… I find it especially difficult to remember what e-books I have on my Kindle app, as they don’t make a constant physical reminder of themselves by staring at me from the bookshelf!

 

2. Develop or Get Back into a Reading Habit

Has reading fallen by the wayside amidst all the adult responsibilities? Do you want to get back to reading? A reading journal with a daily reading tracker can help you form a reading habit. You can track how many days a month you read, how many hours you read, or how many pages you read. Reading trackers are a great way to see how you’re progressing with your reading goals.

 

Add your yearly reading goals

3. Set Reading Goals (and Keep Track of Them)

On a related note, a reading journal can help you set goals and keep track of whether you’ve reached those goals. You can use the reading journal to set both yearly and monthly goals – whether that’s the number of books you want to read, how many pages you want to read, or how many days you want to read each month. Reading journal is a great place to note down your reading stats at the end of each month.

 

4. Remember Recommendations

Your friend recommends a book to you. You jot down the name somewhere. Where? You can’t remember. Has this ever happened to you? (Lucky you, if it hasn’t. I wish I could say the same.) Well, goodbye forgotten book recommendations. Add a wishlist of all the books that you want and that have been recommended to you to your reading journal. (Caveat: works only if you remember to add the book titles there!)

 

Track your reading with a reading log

5. Review the Books You Read

Ever had the problem where you remember loving a book but have no idea what happened in it or why you even liked it in the first place? Writing book reviews can help you remember details better, prepare for book club meetings, or know what to say when your reader friend asks what your last read was about. I’m not talking about a six-page book report (although you can do that as well!). I make a simple list of bullet points of my thoughts while reading, predictions of what’s going to happen, any quotes I love, and what I like or don’t like about the book. Those notes help me when I finally sit down to write a detailed review on my blog and Goodreads.

 

6. Budget Your Book Spending

Is your physical TBR overflowing? Are books spilling out of control, piles of tomes accumulating on every available surface? Sure, investing in a new bookshelf may solve the problem temporarily, but you may also want to consider limiting your book buying. In this situation, a spending tracker to budget or track your book purchases in your reading journal comes in handy.

 

Have fun with a Book Bingo

7. Have Fun Reading

Let’s not forget the most important thing. Reading should be fun, not a chore! Fill your reading journal with fun spreads such as bookshelf coloring pages, reading challenges, and a book bingo. Some fun challenges you can add to your reading journal are A to Z, where you challenge yourself to read a book starting with each letter of the alphabet, or a Book Voyage, where you read books set all around the world. I have both in my reading journal.

 

8. Don’t Make It Too Difficult for Yourself

Jealous of all the beautiful bullet journal style reading journals all over Pinterest and Instagram? I don’t know about you, but as much as I love looking at those gorgeous book journals, I don’t have the time to set out spreads by hand, nor is my handwriting as neat as some people’s (#leftyproblems). If that sounds like you, don’t fret. You can find gorgeous ready-made reading journals on Amazon and other retailers.

 

If you want to check out the dragon-themed reading journal I’m using this year, you can find it here. Or if you’re still unsure whether reading journaling is for you, how about you pick up a bundle of free reading journal spreads and give it a try?