Reading a great book can be a magical experience that introduces you to fascinating characters and transports you to unique settings. But what about after you’ve finished the book? How do you hold onto the insights and emotions that the story evoked? That’s where book journaling comes in.

By recording your reading experiences in a reading journal, you can document your thoughts about the book, jot down your favorite quotes, track your reading progress, and enrich your overall enjoyment of reading. In this article, we’ll explore the art of keeping a reading journal, from the basics of setting one up to creative ways to make it uniquely yours.

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, from qualifying purchases. (This in no way affects the honesty of my reviews!) All commissions will be donated to the ALS Association.

What is a Reading Journal?

A reading journal, also called a book journal or reading log, is a record of your reading experiences. It can take many forms, from a simple notebook to a digital spreadsheet or app. At its core, a book journal allows you to keep track of the books you’ve read and capture your thoughts and feelings about each one. A reading journal can also enable you to document what you want to read next, keep track of reading goals, and set targets for reading different types of genres. The best reading journals allow you to determine the level of detail you want to use when documenting your reading experiences and goals.

Setting Up Your Reading Journal

The first step in creating a book journal is choosing the format that works best for you. Some readers prefer physical journals, which they can customize with their own paper, covers, and dividers. Others may prefer digital journals, which offer the ability to search and sort entries, to access and update their journal from anywhere, and to easily share insights with others.

If you prefer using a physical journal, you can find options specifically designed for book journaling or just use a regular notebook or moleskin.

If a digital book journal is more your thing, options range from a self-designed spreadsheet to feature-rich Goodreads.

Goodreads is free to use and provides functionality that allows you to:

• Enter, rate, and review the books you’ve read
• View book summaries and mark the ones you want to read
• View statistics about the number of books you’ve read, including an end of the year summary
• Set annual reading goals

And because Goodreads is a community of readers, you can also see what others had to say about specific books.

Book Journaling Basics

Once you’ve decided on the format and have your book journal, it’s time to start recording your reading experiences. The format of your new journal may guide the type of information you record about your books, such as title, author, brief summary, and the dates you started and finished each one. You should also consider reflecting on your thoughts and feelings about the books. Here are some questions to get you started:

• What themes or motifs stood out to you?
• How did the book challenge or confirm your existing beliefs?
• What connections can you draw between this book and other works you’ve read?
• What did you learn about yourself from reading this book?
• How did this book change your opinions or perspectives?
• How might you apply the insights from this book to your career or personal life?

Organizing Your Book Journal

As you accumulate entries in your book journal, you may want to start organizing them in a way that makes sense to you. This could involve using dividers to separate books by genre or author, creating an index to quickly reference specific entries, or color-coding entries based on themes or emotions. The key is to find a system that works for you and helps you easily find the information you’re looking for.

If you are using a digital reading journal such as Goodreads or even a well-designed spreadsheet, organizing and finding entries is pretty simple. For physical journals, you may want to use a three-ring binder so you can easily move pages around. Additionally, the best store-bought reading logs include a fillable index that allows you to more easily find your entries.

Adding Visual Interest to Your Reading Journal

Using icons and symbols in your book journal is a great way to summarize what you thought about each book and make it easier to scan the log and find what you want. For example, a blue star could represent a highly rated book, a yellow lightning bolt could stand for a book that really made you think, and a red broken heart could indicate a book is a real tearjerker.

You can also add embellishments that are purely decorative. For example, you might be inspired to draw one of the characters or settings. If drawing isn’t your thing, you could use washi tape or stickers to visually enhance your reading journal pages. You might be surprised at how many options are available for decorating journals. The popularity of journaling in general has spawned a whole industry focused on embellishments. For example, here are some reading themed stickers that can be used to adorn and personalize book journals.

Remember, the goal of book journaling is not just to capture your thoughts on the page, but to engage with the text in a way that brings joy. Embellishing your reading log is a great way to personalize it and motivate you to continue journaling. Make it your happy place!

Book journaling is a powerful way to unlock the magic of reading. By setting up a reading journal, recording your thoughts and experiences, reflecting deeply on the text, tracking your progress, and adding visual interest and creativity, you can create a richer, more meaningful reading experience.

If you’ve tried book journaling before, I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

This article was written with a touch of AI assistance.