5 Terrific Reading Journal Options
Do you use a reading journal?
I track all my reading in Goodreads (and have for well over a decade) but this year, after reading this post over at Modern Mrs. Darcy, I’ve started keeping a simple paper list in the back of my planner to keep track of the next several books I want to read.
And suddenly I understood a little better the appeal of a reading journal.
I don’t think I’ll ever give up Goodreads but these reading journal options are making me consider having a physical place to keep track of books I want to read and notes about books.
Naturally, this sent me down the rabbit hole of looking at all the book journal options out there and. . . there are so many great options!
Here are some of my favorites:
5 Terrific Reading Journal Options
Moleskine Passion Journal
$29.95
I (like many people) consider Moleskin notebooks the Ritz Carlton of notebooks, so it’s no surprise that their book journal is top-notch, highly rated, and an Amazon pick. It’s definitely on the pricey side as far as reading journals go. And here’s a little peek at what the inside pages look like. I love how clean and simple they are (plus the alphabet tabs on the side are extra fun).
Book Riot’s Read Harder Book Journal
$15.29
You probably already know Book Riot, one of the biggest and most robust book sites on the internet, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’ve created a terrific reading journal. Aside from the pages for recording and reviewing the books you read, it also has 12 reading challenges along with recommendations of books for each challenge. It’s a delight!
Reading Log: Reader’s Journal
$4.99
If you’re looking for a simple and inexpensive reading journal, you can’t do better than this one. It’s under $5 and has pages to record 120 books. It’s not fancy, but if you want to dip your toes into the world of paper and pen recording, this is a low risk way to try it out.
Bibliophile Reader’s Journal
$14.36
It’s possible I want this reading journal solely because of the cover. It’s so pretty! It also has delightful illustrations in full color inside (like the covers of books that have been made into movies), plus very usable pages for logging what you read (I’ve included a sample page below so you can see what that looks like). It’s a perfect mix between whimsical and practical and I love it so much.
The Book Lover’s Journal
$12.83
This one is BELOVED. Not only does it have plenty of place to record your books, there are also spaces for to-read lists, books you’ve lent out, space for book club info, book recommendations and the whole thing is small enough to tuck in your purse. A total win, especially at this price. Here’s a little peek at what the recording pages look like – I love those little rating scales!
If you use a reading journal, I’d love to know about it! How long have you been keeping one and do you make your own or do you buy one specifically for logging reading?
Ive been looking for a reading journal for years. After seeing your post, I had to look hard to see if any of those are available in South Africa and Ive just order myself the Bibliophile Reading Journal. I am so excited for it to arrive!
I keep a super simple reading journal with the title, author, and a rating. I just started using a 1-5 rating and end up giving most books I read a rating of like 4.6 or 4.8 🙂
I’m in love with this one at 1Canoe2, but I can never catch it in stock!
https://1canoe2.com/collections/home-goods-notepads/products/reading-guided-journal
Since I already keep 3 journals daily, I think I will skip out on a reading journal. 😂 I do, however, want to start logging my books!
Oh these are lovely. My grandmother was an avid reader and wrote down every book she read from age 25 until she died in her 80s in (many) journals. She stuck with simple unlined paper and wrote down the title, author, when she finished it, and 1-2 sentences of a review. I’ve read some of them and she could be quite funny when she disliked the book! I’ve never been able to keep up with any of it other than Goodreads, but maybe a journal with more prompts like those above) would help.
Where did you get that cute hair pin?
I use goodreads and a “journal”. It’s just a small notebook that I have had for maybe 5 years now… I first tried writing quick reviews for each book but grew tired of that. So now I write my reading goal for each year, and then track my books… title, author, page #’s, star rating and the date I read it.
I use the Bibliophile one pictured here. I love it, except I wish there were more pages for books (allows for 65) and less pages for some of the other “fluff” like Books to Check Out and/or Ideas and Inspirations (12 and 10 pages respectively – I couldn’t fill 10 pages of ideas and inspirations in a lifetime!)