Let’s Talk: Reading Journal Idea

Hi, hello friends and welcome to another post! If you don’t know, I love using my reading journal. Not only is it a creative outlet, but it’s also a fun way to keep track of what I’m reading. I love filling out my various spreads, colour coding them depending on what book it is, and writing a little reflection on my thoughts for it. Sometimes I struggle to think of different spreads in my reading journal, so I thought it would be fun to compile a few ideas just in case you’re lost on what to create. Let’s get into the list! 

1. Bookshelves

I love drawing rows upon rows of bookshelves in my journal to keep track of what I’ve read throughout the year. I like to draw shelves with different heights of books on them, as well as some cute flowers in vases and other small details. The idea is that you have a colour code somewhere on the page, and assign a colour to a different type of book. There are different variations of this that can be done – I’ve seen star ratings, genre, and even page numbers! I personally have mine tracking the formats of the books, including physical, ebook and audiobook. By the end of the year, your shelves should be full of colourful book spines that’s just so satisfying to look at. 

2. Series Tracker

This spread is a great way to keep track of all the series you start and finish during the year! I’ve seen different variations of this tracker as well, but I personally like to draw circles to indicate how many books are in the series and colour them in when the book has been read. Not only is this a great way to have a cohesive outline of some of the books you may want to prioritise, but also a great way to see how many series you’re leaving unread. I find this is a great spread to come back to when you’re unsure on what to read next, and if you’re looking to see if you have anything on your backlog. It’s also a great way to track when the next book in a series is being released, so it’s very versatile in its functions! 

3. 5 Star Reads 

Having a spread dedicated just for five-star reads is a great way to visually see how many highly rated books you read in a year. Sometimes if you read a lot of books your favourites can be easily missed in a wrap up, or even in conversation with someone, so having a dedicated space purely for perfect scoring books is a great way to remember them. I like the look of printing the book cover and sticking it into the journal, however you can customise it however you want by making it easier or harder. You could keep it simple by writing the title and author, or print and stick in a photo of the book instead – the choice is yours! 

4. Various Reading Challenges

There are so many reading challenges and read-a-thons on the internet it’s hard to choose just a few to participate in for the year. A lot of them have fun, interactive elements that make the challenges even more engaging, so having a dedicated place in your reading journal to track the tasks is a great idea. Whether it’s writing down a list of books you want to read, reflecting on your successes, or even answering some of the prompts, having a spread (or a few spreads) dedicated to a challenge will keep you organised and motivated. I sometimes see people make little visual trackers on Canva to print and stick into their journal, so that’s also an option as well if you don’t want to manually draw them in. 

5. Slump Spread

One spread I loved using last year was my reading slump spread. I filled a singular page with different reading prompts so I had a place to look when trying to figure out what book to read next. Admittedly I did use the PopSugar reading challenge prompts for this purpose, but you could easily come up with your own and write them down for future reference. When I felt myself slumping it was a great way to refocus and think of something else to read, taking away the pressure of figuring out what I was in the mood for. Honestly, this spread saved a few reading slumps in 2021 and I need to get to making a new one for my 2022 journal ASAP!

And there we have it: some ideas to include in your own reading journal! If you make any of these spreads, feel free to post it to Instagram and tag us over at @teatimereadings! Have a lovely day, and I’ll see you all next week!