I’m running out of pages in my reading journal, so it’s time to start a new one. Today I want to share my process and the spreads I made.

My original reading journal is an Artist’s Loft dot-grid journal I got at Michael’s. It’s a great value and I got a ton of use out of it, but this time I’m trying something different. My top priority was thicker paper this time around, so I got the Archer & Olive dot-grid journal. Mine has white, kraft, and black pages, so I’m looking forward to the different spreads I can make.

When I first started my reading journal, I aimed for practicality over everything. But as time went on, I looked forward to taking my journal in a more creative direction. As it stands, I already have so much of my reading recorded digitally. I still keep a reading journal because I do prefer to reference my past reads physically, and I enjoy being able to do something creative around a subject I already enjoy.

This time around, I’m looking forward to incorporating detailed spreads into my journal, even if they take longer to create. And while this is the case, this only applies to the decorations I’m adding to my journal. I think the spreads in general are mostly simple to set up if you’re looking for a more practical journal. Something I’d love to do is spend more being creative (and hopefully return to art as a hobby one day), and I think this reading journal is a great way to do that.

So without further ado, here’s how I set up my new reading journal!

Cover Page – 2020 Reading Journal

So I am technically starting my reading journal halfway through the year, but I’ll pretend otherwise.

I decided to make my inital spreads the same theme, and if you’ve spent some time on my blog or Bookstagram, you’ll know I like black, gray, and pink as a color scheme. I did the same for my reading journal, and used some new materials to put it all together.

Something I’ve done for a while is get inspiration for fonts on sites like Fontspace. The font I used for my title is based on the one linked here. I got tired of lettering after a while, and I think that shows a bit – although I’m not too worried about it. But I do wish the lettering came out a bit darker, and would like to fill it in darker later – but to be honest, I’m not sure whether I actually will.

I also got a huge stack of grayscale scrapbook paper on sale from the craft store, and finally used my first sheet throughout these pages. I’m really enjoying how quickly these pages dress up the spreads.

Lastly, I used a fairly new purchase to print the floral picture, and that’s my HP Sprocket Select printer. I’ve been thinking about this purchase for at least a year now, and finally decided to pick it up. I like the size of the pages, and how the printer paper is sticky-backed. However, it did take me three sheets to get the picture to print properly. I’m not sure if this was due to the fact that it was a first print, or because I didn’t do a firmware update until before that third print. As I continue to use it I’ll see how it performs. And even though the pages are sticky-backed, I added some washi tape to the edges for decoration.

The left page is still blank, but at some point maybe I’ll add something to it.

Books Read in 2020

I’ve done this spread in past reading journals, but I always made the spines so small. This time around, I made them at least two grid spaces wide (for the most part) and it not only looks better, but it’s also much easier to write in titles.

For all of my spreads from this point on, I did my headers similarly. I have the scrapbook paper glued down and drew a black border around it. I also added the washi tape back in for a little extra decoration. 

For this journal I also purchased my first POSCA paint pen, and I am loving how dark the color is. And I’m also loving how they don’t bleed through with this journal! My white gel pens are also showing really well over them, so I used them to make my titles for each.

In my old spreads, I used to color in the spines as I read them. However, I am liking the way they look as-is. If I feel like it in the future I may add some decorations to the spines (maybe just one color).

At-A-Glance

This is a spread that I’ve seen around here and there, and I wanted to try my own version of it. For this spread I decided to start in June so I wouldn’t have to go back for specific stats.

For this spread it’s easier to see where I used my Tombow marker as opposed to my POSCA paint pens, because the white gel pen really struggles to show up under the regular marker. I’ll probably leave it like this for now.

You can also see on the next few pages a small portion of my floral picture from the first page. These were actually the first two “failed” takes from the printer. It only printed partially, so I cut the paper into strips and brought it into the next few pages.

For each month there were a few things I wanted to see easily. Plenty of these stats are easily available on the stats pages on Goodreads, but again, I find it easier to have a physical reference.

For each month, here’s what I’m tracking:

• Books read
• Pages read
• Average rating
• Favorite book
• Physical books read
• E-books read
• Audiobooks read
• ARCs read

ARC Tracker and Physical TBR Tracker

Here’s two trackers I thought would be very useful for me to have!

My ARC tracker will help keep track of ARCs I have, when the pub date is, who the publisher is, and any special notes. When it comes to NetGalley, certain publishers want reviews published on certain dates or have special instructions for reviews. Since this information can easily get lost, I wanted to have quick reference space for each time I get approved for an ARC.

Then there’s my physical TBR tracker. I feel like I’m talking about my physical TBR constantly, but my main goal is to get it down! So I’ll be adding in all of my unread books on the shelves here and coloring them in as I read them.

I also liked having the title on the side instead of at the top here. I might do that more in future spreads.

Series Tracker and 80 in 2020

So if you haven’t read this blog post, I basically call myself out for not finishing the duologies, trilogies, and series I start. Part of the reason why I do this is that many of these books I don’t own. And since I priortize my physical TBR, these books looks priority. So to further keep myself accountable, I added this simple spread to keep track of what I’m behind for. This list is only for books that have a new installment out I haven’t read, so if this list doesn’t look that bad, it’s because it’s actually much worse!

Then I have my 80 in 2020 spread, which I see pretty often and decided to do. It’s not a spread I thought I would do. At this rate, I have no concerns about hitting my reading goal, and it’s so easy to just check Goodreads to see where I’m at. But part of me still wanted to add this spread, so that’s what I did.

I didn’t use my silver paint pens in these spreads up until these pages, and are these paint pens really growing on me! I can’t wait to use them in future speads.

And that’s it for my reading journal setup! I’d like to share some plan with me’s for this journal in the future, so look forward to some monthly spreads soon. I’m really looking forward to experimenting with this journal and making some interesting spreads while tracking my reading.

How about you? How do you like to track your reading / do you like to track your reading? Let me know!