Tips on Keeping a Reading Journal
Keep Track of Your Reading with an Electronic or Paper Journal
If you’ve ever stared at the shelves of your local bookstore or library and racked your brain, trying to remember if you’ve already read a certain book, then a reading journal is for you. This article explains what a reading journal is and how you can benefit from keeping one.
What is a Reading Journal?
A reading journal is basically a means for recording the books you have read, plan to read, want to recommend or wish to read again. You may choose to use a hard medium and write down your notes by hand, or keep your records electronically. For a hard medium, a simple spiral notebook or a hardcover journal with blank pages might do the trick. You could also use index cards and make your own card catalog, keeping a card for each book and alphabetizing them by author or title.
For an electronic journal, you may wish to use a spreadsheet, a word processing file or a website that is dedicated to book journaling. If you keep a personal blog, website or MySpace page, you can also keep a list there. The website Good Reads is an excellent place to document your reading. It is a free website on which you can add and review books that you are currently reading, going to read, or have already read. You can also read reviews by other readers and see what your friends are reading. In addition, you can create your own bookshelves and title them however you wish, such as “To be Read,” “Currently Reading,” “Will Never Read Again,” or anything else you choose. You can even take a peek at what some famous authors are reading, including Stephen King and Dave Eggers.
What Should I Record in the Journal?
For each book, you should plan to record the book’s title and author, as well as any pertinent details you want to remember. These can include the following:
- A summary of the plot
- List of characters
- Dates you began and finished reading the book
- Character names and descriptions
- Your overall thoughts of the book
- Your thoughts of the plot
- Your thoughts or images of the characters, including voice, dress, mannerisms, etc.
- Your overall rating of the book – such as a number scale (1-5) or the number of stars you would award
- A list of people you wish to recommend the book to
By keeping a reading journal, you’ll always have at your fingertips a database of books you’ve read. You’ll never again pick up a book from a shelf and wonder if you’ve already read it.
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