I Started A Reading Journal, And You Should, Too!

Once upon a time, I read a book a week and forgot everything about it soon after. As life has changed, so have my reading habits. I read at a much slower pace these days, with sometimes days between picking up my current read. Though I am reading fewer books during the course of a year, I am reading more deeply than before. Reading is no longer a part of my goals for the week, it's something I pick up, like a conversation (and not a chore). I am also wasting no time on books that I don't want to read. Shelving that book you're not interested in for later is one of the best ways to read more and avoid burnout. I talk a little bit more about that in my Vocal article 21 Tips for Reading More in 2021. For these reasons, I am getting so much more out of my reading and have found myself contemplating the books that I read far more and far longer than the books I've read in the past.

To engage even further with my reading, I decided to start a reading journal. I absolutely love journaling, but I am not an everyday journaler. For me, this journal had to be casual, simple, and follow a pattern.

I created this format for my journal:

• Title + Author
• Rating
• Genre
• Key-word descriptions
• Response
• Quotes

To "keep it casual" and avoid too much pressure surrounding the keeping of this journal, I used a notebook that I already had on my shelf. It wasn't new or perfect, so I didn't feel the pressure to keep my entries perfect.

However, if I were to buy a new journal, I would choose one from Promptly Journals. This is one of my favorite companies and I hope they create a specialized reading journal someday!

The books we love are so often a reflection of ourselves, so in a way, this reading journal is a diary.

In some entries, such as my entry for Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur, the response and quotes pages were filled with my personal connections to the book. In other journal entries, I explain what inspired me to read the book and my overall impression of it. I avoid explaining plot points (I already read the book and it's not a review) and just focus on my response to the story.

Some books are four or five-star books because they are brilliantly written and entertaining and others are five-star books because they connect with our souls. It is so valuable to have, in writing, the reasons a book resonated with me at the time that I read it. I also suspect that there will be books that I re-read and find that my second experience of that book is completely different than the first. The books we love are so often a reflection of ourselves, so in a way, this reading journal is a diary.

The practice of writing in and of itself is healing. When you combine the healing powers of a well-written book and those of writing down your thoughts, it creates such an in-depth and insightful reading experience.

I encourage you to do this with everything you read, including fiction! For me, I feel profound validation in reading fiction. So often a story connects me to my humanity, reminding me that I am not alone in the pains and joys of being human.

I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but after writing this article, I am feeling so inspired to get back into the pages of a good book. I hope this article has inspired you also to engage in a meaningful relationship with your reading.