If you love reading and journaling, learning how to set up a reading journal can completely change the way you track your books and reading habits. I love both and for the past 3 years I’ve been creating a reading journal to track all of the books I’ve read throughout the year! Not only has this been a great way to keep a record but it’s also been a great way to release some stress in an artisitc way! I am so excited to share with you how I set up a reading journal to help me track all of the pages I read throughout the year!
How to Set Up a Reading Journal: The Basics
Reading Journal Cover Page
This is probably the most basic page. You can make this as complex or as simple as you’d like. I like to use a book related sticker and simply write the year and reading journal under it. I did this the first year I created this journal and I did it again this time for my forth reading journal.
Reading Journal Goals Page
I wanted to put my goals down in ink this year so I made a goals page to do just that. My goal for each. year is usually to read that year’s number in the amount of books. For example, in the year 2024, my goal was to read 24 total books. For 2026, that number is 26. The secondary goal is that this amount of books has to consist of at least 12 physically read books (versus audio books). That’s only 1 book a month I need to read with my eyes!
I also spent some time this fall cateloging my book collection. I made a list of all of the books I own and which ones I still need to read. The list is over 150 books. I wanted to include in my goal page the top 10 books I want to read this year. Sometimes I find I get distracted from the books I want to read by something new and shiny (usually at the library) so this year I want to make sure I’m staying focused for most of the year.
Creating a Reading Plan in Your Reading Journal
Going along with this 10 books to read, I also created a reading plan page. This is a spread where I can plan which books I want to read each month. Sometimes this works out great, and sometimes it gets a little wonky, especially if I’m waiting on a book from Libby. Previously, I just used a basic list method for this spread, but for my 2026 journal, I chose to make it a little more fancy with actual book shelves and decorations.
Books Read Tracker
The next page I added to my reading journal is a basic books read spread. This is where I can easily keep a tally of all of the books I’ve read. I thought this would be a great visual way to see how close I am to my goal of 26 books. I added a few additional boxes just in case I surpass my goal (like I did this in 2025).
Book Bingo Spread
I’ve really enjoyed doing book bingo the past two years in my journal so this year I updated it a little bit to make it more attainable and more aesthetically pleasing. I really enjoy how this turned out and am excited to see how many blocks I will fill in this time around!
Pages Read Tracker
The pages read spread is probably one of my favorite spreads in my reading journal. I love seeing the pattern of how I read and love coloring in when I read a large number of pages. For 2026, I made my intervals larger because I’ve noticed I’ve been reading more pages in one sitting and wanted to add some more detailed tracking. I also love seeing how many days I go without not reading! I hope I can go a whole month reading every single day! I haven’t done that yet!
When I Finished a Book Spread
This is another interesting spread. I’ve designed this so it can track 3 different pieces of data: when I finished a book, the format of the book, and where that book came from. It’s very satisfying and informative to see this information in a visual way versus just as data in a spread sheet.
Favorite Quotes Spread
This is something new for this year. I always find that I am taking photos of quotes with my phone and then they just get jumbled in my pictures and lost. Having a dedicated space in my reading journal for these quotes is going to come in handy. Not only will they all be in a spot I can revisit them, but I also get to the opportunity to meditate more on the quotes as well. Super excited to see how this one turns out.
Beyond the Basics: Monthly Reading Journal Spreads
So that’s the basic set up of my 2026 Reading Journal! After you get through the basics, we get into the monthly spreads and review pages. The monthly spread is something new this year that I am trying out. It’s intended to be a way I can keep track of the books i’m reading each month and when I’m reading it. I can’t wait to see how this actually turns out.
My review pages are going to be pretty simple. I added more detail into previous review pages that I just didn’t use so I’m keeping these more basic for how I use them. I want to know the book, the author, number in the series, my rating and when I started the book and when I ended it. I also want to know if/when I should share this book with my daughter.
Supplies
To get started with your reading journal, you really only need a pen and a note book! Once you see if it’s something you enjoy, you can start investing in more supplies to make your journal even more personalized. If you want to know what I use, I’ve created an Amazon list with all of my favorite supplies for building my reading journal.
Is a Reading Journal Right for You?
If you love reading and enjoy putting pen to paper, a reading journal might be exactly what you’re looking for. It doesn’t have to be perfect or overly complicated—your reading journal should work for you and reflect how you actually read. Whether you love tracking every page, setting intentional reading goals, or simply having a creative space to capture quotes and thoughts, a reading journal can turn your reading life into something both meaningful and enjoyable. And if setting one up from scratch feels overwhelming, I’ve made it easy for you—there’s a printable version of this reading journal available in my shop, designed to give you the same structure and flexibility without all the prep work. However you choose to start, the most important part is this: keep reading, keep enjoying the process, and make it your own.
