Traveler’s Notebook Inspiration: Reading Journal

A reading journal is a wonderful tool for keeping track of your bookish habits and prolonging your enjoyment of what you read. In our blog post Keeping a Reading Journal, we shared ideas for what to put in a reading journal, from reading logs and to-be-read lists to reflections and favorite quotations.

The versatility of the Traveler’s Notebook makes it a great choice for a reading journal (and its leather-and-brass vibes feel fittingly cozy for the purpose). Below, we share some reading journal inspiration in our shop’s Traveler’s Notebook. We hope it’ll give you some ideas for your own notebook!

Inserts

Lined inserts are great for any list-like content you want to put in your reading journal. They’re perfect for to-be-read lists and reading logs, lists of your favorite books, reading challenge prompts, and vocabulary lists.

Grid or dot grid inserts are perfect for drawing out calendars and trackers as well as journal pages with a more visual layout. The grid lines make it easy to draw charts, rows, and columns wherever you want them. 

Organization

There are lots of ways to organize your reading journal! You can write in your journal sequentially, adding a new page for each book you read, or you can use multiple pages at once, adding titles to your to-be-read lists as you hear new recommendations and logging new books in your reading log as you finish them. Index tabs can help you flip quickly to different sections of your reading journal if you have several sections going at once.

If you like to participate in annual reading challenges, try keeping a page for each month of the year or an annual overview page. 

You can even use multiple inserts for one reading journal. You might choose to use one insert for journaling about your reflections on each book you read, a separate insert for compiling meaningful quotations, and yet another insert for the “logistics” of your reading life like to-be-read lists and reading goals.

Accessories

Your reading journal can also be a great place to store some of your best bookish accessories, so you can just grab your book and journal and be ready for anything! Traveler’s Notebook zipper pouches, pockets, and folders are all great options for holding useful reading tools. 

Tuck in a few bookmarks so you can always find your page, Book Darts for marking interesting passages, and sticky notes for adding marginalia (unless you prefer to write directly in the margins—no judgment here).

And don’t forget a pen clip, so you always have a writing tool on hand to take notes in your reading journal.