My 2023 Reading Journal (+PDF Downloads)

Another year, another reading journal. They’re my second favourite part of reading, just behind the reading itself. Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed using my reading journal. There was no doubt in my mind that I would continue to do so, but for the first time in years, I purchased a new notebook to house my journal.

This is the third year I’ve been using a reading journal, and my approach has changed slightly in comparison to my previous ones, but much remains the same. I feel like I have a better grasp of what works for me now, so I am hoping to fill every page this year. When it comes to my reading journal, I always aim for simple, easy-to-fill-in spreads so I don’t have to do too much work throughout the year and can focus on my reading, but also commit to the journal.

I’m excited to record another year of reading, so, let’s talk about the spreads I’ve included in my reading journal for 2023.

1. Title page

Even though it remains quite simple, this title page probably holds the most effort I’ve put into one in the three years I’ve been making them. With a few basic illustrations, some washi tape, and a lilac piece of glued-in paper, it far surpasses the usual black-pen-only approach I took to the previous ones. It’s not too fancy and it serves its purpose.

2. Bookshelf

This will forever be my favourite spread. I switched it up a little bit this year by squeezing it onto one page, but I think seeing the rainbow of highlighted books on this one page will look even better, especially if I make it to my goal of 50 books. If I somehow surpass it, it won’t be the end of the world not having any spare books to colour in. I am, however, confident I won’t surpass it if my usual reading habits are anything to go by.

3. Books I Bought in 2023

This is a new addition to my reading journal, designed to shame myself into quelling my book-buying habits. I am almost embarrassed that at the time of writing this, barely a week into 2023, I’ve already bought three books, and that does not include the others I purchased or received as gifts at the end of December.

Cataloguing my books will also make it clear when I acquired them and therefore how long I’ve had them, which I’m hoping will create some urgency in my desire to read them. The little sections also have a purpose: ‘M’ stands for month bought, ‘H’ for hardback, ‘P’ for paperback, ‘E’ for eBook, and ‘R’ for read.

4. Books I Read in 2023

As usual, this spread will serve as the written version of my bookshelf, displaying the title, author, number of pages and the star rating I give each book. I loved the look of it in my old reading journals, and it is simple enough to fill in, so I see no reason to change it.

5. Quote of The Month

This is new addition was brought in primarily because I had a spare page to fill and needed something to put there. Each month, I’ll make sure to pay attention to the best quotes in the books I’m reading and pick one at the end to display on this page. While I was initially worried that I won’t be able to squeeze in the quotes I want, I’m now considering typing them up and printing them out to make sure they do fit.

6. TBR Wishlist

I did this spread for the first time last year and while I absolutely loved it, I did not make use of it as much have I should have, and because of that, I’ve kept some of the books I had on it last year, only replacing the few of them I did end up reading. My wishlist contains books I really want to read that year.

This year, I hope to listen to my wishes and be able to create an entirely fresh spread for next year by reading all of them. Though it was primarily an aesthetic spread last year, I think this year I will include the star ratings of the books I read and add the total at the bottom in December.

7. Reading Goals

This is another new spread and I felt it was very, very necessary to add. I won’t talk too much about it, since I wrote a whole post explaining my goals and why I added the page, but I liked the idea of having my reading goals in an obvious, pretty place to help keep me accountable.

8. Series to Finish

My series to finish spread is one I’m still on the fence about. I rarely use it, but I should and keeping it in is an attempt to force myself to. Sometimes I forget I’m halfway through a series or one book into a series, even when I want to read the other books, simply because they can take quite a while to be released if they have not yet.

So, I changed the look slightly so that it will be easier to fill in as time goes on. In previous years, I did not give myself a table to work with and was frustrated by having to draw new boxes every time. With the effort reduced, maybe I’ll finally fill in this spread the way I intended to.

9. 2023 Statistics

While I do like this spread, I’m also sure that I want to find a better way to present it, though not this year, because I quite like it. Regardless of how it looks, it’s easy to fill in, which is my priority with my reading journal. I don’t want it to become a chore.

On my stats pages, I like to track the star ratings, genres, formats, number per month, and reviews written for all the books I read in a year. As it stands, there is not much else I have an interest in tracking. Last year, I made the mistake of including an ‘other’ category in my genres section, and regretted it enough to exclude it this year. It was somehow the ‘genre’ I read the most, and thanks to the lack of specificity, it just feels like I was keeping a secret from myself.

I want to say that I made what I consider to be a tiny spacing mistake on this spread, but rather than through a tantrum about it, I’m just letting it be, which is something I need to get better at.

10. Rolling Books I read Spread

This is the spread that will require the most attention, as each month I’ll have to set up the following one once I’m finished with my books for the month. I’ve changed the set-up ever so slightly from last year with the inclusion of a TBR, one that is only a loose guide, rather than something I expect myself to adhere to with no diversions.

So, that concludes the spreads in my journal for 2023. Hopefully, filling it in will be the motivation I need to reach my reading goals for this year. I’d love to hear what your favourite spreads are or if you used anything similar in your reading journal this year. Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out the PDF downloads below.