My Reading Life: A Book Journal

by Anne Bogel

This stylish journal created exclusively for book lovers includes custom reading lists, charming literary quotes, and plenty of room to record what you’ve read and what you’d love to read. 
 
“Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.”—Toni Morrison
 
Designed by a book lover for book lovers, My Reading Life is the ideal companion for all your literary adventures.
 
Anne Bogel, creator of the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog, provides you with insightful reading lists for every popular genre and each season. She even helps you determine the kinds of books you’d most like to read based on your interests. You’ll also appreciate the sleek, compact design, perfect for taking on the go to the library, bookstore, or your next book club gathering. 
 
So much more than just a journal, this book is a joyful celebration of the written word, one that will significantly enrich every day of your reading life.  
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Journal, Writing, Journaling, Reference

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Anne Bogel is an author, the creator of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy, and host of Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and What Should I Read Next? podcast.

She is the author of My Reading Life: A Book Journal, My Reading Adventures: A Book Journal for Kids, Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life, I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, and Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything.

Anne lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, four children, and a yellow lab named Daisy.

Reviews

[Anne Bogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I designed the journal I have long dreamed of using, and the publisher's amazing team brought it to life. I love it. I hope you do, too, and that it does great things for your reading life.

[Jackie Linkous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through the prompts, lists, etc. in this journal in preparation for using it in 2022. My OCD won't let me start it at this point in the year, especially when I already have a reading journal going for 2021.

I cannot wait to start tracking my books in this beautiful little hardcover journal!

[Rachel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book journal highly enough! It has been my most enjoyable purchase of the year.

Initially, I thought completing entries might just be one more item to check off my to-do list, but I quickly realized what a joy this journal is. The prompts are quick and simple, yet they really cause me to pause and reflect on the book I’ve just completed, which cements that particular reading experience into my mind. Of course I love documenting my reading life on Goodreads, but there’s something special about putting pen to paper to think about my books a little more deeply. It’s also neat to see how this book journal documents a slice of life, in a way — it helps me reflect on the season of life in which I read each book, and that is important and meaningful to me.

Readers, run out and buy a copy of this very special book journal!

[Rebekah Giese Witherspoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revised review 02/11/2022 – 4 stars
I’m removing one star from my rating since this journal is too small to contain all my bookish musings, even though my handwriting is so tiny that two lines of text fit inside one dot grid space. I was delighted to find another gorgeous reading journal which has plenty of space for scribbling:
Reading Journal: A Log to Remember the Books You Love, Notes & Quotes by C Whitney

First review 09/23/2021 – 5 stars
My bookish heart is filled with delight by this lovely reading journal created by Anne Bogel (and is overflowing with bonus joy for receiving it just in time to scribble random musings during #Victober2021).

Equally happy on my nightstand or in my purse, this 5-inch x 7-inch hardcover 192-page journal (complete with ribbon marker) is both practical and pretty. At its heart is My Reading Log, 100 pages for scribbling my thoughts and feelings about 100 books:

title, author, genre, length, publisher, year published, themes, how I discovered this book, memorable quotes, thoughts & impressions, fiction or nonfiction, date started, date finished, I’d recommend this to _______.
my ratings:
enjoyment (1-5 diamonds)
craft (1-5 diamonds)
overall (1-5 diamonds)

The book begins with:
• How to Use This Journal
• A Snapshot of My Reading Life Right Now
• My Reading Habit Tracker
• Diagnose Your Reading Taste

Then begin the book lists, which aren’t to-do lists but are “meant to serve as inspiration…to help you find your next right read”. Super fun! I really enjoyed coloring in the diamond beside each book that I’ve already read. Next I want to notate the lists for the books that I want to read in the future. Here’s a list of all the book lists in this book (try saying that three times fast, haha!).
• Historical Fiction
• Mystery
• Love Stories
• Fantasy and Science Fiction
• Children’s Books for Grown-ups
• Biography, Autobiography, & Memoir
• Narrative Nonfiction
• Winter: Inspiring & Practical Books to Help You Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions
• Spring: Lively Books for Plant Lovers
• Summer: Books Set by the Water
• Fall: “Spooky but Not Scary” Reads
• Wonderfully Discussable Books
• Compulsively Readable Literary Fiction
• Classics You Should Have Read in High School That Are Worth Reading Now
• Audiobooks That Enhance the Reading Experience
• Spiritual Memoir & Biography
• Life-Changing Nonfiction Books Short Enough to Finish in a Day
• Extra-Long Books
• Feel-Good Fiction
• Food Memoirs
• Books to Take You Around the World
• Books About Books & Bookstores
• Audiobooks Narrated by the Author
• Riveting Mysteries (Series)
• Books in Translation

Other fabulous features:
• My “To Be Read” List - 7 pages with space to list 32 books: title, author, date added, why added
• Reading Goals
• Five Ways to Get More Out of Your Reading Life
• Five Tips to Help You Read More
• Tips for Overcoming a Reading Rut
• A Book Club Guide
• Ten Questions That Work For Any Book Discussion (these questions are also helpful when writing a book review, I think)
• Tools For the Reading Life
• Bookstores & Other Literary Destinations I’d Like to Visit
• Favorite Books
• Favorite Authors
• Favorite Quotes
• Books I’ve Borrowed or Loaned
• Books I’ve Given/Received As Gifts
• Reflecting on My Reading Year
• Favorite Books of the Year

Recommended for readers who think better or feel better when jotting notes on paper with a good old-fashioned pen or pencil. Also recommended for readers who, although not usually the journaling sort, want to see their reading patterns over time. As Anne says in her Introduction, “When you have your reading history captured in one place, you can see habits and patterns that are hard to perceive up close, day by day, or book by book…. If you feel like you’ve been on a roll lately with choosing good books, your reading log can help you figure out what those books have in common. If you feel like you’re in a slump and haven’t been reading anything good (or reading anything at all), your reading log can help you determine why. If you’re wondering about the diversity of the books you’re reading – whether by genre, topic, or author – your reading log has those answers.”

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to keep a little more detail on what you've read, this journal is for you. There's just enough space to remind you what you liked and didn't like about each book, but not too much space as to make it laborious. There are also lots of extras - book lists and the like.

[Alexia M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love ! It’s my go to journal … I started it Nov 2019 and I’m enjoying its design and content very much so …
You will find book themes list , prompts to think about your reading life and if you are a fan of Anne’s podcast …. The journal presents the same quality, heart warming feeling, than her podcast does !

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have kept a reading journal since middle school. It is primarily a list of the books of read including the completion date and maybe a star or smiley face if I enjoyed it or not. In recent years, I started adding notations for audiobooks, library books, book club selections, and even Book of the Month selections.

Goodreads and Bookstagram have taken over as my "systems of record," I get more enjoyment from flipping through my handwritten journals. Enter Anne Bogel's newest book: the lovely and delightful My Reading Life: A Book Journal.

The book is beautiful. It has book lists upon book lists with gentle notes encouraging readers to read what they want, but if said reader wants suggestions their are many (I love lists). And, throughout the book there are short pieces about reading goals, reading tools, and even how to start a book club.

There is a ribbon to mark the page, as well as ample space to log TBR options, reading thoughts, habits, and of course books read (there are enough pages to capture 100 books).

Definitely pick this up or better, buy up several copies for the readers in your life. It's such a a beautiful gift book.

would like to start keeping

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this little book journal. It has some great suggestions in it and I love all the suggested reading lists. I read other reviews and agree with other comments: It would be lovely if t1) his was made a little larger in size for ease in writing, and 2) if it could somehow be published in a form that would allow additional pages to be added as time passes. However, in its present form it's a really sweet book. I won this through Goodreads - and so glad I did. I'm definitely going to try to read some of the books from the lists of suggestions.

[Rachel Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been using Goodreads for many years to track my reading life, but I've had it's just the place for everything. It's great to track what I have read, but I have found better ways to track what I want to read and quotes that I love. I think I will be able to do everything in this book. A one stop shop of all that I love about reading! I couldn't put down the lists and the tips and the fun additions to this book and I look forward to adding my own reads to it.

[Susan C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book “journal” not a novel - but it is something I am going to treasure for the rest of my life. Yes, you can log the titles of books you have read, want to read, did not like etc. But it is the book suggestions that
Anne Bogle gives you and the page layouts - its just a beautiful journal! Thank you Anne!!

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved using this book to track my reading! In addition to space to record details on 100 books, the author has provided numerous lists of suggested books for a wide assortment of categories/genres/interests. There are pages devoted to listing favorite authors, quotes, books, and notes on reading. I have already purchased another copy to continue tracking my reading for this year and intend to buy another one when that one is filled. What a great and convenient way to track reading progress and views on the each of the books I’ve read. This may not be for everyone, but certainly a must have for anyone who loves to journal and who loves to read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got mine and I'm so excited! Thanks, Anne!
I've been creating my DIY reading journal for a few years, but I'm excited to use this one! I love the way it's organized and your lists. It's so good be in this reading community, among people who are reading.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow. Absolutely love this journal. It's exactly what I've needed in my reading life. More later!

[Shalanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful reading life journal. I often wish I had kept track of my reading life since I began reading, especially those books I read in middle & high school & have forgotten about. I envy those who have records of every book they've ever read. Goodreads goes a long way towards that, but I like the idea of a written journal.

I'm not sure how well this journal would translate to using yearly, unless the book lists & tips will be updated in it each year. I don't think I would buy & use this exact copy every year. There are many, many lists to help you choose some reads, lots of great tips for enhancing your reading life & tons of beautiful quotes that I really enjoyed. There is space to record 100 books, but given that there is 1 small page for each book, I'm not sure it gives you enough space to record your favorite quotes, thoughts & impressions if you have a lot you want to note.

There's a great looking habit tracker to help you see whether you are spending time reading each day. I like that & it looks so pretty!

Overall, a beautifully done book journal that I think many people will enjoy using!

[Madelynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the blank contents/index at the beginning, the ribbon bookmark, various suggested reading lists, and that you could break ratings down between enjoyment, craft, and overall rating. I didn't use the "I'd recommend this to:" section, and I needed more space sometimes for quotes, and definitely more space for thoughts & impressions - although it was nice to not feel like you HAD to write a whole paragraph to fill up blank space. Although this would have been enough space for my yearly reading in prior years, I already filled it up by halfway through July, so I wish it was longer!

Overall, though, I really enjoyed filling this out more than I thought I would, which made me be more or less consistent with keeping up with it! I'd definitely purchase this again going forward - after I work through some other reading journals I already have.

[tiasreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this gorgeous book, created specifically for book lovers by Anne Bogel.

From the beautiful colors to the generous weight of the paper to it's convenient size, you can tell that the book's physical design was given a great deal of thought and care. But even better are it's contents; it's not just a place to write down the books you've read and your thoughts about them. There are 25 Reading Lists with a variety of themes, questions to help you get more insight into your personal reading tastes and habits, and many other features to enhance your reading life. And since it's undated, you can start using it whenever you want.

I absolutely recommend this book journal. Anne Bogel knocked it out of the park with this one.

[Milissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little journal. I’ve already started using it and I know it’s going to be a better record keeper for my reading life than goodreads because I’m not one to put too much on the internet. I’m also still a paper planner girl and a paper list maker, so paper (real books!) are my thing. It’s clear that Anne put a lot of thought into the design features of this journal. I want to say thanks for something that might be overlooked by others (because I know I’m a minority here)…thank you for designing these pages with a paper that allows me to write in pencil (my favorite writing utensil! I use pencil for almost everything.) I’m sure pens & highlighters will also write beautifully. And maybe I’ll get my pretty highlighters out for lists/quotes. This journal is practical & fun to use. :)

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept for a journal. I love that there are book suggestions inside. But with the infinite number of books out there, I’m sure it was hard for Bogel to narrow it down. Most of my favorite books I would have included are not found in the suggestions. There are also quite a lot of suggestions I am not a fan of. Everyone has a different reading style, and mine clearly differs from this authors. But I do still love what she has included in this journal, things I wouldn’t have thought to reflect on.

[Natalie Silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to keep track of the books I read. The prompts on each page are helpful to analyze final thoughts on a book, including memorable quotes, overall impressions, ratings for various aspects of the book, and general information like title, publication date, and length. The author, one of my favorite book bloggers Anne Bogel, also compiled a lot of fun book lists to inspire you to find great reads. This is also the perfect gift.

[Deanne Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to try to wait until 2022 to use this book journal, but I SO want to begin using it right away! It is beautiful, thoughtfully designed, and the perfect size! I can analyze my reading habits, record my thoughts on 100 books, keep a “to be read” list, and don’t get me started on the book lists! So many great books on the list!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still using my copy, but I've flipped through and read the content. I didn't think I'd like a reading journal, but I've taken to carrying this with me, along with my current read. I love how it asks me to reflect on what I've read, and has a place for future reads, and lots of suggested reads.

[Emily Holladay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished reading the written parts of this book and now I’m filling out the reading pages. It is so great. The book log pages have everything you need to log your reading, and it’s such a great way to reflect on your reading life. It’s also so conveniently sized to fit in my purse or wherever.

[Meera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like the format of this and the size. I like the lists that are in it which will be give me ideas if I’m stuck on what to read next. Also like the occasional bit of reading advice. Not sure if I’ll actually use the log… I’m terrible about intentions like that but this certainly makes me feel inspired to do so.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. I would have needed dozens of these in order to track all that I have read, so I bought two and used them to keep track of my more honed TBR list. I absolutely loved the reading recommendations in this, and how they were grouped with theme - probably my favorite part of the book.

[Denise Stillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me track my books and reading for almost 2 years … not sure why I trailed off in Oct 23? Combined this with Goodreads - I like the dates and the ratings, themes and types but not the quotes. Will read this book thru on 12/31/23 lots of fun books quotes and lists I might copy … then use my bullet journal and Goodreads to track 2024

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the creativity on every page! It is designed to keep young readers filling in the blanks as they consider the book they have just read and notes about how it affected them...or not. Great books to read suggestions. Perfect to encourage young readers to be thoughtful and proud of their progress!

[Janice Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book journal, this is is great. Book goes beyond creating spaces for you to date reads and log reviews. It also contains both recommendations and suggestions for structuring and maximizing your readership.
This journal would absolutely make a great gift.

[Cait Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book journal. It’s incredibly well designed and has TONS of perfectly curated book lists and lots of space to log your reading as well as journaling prompts to help you figure out what you love to read. I love it and am having the most fun logging my reading.

[Xandretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been trying to find a journal to start logging and writing about the books I'm reading/have read. I love Goodreads for tracking but I also want to be able to jot down thoughts and notes as I read and reflect on a book. I think I'll try using this one!

[Kelly Veatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little reading journal is the best! It will hold 100 book reviews, plus it has all kinds of wonderful extras! I bought another one for my reading life next year. This has been an amazing reading year! I'm looking forward to see what 2023 brings to my reading life!!!