new year, new books!

For the first time ever, I’ve started a pen-and-paper reading journal!

It all began when I was looking for Christmas presents for my kids and found these delightful small-squared graph paper journals with transparent covers – so whatever you draw on the first page would show through and be the cover image. I got a pack for Limerick for his numerical drawings and then added one for myself… and when I found a new pack of my favorite rainbow Signo pens in my stocking from my dad, it was a perfect match.

The pens are fine-tipped, with a smooth feel and vibrant color, suitable for small spaces and fine details; the paper is ever so slightly off-white and thick enough that there are no issues with bleed-through. Both are a sensory delight to use.

Having a fun and beautiful way to keep track of my reading has been motivating me to read more, which is a great benefit to having the journal. I’ve actually already completed eight books this year – though as three of them were sci-fi/fantasy and three more were biology-related non-fiction, I haven’t ventured too far from my happy reading places yet. In the journal, I can record the title, author, and date completed, obviously, but I can also write down any quotes that really stood out to me, any neat information I want to remember, and thoughts I had about the book. I’ve tried to give myself a flexible structure, so I don’t feel either overwhelmed by options or trapped by formatting restrictions, and so far it has been working out really well.

Check back in a few days for a review of January’s books if you’re interested 🙂

Have any of you ever kept a reading journal, digitally or on paper? What are your strategies? How has it affected your reading life?