Excuse ME.. I can’t get over the fact that they chose ‘biography’ & ‘memoir’ as two separate boxes to tick??? That is virtually the same thing, but all of fiction is one? I swear I’ll have a stress dream about that tonight 🥲
I think the default categories should just be "fiction" and "non fiction" then a blank line or two for subgenre(s). Its a no for me solely based on that
Biography is retell of someone’s life by another person. Memoirs consist in exposition of your recollections about something or a period of your life. They are completely different. And so are autobiographies, which is when a person writes their own life story and not just their memories and thoughts.
@@idek7438 maybe this particular journal is aimed at people who read a lot of nonfiction. I’ve seen others that have multiple categories for fiction and only one for nonfiction.
@@mentallyunstable1926 To me, they always seemed completely different, especially in tone and structure. Narrators, sources, goals, focus and so many other aspects and techniques that used/exposed differently. It’s like comparing historical fiction and sci-fi.
I imagine it's a *ton* of work. 😳 I've designed a lot of things for print, but making *all* the decisions beginning to end, including production? Shout out to anyone who has put in the work to create these, for real. 🙌
I use the Little Inklings planner and I think it’s amazing. The designer is a booktuber/bookstagramer so she knows what people really want. And it’s a Canadian shop so maybe that’s beneficial for you too!
@@ericakubie2970 well I only really like to use the review pages. I like keeping quotes from books so I have a page for quotes to go along with the reviews. However I don't always find a quote I like in every book, so I'm also going to have pages that have like 3 reviews to a page that only include the basic information. I like the idea of a finished book page too, but I also am not great at filling those pages in so that seems a bit too much of wasted space for me!
I actually love the format of the Bookaholic journal. I've been looking for something simple where I can just rate books and track random thoughts, and that one looks like exactly what I need. I hate that the pages are thinner, but I still may look into getting it.
I don't use reading journals because I would just like it to be the most basic thing ever, no quizzes, no extras, just filling in what I read and writing a little bit about it, but I also don't have the time or energy to be making my own pages like in a bullet journal
I love how picky you are. As someone who is also picky I can appreciate it. I didn't even know these type of book journals existed. I'm definitely more "the artistically inclined" so right now I love making my own and customizing it to what I need. 🖋 But I just love reading journal videos period. Another great video Kayla! Always so creative. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I actually love looped journals, they’re my preference. I hold my pens way differently so I think that makes it easier for me, but I love that I can turn one half all the way around so I’m only working with one half at a time. I store my journals upright so stacking isn’t a problem either. If I were reviewing journals I’d knock a whole point off of a hard cover journal for the same reason 😅
Little Inklings has two bookish planners / reading journals. An undated smaller journal and a larger dated planner that comes out at the end of the year.
I was going to mention theirs as well. I have the larger Always Fully Booked dated planner. They have flip through for both planners on RUclips and they are Canadian!! 😊
I'm probably the target audience for that and I would love to see some structurally different types of pages, but I will never buy it because it is SO ugly. :-(
Also, I don’t know if it helps anyone who may be looking but the dotted journals aren’t actually bullet journals! That specifically means planning using the bullets from the method itself. Notebooks with the dots are called dot grid! 🥰
Also, ive found “book review” stamps on Etsy for the “less artistically inclined.” Ive considered buying one of those and using it in a blank journal so you dont have to do your own lines/words/designs.
I use a Google sheets doc on my phone. It tracks dates read, authors, ratings, and a bunch of other stuff. Plus there's a tab where it makes charts to see everything super easily. It doesn't have a review section, but I'm ok with that. I could always add a tab/ column if I wanted to.
@@horrorghoul x.crini on instagram has one too, you can use tags, challenges, mark it as reviewed, you put in your own genres, you can put the author's/narrator's gender, and it gives you your stats, I love it
Omg i thought the same! Haha i was so surprised her writing is so good with holding it that way. Looks so uncomfortable. I can feel the hand cramps thru the screen 😂
@@witchymary5246 no one. i think they meant that the entire spread of 150 spines is for *all* of the books you read that year, and only the ~20 spines under the favourites heading would be your favourites
I actually really love spiral-bound notebooks and journals so I can turn books back on themselves, but i hate the rings like the owl crate journal - at least when it's one spiral binding pags only really slip off at the top and bottom, and the single wire usually keeps the pages closer together for a full spread. And you're so right, anything bound with those rings absolutely gives me school-agenda flashbacks
i love the idea of having a journal i can just fill out, but like you i'm too picky and neurotic to be happy with pretty much any preprinted journal lol so i just stick to a spreadsheet and bujo combo and i'd love to see you do this again! i hope you can find the reading journal of your dreams!
Moleskin actually makes their own reading journal which I think you’d love since you already use those type of products. I’d highly recommend it! Little more pricey, but like you said, you are paying for the higher quality pages and such 😌
I loved seeing these journal reviews. I'm a stationary geeks and love journals. I've created my own reading journal out of a notebook. Partly because I think everyone's unique in what they want in a journal and partly because I have to many notebooks. I think this video is great as you can never truly see what a journal is like from a few pictures online :)
Girl.. even though the last thing I care about is spine structure I REALLY appreciate how in depth you go in reviews like this!! You don't just do the overall layout and how easy it was to track reading etc. you do the full monty and I know I can always come to you for a comprehensive review
I just keep a separate bullet journal for book things and thestorygraph does all my tracking for me. With both of those I've been able to build a layout that works for me finally.
“ RINGS ARE MY NEMESIS. “ - Kayla I can’t express how much I laughed at that hot take because I resonate sooooo much. Anyone want to build out some reading journal ideas? Because this series (that’s starting) is amazing and I love journals/reading journals etc, I want to create a solid collection that could be the best versions of these and more!
When you talked about the way the journal lay flat, the quality of the page, the size, the binding...I felt seen 🥰 , it's me in a shop considering a journal, I hate when they are under plastic, I want to feel the paper :)
Little Inklings has two journals for reading on their shop! I have the full year planner but she does have one that you can buy at any time of the year.
This year I’m using Little Inklings Design planner which is a regular monthly/weekly planner, but specifically for readers with a ton of bookish spreads!
I am so excited you did this-I always get so frustrated that online rarely shows pictures of the inside layouts and I need to see what’s in there to know too! I have the Owlcrate and really like that setup pretty well but not perfect. I never minded the spirals but wish it was fully connected without the opening for pages to fall out. I do agree the layout of the Book Riot one is the ideal kind so it can lay flat without obstruction.
I am just not a journal/planner person, as hard as i try. I've used goodreads to track my books for years, but I've recently began transitioning to StoryGraph, and i absolutely love that platform. Buut i really enjoyed watching and hearing your thoughts on these journals! I desperately wish i liked keeping planners and journals lol
Incredible video, Kayla!! The whole time I was thinking how you were the *perfect* person for this review. You are picky but aware and able to show your personal dislikes in a neutral light since we all care about different things.
LittleInklingsDesigns Always Fully Booked planner is my favorite. I've used it ever since she released it and will continue to buy. Plus a wonderful Canadian artist
You could always pull out the pages & photocopy them so that you could stick them into a book of your choice. That way you can have as many pages as you need & any colour on your pages that you want etc 😀
@@BooksandLala No I don’t think you would I’m afraid but think how pretty and scrapbooky you could make it😀 Can’t you buy a little machine thing that binds books for home🤔 You could always get one of those and then the binding issue is no longer a problem 😀 Especially if it’s something you do every year then it’s worth having it😀 Anyway lots if options 🥰
I used a reading journal for years but it wasn’t exciting and I always had not enough space. This year I bought a blank notebook and started creating my own journal.
I have used the Leuchtturm reading journal in the past and liked it well enough! My current reading journal is just a B6 dot grid journal where I make a spread for my monthly TBR and a list of books I bought, and then I just make a note of the title and author and any notes/thoughts/questions/theories I have while reading and a short review and star rating when I’m done. Super simple and easy to keep up with.
I use the “ Always Fulled Booked” planner or sometimes the “Novel Companion” both are by fellow Canadian, Megan, from Little Inklings Design. 🥰 🤗 Highly recommend !
I have never used a reading journal before this year. I also got the owlcrate journal so I am using it because it came with the box. I do carry it with me everywhere and I can say it has held up well so far. I would prefer something else because I dont utilize it all but it works for what I use it for. In the future I think I will stick with book journaling but I will be on the hunt for something else.
This video is a lifesaver! I’ve always been interested in having a reading journal but it has never seemed worthwhile because I didn’t know exactly what to expect when buying one online and the ones I have seen in stores don’t appeal to me. This has helped me narrow down which I might be more interested in, and I would definitely be interested in seeing another round of these reviews.
This video was INCREDIBLY helpful, I’ve been eyeing pre-made book journals, but so often it’s hard to tell what your actually getting with them. I want to know things like paper quality, how many reviews it fits, is there room for my own spreads. Basically this convinced me to just continue getting a blank dot journal and doing my own setup, it’s a little more work at the onset, but I’m getting what I want out of it.
Sanne from Books & Quills just created a book club journal that I'd love to see you use :) (although I have a feeling since it's focused on book clubs it won't quite fit your criteria)
the Owl Crate one actually looks so good! im impressed. i have a book journal and i cant even rememebr when or where i got it. i used it for like 1 month and then forgot about it. i've been using Brock's (From LetsRead's channel) spreadsheet for probably 4-5 years now and its been my go-to. i like physical stuff but im much more consistent in tracking my reading online. i also have my own spreadsheet for things i watch/read/listen to each month that i've used since January 2018.
The binding your thinking of is called a perfect binding. It means the pages are separated from the cover of the spine. This means the pages open flat everytime. The only issue I have with this binding is when you open either the very front or back it might need something underneath it so the book isn't so weighted on one side. I use binder clips to keep my pages open. If you want the perfect bullet journal you can always use a bullet journal notebook and just make it your reading journal. That way you have all the pages you need and not the ones you don't. Also a lot of bullet journal people on RUclips also do reading journal set up videos so it's pretty easy to find info on that. I'm all digital on a color eink tablet these days so I just make my own pages in canva and download them as PNG files and just build a journal that way in my tablets note system. I like doing that cause it's one page instead of two like a open notebook and it takes up less space. Also people make digital reading journals which are super cool and easy to edit as well.
I use the Litjoy reading journal and I love it. It's so classy and has a good balance of fun stuff and review space. It is hardback, but does lay flat. Maybe try it out? BTW it also has 'book club picks' pages
Yes! Great video idea. I use one and it's just okay. Seems to be more tedious than rewarding. I want to feel like my book journal is telling me "good job, you finished a book!!"
I truly appreciate these videos because I am considering starting a reading journal for the 1st time. Deciding between buying one or making my own is a hard decision. I read all the time and wish I had thought of doing a reading journal 20 years ago
I have tracked my reading many different ways over the years and have been very curious about book journals. Currently I use a grid bullet journal. I write out my goals for the year then I make my top 50 books I want to read. As I read them I color code them (based on how much I liked the book) and write the date I completed it next to it. I found your reviews very valid and inspiring to change up some of the things I am doing now.
I agree that the previews for reading journals are awful so when I decided I wanted one, I decided to just take a blank journal and make it into a reading journal. Mine has an inside page similar to the Owl Crate one, my goals inside, monthly Want-to-Reads, a section to keep up with how many pages I've read, then a section for my book stats--a grid with the title, genre, how it was acquired, whether I kept it or not if owned, and the star rating. Then I tally things up and make little pie charts for my monthly and yearly reading. Thanks for reviewing these though, was nice to see them more-in depth.
I loved this video! I have tried so many book journals. I finally looked up printable book journal pages on etsy and now just print my own (there is a lot to choose from). Plus, you can print on the type of paper you like best. This was such a great video idea, love your creativity.
I've been using the Always Fully Booked planner for a couple of years from Little Inklings Design and I LOVE it! Although, it's more an all in one, planner, reading tracker etc. and it's how I plan my content.
Readers Log: Readers Journal for 120 Books. It's like 8.5× 11 and only $5 on Amazon. I like the bigger pages with plenty of space to write a review or notes. I just started using it this year and I like it.
I created my own reading journal, but I am using dotted paper and a Paper Studio 6 ring mini-binder from Hobby Lobby. I'm currently changing the layout but I like what I've got so far. I don't look too far into my books and whatnot (I'm not like a habit tracker . . . tracker?). I just want to see what I've been reading and how many things I've read.
Another youtuber, Booksandquills, recently came out with a book club journal that's for reviewing specifically with book clubs in mind, would be cool to see you review that one!
Loved watching this! And looking forward to you doing it again - since you're still on the hunt. While I agree the Bibliofile journal is way too limiting if you read a broad range of genres, it might work nicely as a "companion journal" if you're someone who maybe reads non-fiction or classics once in a while, but maybe wouldn't read a whole bunch in a single year. Then it could hang out at home while you carried your regular annual journal with you (could also potentially limit the wear and tear a bit, as well). I think you did a great job of sharing your opinions with us, while also pointing out all the features (good and bad) so that others who might have different preferences, could still get a feel as to whether one of these might work for them.
Brilliant!! I published a book activity journal this year... I think you would have destroyed to pieces LOL but I learnt so much from your review and what to think about next time designing one. Mine is extra size for starters... oops...and has some silly book activities.. it was more intended to new readers now with the pandemic and all, but thank you for sharing.. this was valuable and fun! :)
And this is why I made my own Reading Journal. it took me some GOOD hours, but I created something that works for me, with my categories, a place to put quotes that I liked from the books, a place to take notes as I read, and a place to create a reading list/log where I put my stars reviews
Love this idea! Reminds me of when you use to do monthly bullet journal set-ups, I found your channel around the time you did those and use to love seeing your monthly set-ups. For my reading journal, I still use a bullet journal/customise journal style. I actually have a very elaborate set-up for what it is but I consider my reading journal as an extra hobby on top of reading and love it so much! I use a travelers notebook system (basically a bunch of small notebooks, rather than one large one - I bought a custom leather cover to keep the notebooks together, but overall it is cheaper than using a standard A5 bullet journal). I have: - a yearly notebook: this includes yearly stats that I update as I read, my entire physical TBR which I tick off as I read, and challenges I am doing that year. - a continuous notebook: authors backlist that I want to catch up on, a list of my five star reads, book club picks. - a monthly spread (typically I fit 3-4 months per notebook): I track my monthly book haul, monthly TBR, readathon spreads, page tracker (I have used the template you use to use in your bullet journal back in the day, I have used that monthly since you started doing that and still love it!) and then I print off the book covers of all my physical TBR books - then I stick them in, write the title, author, rating and favourite quotes and If it is a five star or a new favourite sometimes I also do an entire aesthetic page along side it. For the books not from my physical TBR I just write the title, author, rating and sometimes a quote but don't print the cover, unless it is a new favourite. I also number the books as I go, so I can look back at last year and find out what my 100th book was if I want to! For future rounds of this, I have seen book journals at etsy before, and would be curious to see you check one of them out! I can't recommend a specific one as I have never used it, and don't know what would ship to you. Also, would be curious to see you compare the pre-made journals vs. custom reading bullet journal like you used a few years back.
I've been using the Moleskine Book Journal and absolutely loving it! It's very nice quality and has one-page spreads that are very straightforward: title, author, publisher, book type, year, and room for notes. The entry pages are alphabetical, and there's an index, a glossary of literary terms, and some blank pages. It's pricey at $30 but worth it in my opinion.
New subbie here! I love your no-nonsense approach! I'm making my first reading journal and just did a flip through on my channel...I "cut & paste"...ha, ha!
I use a really simple monthly planner from Plum Paper, I like the monthly pages, because I do like to track when I start and finish books. And then for my Book Reviews, I use a simple little traveler's notebook insert, it's a bigger like 5x8 size, and it has 2 review spots on one page, with just the title, author, thoughts, and a star rating. I love how simple it is. It's like $5 for one, and since I read like 50ish books a year one little book is good for a whole year
This year I started using a digital reading journal and life planner on my iPad and it's been the best decision for me as I am very bad at drawing and creating visually appealing spreads so I was able to buy templates on Etsy where all the nice boxes and banners are already pre-drawn for me and all I have to do is write in my content and it is guaranteed to look nice without any effort on my side (plus I can easily erase all the mistakes I make!) and I can also insert stickers and photos. It's the best of both worlds as I still use a digital pencil to do actual writing but I don't need to do any of the creative spread drawing which has always stressed me out about my bullet journals! :)
LitJoy makes reading planners now. They certainly won't pass your purse test, but they give you a lot of options and fit 100 reviews. If you make another video, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I've just gotten one and am still learning how I like to use it and what writing utensils I want to use with it.
I ended up using parts of my regular planner to track my reading. (My planner is made up of three discbound planners and a bunch of extra pages.) Pages read are in one area, days I read and what format are in an extraneous monthly layout, thoughts/reviews go in the journaling section (standard horizontal planner layout), I bullet journaled a bookcase thingy, and I have separate half sheet with a running list of the books I read throughout the year and when I finished them.
Might think about having someone make you a custom reading journal from etsy once you're done exploring to mix and match what you like with your own color schemes, the kind of journal you like, and you don't have to make it all yourself.
Ahh I loved this video. It’s one of thoese that you see the title and thank how fun that could be and finish in one go and think wow how fun that could be
Two I’d like to see you try are the Moleskine Reading Journal (I think they have two versions now, one has more pages than the other iirc) and the I’ve that Sanne (Books and Quills) recently published. It’d be interesting to see if you could find any indie ones on Etsy.
I’d love to see you try out always fully booked... but it is expensive and you’d have to wait till the end of the year to purchase it. Upside is the creator has a RUclips channel so you can see what it looks like far in advance
yeah spiral bound isnt great for 2pg calendars, but i think the intention was for the journal to be folded all the way back so you are only working with half the full width. This way, the rings are so much in the way of your hand, and the journal is more compact and stable for writting in on the couch or whatever. That format is how I use my writing notebooks, and it is certainly very different from a bujo style format.
I used to use a regular lined notebook to keep track of my reading, but then I discovered bullet journaling from when you did videos on it and have been doing it that way ever since. I just like that I can make it exactly how I want it to look
Moleskine a Book Journal and really plain and simple. It reminds me of old address books with the letter tabs and you fill out your books alphabetically rather than monthly. I like it the most to track all of the books I’ve read and be able to look back on my thoughts.
I just bought Litjoys Reading Journal and I'm going to use it next year and see how I like it. So far most of the pages and spreads I'd totally use but others maybe not so much but I like they left in some blank dotted pages. It is a hard cover and I haven't tested out "openable" it is yet.
Jack Edwards just recommended a wEiRd book. I don't know exactly which type of wEiRd you're into reading, but it was a short story collection called No one belongs here more than you by Miranda July
Cool idea! Besides bullet journaling I was in search of a good reading journal. I have the bibliophile, but haven't used it yet. I have one that's soft cover and is like bookaholic where it's just reviews, but slightly different. I will come back and edit when I find the name of the journal so you can check it out if you want. It's called Reading Log: For Book Lovers made by smart bookx. That's the one I am currently using. I like it, but it's not the perfect one. I appreciate this because I love tracking what I read. I definitely want to try the other three because the bookaholic one sounds up my alley. Thank you for doing this video and the next one about finding a journal it is really appreciated. 😊❤️❤️❤️
I've used The Book Lover's Journal before, which I really enjoyed. I picked it up because it specifically focuses on writing quick reviews of the book. I bought it because I felt as if I wasn't taking the time to pause and reflect on the books I'd just read before starting the next one. I appreciated that the journal was simple and not overwhelming.
I got the other Book Riot one as a gift, and I'm not sure it would suit your purposes, either. It's themed around the read harder challenge, so there are twelve prompts + review pages for those prompts, and then another ~40 review pages (two-page spreads, one for the review and one for notes/quotes/things). There are a couple of tracking pages at the end that didn't seem that useful to me, but I could just be being judgey. And it goes without saying, it's still a good product, of course!
I know this videos is two years also and I’m hoping that you some how made an amazing book journal I can purchase because I love the way you talk about what your perfect journal would be like
I am once again in awe of Kayla’s dedication
Excuse ME.. I can’t get over the fact that they chose ‘biography’ & ‘memoir’ as two separate boxes to tick??? That is virtually the same thing, but all of fiction is one? I swear I’ll have a stress dream about that tonight 🥲
I think the default categories should just be "fiction" and "non fiction" then a blank line or two for subgenre(s). Its a no for me solely based on that
Biography is retell of someone’s life by another person. Memoirs consist in exposition of your recollections about something or a period of your life. They are completely different. And so are autobiographies, which is when a person writes their own life story and not just their memories and thoughts.
@@luizappicanco The difference is so subtle that it makes zero sense to separate the category but then keep all of fiction in a single category
@@idek7438 maybe this particular journal is aimed at people who read a lot of nonfiction. I’ve seen others that have multiple categories for fiction and only one for nonfiction.
@@mentallyunstable1926 To me, they always seemed completely different, especially in tone and structure. Narrators, sources, goals, focus and so many other aspects and techniques that used/exposed differently. It’s like comparing historical fiction and sci-fi.
Kayla dearest, now you're legally obligated to make your own journal and bless us with the perfect journal U.U
Thank you
Oh my gosh, YES, please do this!!! 😍
Kayla curated Book journal in the future 👀
I imagine it's a *ton* of work. 😳 I've designed a lot of things for print, but making *all* the decisions beginning to end, including production? Shout out to anyone who has put in the work to create these, for real. 🙌
Or at least give someone of the specs and then make it your own merch?
Like imagine, a reading journal that mirror imagines or compliments the best books/favorite books?
This would be amazing!
It's the way she's always got a project going on in the background of OTHER videos! organisation!!
I use the Little Inklings planner and I think it’s amazing. The designer is a booktuber/bookstagramer so she knows what people really want.
And it’s a Canadian shop so maybe that’s beneficial for you too!
I’ve used this planner for the last 3 years as well and I love it!
@@stephmorgan286 it’s such a good planner! Such good quality too!
I love Little Inklings too. I hope Kayla tries hers.
She's sold out :(
@@JodieTheReader she restocks the journals regularly - follow her on Instagram. The planner only comes out toward the end of the year.
I'm making my own! I just can't stand to have wasted pages!
Me too! I’d love to hear about what types of pages you’re putting in there!
@@ericakubie2970 well I only really like to use the review pages. I like keeping quotes from books so I have a page for quotes to go along with the reviews. However I don't always find a quote I like in every book, so I'm also going to have pages that have like 3 reviews to a page that only include the basic information. I like the idea of a finished book page too, but I also am not great at filling those pages in so that seems a bit too much of wasted space for me!
Same! I don't like reviewing but tracking how many pages I read each day. I combine my reading tracker with my bullet journal and it works sooo good
I actually love the format of the Bookaholic journal. I've been looking for something simple where I can just rate books and track random thoughts, and that one looks like exactly what I need. I hate that the pages are thinner, but I still may look into getting it.
It's like Kayla can read my mind, ive been looking into reading journals forever
I don't use reading journals because I would just like it to be the most basic thing ever, no quizzes, no extras, just filling in what I read and writing a little bit about it, but I also don't have the time or energy to be making my own pages like in a bullet journal
I love how picky you are. As someone who is also picky I can appreciate it.
I didn't even know these type of book journals existed.
I'm definitely more "the artistically inclined" so right now I love making my own and customizing it to what I need. 🖋 But I just love reading journal videos period.
Another great video Kayla! Always so creative. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I actually love looped journals, they’re my preference. I hold my pens way differently so I think that makes it easier for me, but I love that I can turn one half all the way around so I’m only working with one half at a time. I store my journals upright so stacking isn’t a problem either. If I were reviewing journals I’d knock a whole point off of a hard cover journal for the same reason 😅
I never knew reading journals like this were a thing and now I must have one. Also, Kayla, you look beautiful in yellow!
📊 we agree! Your hair is soo pretty ...Happy Bookish Saturday Friends
Little Inklings has two bookish planners / reading journals. An undated smaller journal and a larger dated planner that comes out at the end of the year.
I was going to mention theirs as well. I have the larger Always Fully Booked dated planner. They have flip through for both planners on RUclips and they are Canadian!! 😊
I have the full planner and really love it but I’m not sure I need the entire planner again but it is gorgeous.
Those look awesome omg! I wish they weren't sold out :(
I love A Novel Companion!
The Book Marks journal seems like a way for someone to decide if they will be able to create and keep a reading bullet journal.
I'm probably the target audience for that and I would love to see some structurally different types of pages, but I will never buy it because it is SO ugly. :-(
"Did they not know of the pandemic?! Points taken off!" 🤣🤣🤣 Awesomeness!
Also, I don’t know if it helps anyone who may be looking but the dotted journals aren’t actually bullet journals! That specifically means planning using the bullets from the method itself. Notebooks with the dots are called dot grid! 🥰
I would watch a second round of this in a heartbeat!
Also, ive found “book review” stamps on Etsy for the “less artistically inclined.” Ive considered buying one of those and using it in a blank journal so you dont have to do your own lines/words/designs.
Damn the thorough way you review things is so intense and well developed
I use a Google sheets doc on my phone. It tracks dates read, authors, ratings, and a bunch of other stuff. Plus there's a tab where it makes charts to see everything super easily. It doesn't have a review section, but I'm ok with that. I could always add a tab/ column if I wanted to.
I love this idea and need to do one of these.
Hardback Hoarder creates one of these every year and they’re so fantastic. Check her community tab if you want to find it.
@@horrorghoul x.crini on instagram has one too, you can use tags, challenges, mark it as reviewed, you put in your own genres, you can put the author's/narrator's gender, and it gives you your stats, I love it
How have you lived your whole life holding your pen like this?? 🥲
🤧
Omg i thought the same! Haha i was so surprised her writing is so good with holding it that way. Looks so uncomfortable. I can feel the hand cramps thru the screen 😂
I thought the favourite books on the owl crate one was just for that shelf. Like .. you'd only put the favourites you read that year in that area.
omg hahaha that makes sense
But who reads 150 favourites a year?
@@witchymary5246 no one. i think they meant that the entire spread of 150 spines is for *all* of the books you read that year, and only the ~20 spines under the favourites heading would be your favourites
I actually really love spiral-bound notebooks and journals so I can turn books back on themselves, but i hate the rings like the owl crate journal - at least when it's one spiral binding pags only really slip off at the top and bottom, and the single wire usually keeps the pages closer together for a full spread. And you're so right, anything bound with those rings absolutely gives me school-agenda flashbacks
I love spiral-bound notebooks as well. I do not like the Owl Crate journal type of spiral either.
I really like the layout of the BOOKAHOLIC. I’ll be picking that one up. Thank you for showing these journals.
i love the idea of having a journal i can just fill out, but like you i'm too picky and neurotic to be happy with pretty much any preprinted journal lol so i just stick to a spreadsheet and bujo combo
and i'd love to see you do this again! i hope you can find the reading journal of your dreams!
Moleskin actually makes their own reading journal which I think you’d love since you already use those type of products. I’d highly recommend it! Little more pricey, but like you said, you are paying for the higher quality pages and such 😌
I loved seeing these journal reviews. I'm a stationary geeks and love journals. I've created my own reading journal out of a notebook. Partly because I think everyone's unique in what they want in a journal and partly because I have to many notebooks. I think this video is great as you can never truly see what a journal is like from a few pictures online :)
Girl.. even though the last thing I care about is spine structure I REALLY appreciate how in depth you go in reviews like this!! You don't just do the overall layout and how easy it was to track reading etc. you do the full monty and I know I can always come to you for a comprehensive review
I just keep a separate bullet journal for book things and thestorygraph does all my tracking for me. With both of those I've been able to build a layout that works for me finally.
I am really digging storygraph for the graphs alone. It adds interesting data that I wouldn't otherwise track!
“ RINGS ARE MY NEMESIS. “ - Kayla
I can’t express how much I laughed at that hot take because I resonate sooooo much.
Anyone want to build out some reading journal ideas? Because this series (that’s starting) is amazing and I love journals/reading journals etc, I want to create a solid collection that could be the best versions of these and more!
When you talked about the way the journal lay flat, the quality of the page, the size, the binding...I felt seen 🥰 , it's me in a shop considering a journal, I hate when they are under plastic, I want to feel the paper :)
Little Inklings has two journals for reading on their shop! I have the full year planner but she does have one that you can buy at any time of the year.
So exciting! Did you see Sanne's video recently about how she helped design / write a reading journal? So fun!
I haven't! But I've seen some people talk about her journal in the comments so I've ordered it!! 💕
This year I’m using Little Inklings Design planner which is a regular monthly/weekly planner, but specifically for readers with a ton of bookish spreads!
I am so excited you did this-I always get so frustrated that online rarely shows pictures of the inside layouts and I need to see what’s in there to know too!
I have the Owlcrate and really like that setup pretty well but not perfect. I never minded the spirals but wish it was fully connected without the opening for pages to fall out. I do agree the layout of the Book Riot one is the ideal kind so it can lay flat without obstruction.
You could try the kunista reading journal for avid readers. It’s pricey, but it does lay flat and has some cool features.
I am just not a journal/planner person, as hard as i try. I've used goodreads to track my books for years, but I've recently began transitioning to StoryGraph, and i absolutely love that platform. Buut i really enjoyed watching and hearing your thoughts on these journals! I desperately wish i liked keeping planners and journals lol
I've toyed with adding little book covers a la Instagram to the annual review page to jazz up my journal with my favorites.
Incredible video, Kayla!! The whole time I was thinking how you were the *perfect* person for this review. You are picky but aware and able to show your personal dislikes in a neutral light since we all care about different things.
I am HERE for the pickiness of notebooks! So few notebooks are suitable to my own pickiness that I love to see what notebooks others are picky over.
Amazing video! Just the kind of thing a journal addict like me needed. Would love a part 2!
I’m here i’m here!!
I've decided to do my own bullet journal for next year and I think I may pick up the Book Marks journal for further inspiration. Thank you.
LittleInklingsDesigns Always Fully Booked planner is my favorite. I've used it ever since she released it and will continue to buy. Plus a wonderful Canadian artist
I started following her because I saw her recommenced a few times here. Thank you!
It’d be so cool if you could design your own reading planner with the customizable Golden Coil planners!!
You could always pull out the pages & photocopy them so that you could stick them into a book of your choice. That way you can have as many pages as you need & any colour on your pages that you want etc 😀
Oh yes there are many many printable and photocopy options but I can't imagine being happy with the binding? 🤔
@@BooksandLala No I don’t think you would I’m afraid but think how pretty and scrapbooky you could make it😀 Can’t you buy a little machine thing that binds books for home🤔 You could always get one of those and then the binding issue is no longer a problem 😀 Especially if it’s something you do every year then it’s worth having it😀 Anyway lots if options 🥰
I think I might purchase the bookaholic one, and I'm definitely interested in seeing part 2 💗
I used a reading journal for years but it wasn’t exciting and I always had not enough space. This year I bought a blank notebook and started creating my own journal.
This idea 💕 I miss you're journal videos, I loved them, adored them.
I have used the Leuchtturm reading journal in the past and liked it well enough! My current reading journal is just a B6 dot grid journal where I make a spread for my monthly TBR and a list of books I bought, and then I just make a note of the title and author and any notes/thoughts/questions/theories I have while reading and a short review and star rating when I’m done. Super simple and easy to keep up with.
I use the “ Always Fulled Booked” planner or sometimes the “Novel Companion” both are by fellow Canadian, Megan, from Little Inklings Design. 🥰 🤗 Highly recommend !
I have never used a reading journal before this year. I also got the owlcrate journal so I am using it because it came with the box. I do carry it with me everywhere and I can say it has held up well so far. I would prefer something else because I dont utilize it all but it works for what I use it for. In the future I think I will stick with book journaling but I will be on the hunt for something else.
This video is a lifesaver! I’ve always been interested in having a reading journal but it has never seemed worthwhile because I didn’t know exactly what to expect when buying one online and the ones I have seen in stores don’t appeal to me. This has helped me narrow down which I might be more interested in, and I would definitely be interested in seeing another round of these reviews.
This video was INCREDIBLY helpful, I’ve been eyeing pre-made book journals, but so often it’s hard to tell what your actually getting with them. I want to know things like paper quality, how many reviews it fits, is there room for my own spreads.
Basically this convinced me to just continue getting a blank dot journal and doing my own setup, it’s a little more work at the onset, but I’m getting what I want out of it.
Little inkling designs has an amazing reading journal. I love her so much!
Sanne from Books & Quills just created a book club journal that I'd love to see you use :) (although I have a feeling since it's focused on book clubs it won't quite fit your criteria)
I got this one and love it, great quality ❤️
the Owl Crate one actually looks so good! im impressed. i have a book journal and i cant even rememebr when or where i got it. i used it for like 1 month and then forgot about it. i've been using Brock's (From LetsRead's channel) spreadsheet for probably 4-5 years now and its been my go-to. i like physical stuff but im much more consistent in tracking my reading online. i also have my own spreadsheet for things i watch/read/listen to each month that i've used since January 2018.
The binding your thinking of is called a perfect binding. It means the pages are separated from the cover of the spine. This means the pages open flat everytime. The only issue I have with this binding is when you open either the very front or back it might need something underneath it so the book isn't so weighted on one side. I use binder clips to keep my pages open. If you want the perfect bullet journal you can always use a bullet journal notebook and just make it your reading journal. That way you have all the pages you need and not the ones you don't. Also a lot of bullet journal people on RUclips also do reading journal set up videos so it's pretty easy to find info on that.
I'm all digital on a color eink tablet these days so I just make my own pages in canva and download them as PNG files and just build a journal that way in my tablets note system. I like doing that cause it's one page instead of two like a open notebook and it takes up less space. Also people make digital reading journals which are super cool and easy to edit as well.
I use the Litjoy reading journal and I love it. It's so classy and has a good balance of fun stuff and review space. It is hardback, but does lay flat. Maybe try it out?
BTW it also has 'book club picks' pages
Yes! Great video idea. I use one and it's just okay. Seems to be more tedious than rewarding. I want to feel like my book journal is telling me "good job, you finished a book!!"
This is the most informative video I’ve ever watched on youtube.... I can’t wait for a part 2!
I truly appreciate these videos because I am considering starting a reading journal for the 1st time. Deciding between buying one or making my own is a hard decision. I read all the time and wish I had thought of doing a reading journal 20 years ago
Reading journals seem like such a fun idea and might help me with my book blog. I’ve never thought of keeping one but now I think I might try!
I have tracked my reading many different ways over the years and have been very curious about book journals. Currently I use a grid bullet journal. I write out my goals for the year then I make my top 50 books I want to read. As I read them I color code them (based on how much I liked the book) and write the date I completed it next to it. I found your reviews very valid and inspiring to change up some of the things I am doing now.
I love the Always Fully Booked planner! It is gorgeous, and it is a mix between a regular agenda and a bookish one! And it is such an eye candy!
I agree that the previews for reading journals are awful so when I decided I wanted one, I decided to just take a blank journal and make it into a reading journal. Mine has an inside page similar to the Owl Crate one, my goals inside, monthly Want-to-Reads, a section to keep up with how many pages I've read, then a section for my book stats--a grid with the title, genre, how it was acquired, whether I kept it or not if owned, and the star rating. Then I tally things up and make little pie charts for my monthly and yearly reading.
Thanks for reviewing these though, was nice to see them more-in depth.
I don’t like using physical tracking methods AT ALL, but I still watched this whole thing and was so fascinated because you are just that good, Kayla.
I really like the bookaholic one! It's simple, straight to the point and neat!
I loved this video! I have tried so many book journals. I finally looked up printable book journal pages on etsy and now just print my own (there is a lot to choose from). Plus, you can print on the type of paper you like best. This was such a great video idea, love your creativity.
I've been using the Always Fully Booked planner for a couple of years from Little Inklings Design and I LOVE it! Although, it's more an all in one, planner, reading tracker etc. and it's how I plan my content.
Readers Log: Readers Journal for 120 Books. It's like 8.5× 11 and only $5 on Amazon. I like the bigger pages with plenty of space to write a review or notes. I just started using it this year and I like it.
I created my own reading journal, but I am using dotted paper and a Paper Studio 6 ring mini-binder from Hobby Lobby. I'm currently changing the layout but I like what I've got so far. I don't look too far into my books and whatnot (I'm not like a habit tracker . . . tracker?). I just want to see what I've been reading and how many things I've read.
Another youtuber, Booksandquills, recently came out with a book club journal that's for reviewing specifically with book clubs in mind, would be cool to see you review that one!
I just got this one yesterday and so far I'm loving it! ❤️
Loved watching this! And looking forward to you doing it again - since you're still on the hunt. While I agree the Bibliofile journal is way too limiting if you read a broad range of genres, it might work nicely as a "companion journal" if you're someone who maybe reads non-fiction or classics once in a while, but maybe wouldn't read a whole bunch in a single year. Then it could hang out at home while you carried your regular annual journal with you (could also potentially limit the wear and tear a bit, as well). I think you did a great job of sharing your opinions with us, while also pointing out all the features (good and bad) so that others who might have different preferences, could still get a feel as to whether one of these might work for them.
I love my reading planner! I have the little inklings design all booked up planner! Its great!
Brilliant!! I published a book activity journal this year... I think you would have destroyed to pieces LOL but I learnt so much from your review and what to think about next time designing one. Mine is extra size for starters... oops...and has some silly book activities.. it was more intended to new readers now with the pandemic and all, but thank you for sharing.. this was valuable and fun! :)
Thank you for this video. My favorite planner is the Always Fully Booked Planner. Not sure you'd like the binding but it's so good.
And this is why I made my own Reading Journal. it took me some GOOD hours, but I created something that works for me, with my categories, a place to put quotes that I liked from the books, a place to take notes as I read, and a place to create a reading list/log where I put my stars reviews
Love this idea! Reminds me of when you use to do monthly bullet journal set-ups, I found your channel around the time you did those and use to love seeing your monthly set-ups.
For my reading journal, I still use a bullet journal/customise journal style. I actually have a very elaborate set-up for what it is but I consider my reading journal as an extra hobby on top of reading and love it so much! I use a travelers notebook system (basically a bunch of small notebooks, rather than one large one - I bought a custom leather cover to keep the notebooks together, but overall it is cheaper than using a standard A5 bullet journal). I have:
- a yearly notebook: this includes yearly stats that I update as I read, my entire physical TBR which I tick off as I read, and challenges I am doing that year.
- a continuous notebook: authors backlist that I want to catch up on, a list of my five star reads, book club picks.
- a monthly spread (typically I fit 3-4 months per notebook): I track my monthly book haul, monthly TBR, readathon spreads, page tracker (I have used the template you use to use in your bullet journal back in the day, I have used that monthly since you started doing that and still love it!) and then I print off the book covers of all my physical TBR books - then I stick them in, write the title, author, rating and favourite quotes and If it is a five star or a new favourite sometimes I also do an entire aesthetic page along side it. For the books not from my physical TBR I just write the title, author, rating and sometimes a quote but don't print the cover, unless it is a new favourite. I also number the books as I go, so I can look back at last year and find out what my 100th book was if I want to!
For future rounds of this, I have seen book journals at etsy before, and would be curious to see you check one of them out! I can't recommend a specific one as I have never used it, and don't know what would ship to you. Also, would be curious to see you compare the pre-made journals vs. custom reading bullet journal like you used a few years back.
I've been using the Moleskine Book Journal and absolutely loving it! It's very nice quality and has one-page spreads that are very straightforward: title, author, publisher, book type, year, and room for notes. The entry pages are alphabetical, and there's an index, a glossary of literary terms, and some blank pages. It's pricey at $30 but worth it in my opinion.
New subbie here! I love your no-nonsense approach! I'm making my first reading journal and just did a flip through on my channel...I "cut & paste"...ha, ha!
I use a really simple monthly planner from Plum Paper, I like the monthly pages, because I do like to track when I start and finish books. And then for my Book Reviews, I use a simple little traveler's notebook insert, it's a bigger like 5x8 size, and it has 2 review spots on one page, with just the title, author, thoughts, and a star rating. I love how simple it is. It's like $5 for one, and since I read like 50ish books a year one little book is good for a whole year
This year I started using a digital reading journal and life planner on my iPad and it's been the best decision for me as I am very bad at drawing and creating visually appealing spreads so I was able to buy templates on Etsy where all the nice boxes and banners are already pre-drawn for me and all I have to do is write in my content and it is guaranteed to look nice without any effort on my side (plus I can easily erase all the mistakes I make!) and I can also insert stickers and photos. It's the best of both worlds as I still use a digital pencil to do actual writing but I don't need to do any of the creative spread drawing which has always stressed me out about my bullet journals! :)
LitJoy makes reading planners now. They certainly won't pass your purse test, but they give you a lot of options and fit 100 reviews. If you make another video, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I've just gotten one and am still learning how I like to use it and what writing utensils I want to use with it.
I ended up using parts of my regular planner to track my reading. (My planner is made up of three discbound planners and a bunch of extra pages.)
Pages read are in one area, days I read and what format are in an extraneous monthly layout, thoughts/reviews go in the journaling section (standard horizontal planner layout), I bullet journaled a bookcase thingy, and I have separate half sheet with a running list of the books I read throughout the year and when I finished them.
Sanne from BooksAndQuills has just released her own Reading Journal, I'd love to see you try that one out! Loved this video x
Might think about having someone make you a custom reading journal from etsy once you're done exploring to mix and match what you like with your own color schemes, the kind of journal you like, and you don't have to make it all yourself.
Ahh I loved this video. It’s one of thoese that you see the title and thank how fun that could be and finish in one go and think wow how fun that could be
Two I’d like to see you try are the Moleskine Reading Journal (I think they have two versions now, one has more pages than the other iirc) and the I’ve that Sanne (Books and Quills) recently published. It’d be interesting to see if you could find any indie ones on Etsy.
I’d love to see you try out always fully booked... but it is expensive and you’d have to wait till the end of the year to purchase it. Upside is the creator has a RUclips channel so you can see what it looks like far in advance
yeah spiral bound isnt great for 2pg calendars, but i think the intention was for the journal to be folded all the way back so you are only working with half the full width. This way, the rings are so much in the way of your hand, and the journal is more compact and stable for writting in on the couch or whatever. That format is how I use my writing notebooks, and it is certainly very different from a bujo style format.
I used to use a regular lined notebook to keep track of my reading, but then I discovered bullet journaling from when you did videos on it and have been doing it that way ever since. I just like that I can make it exactly how I want it to look
Moleskine a Book Journal and really plain and simple. It reminds me of old address books with the letter tabs and you fill out your books alphabetically rather than monthly. I like it the most to track all of the books I’ve read and be able to look back on my thoughts.
I just bought Litjoys Reading Journal and I'm going to use it next year and see how I like it. So far most of the pages and spreads I'd totally use but others maybe not so much but I like they left in some blank dotted pages. It is a hard cover and I haven't tested out "openable" it is yet.
Jack Edwards just recommended a wEiRd book. I don't know exactly which type of wEiRd you're into reading, but it was a short story collection called No one belongs here more than you by Miranda July
Cool idea! Besides bullet journaling I was in search of a good reading journal. I have the bibliophile, but haven't used it yet. I have one that's soft cover and is like bookaholic where it's just reviews, but slightly different. I will come back and edit when I find the name of the journal so you can check it out if you want. It's called Reading Log: For Book Lovers made by smart bookx. That's the one I am currently using. I like it, but it's not the perfect one.
I appreciate this because I love tracking what I read. I definitely want to try the other three because the bookaholic one sounds up my alley.
Thank you for doing this video and the next one about finding a journal it is really appreciated. 😊❤️❤️❤️
I've used The Book Lover's Journal before, which I really enjoyed. I picked it up because it specifically focuses on writing quick reviews of the book. I bought it because I felt as if I wasn't taking the time to pause and reflect on the books I'd just read before starting the next one. I appreciated that the journal was simple and not overwhelming.
I got the other Book Riot one as a gift, and I'm not sure it would suit your purposes, either. It's themed around the read harder challenge, so there are twelve prompts + review pages for those prompts, and then another ~40 review pages (two-page spreads, one for the review and one for notes/quotes/things). There are a couple of tracking pages at the end that didn't seem that useful to me, but I could just be being judgey. And it goes without saying, it's still a good product, of course!
I know this videos is two years also and I’m hoping that you some how made an amazing book journal I can purchase because I love the way you talk about what your perfect journal would be like