How I Track My Reading

My way of tracking my reading is super long and complicated. To be honest, I don’t know why I do it this way; I just find it fun. I thought I would go through everything I use to track and catalog the books I read.

1. Reading Journal

I have a bullet journal I use to write everything and anything book related down. I use this for cataloging the books I read, write and focus on reading goals for the year and the month, keep a TBR, write notes while reading, keep track of readathons, etc. I even make journal spreads for books I really love.

2. Reading Planner

Every year, Owlcrate (a book subscription box) releases a reading planner. I use mine to keep numbers about my reading and do a little wrap up. I do this in my reading journal as well, but this planner is more about numbers.

3. CAWPILE (aka a spreadsheet)

The creator, Book Roast, created this Google Doc to mathematically give star ratings. This is how I give out ratings (90% of the time). It helps to keep from being biased and not throw out 5-stars willy-nilly. It also tracks other stats such as if authors/stories are LGBTQ+, how long the books are, etc. This information is then made into charts and graphs, which I use at the end of the year (and sometimes end of the month).

4. Goodreads

Even though the interface looks like it was made in 1999, I still love this platform. I post all my reviews here as well. And I post everything I read there, including manga, comics, etc.

5. StoryGraph

I only use this so that at the end of the month, I have statistics I can print for my reading journal.

6. 2021 Reading Log (also a spreadsheet)

This was created by Book Riot to track the books you read, their Read Harder Challenge, and a book spending log. I mainly use this to track their Read Harder Challenge and to see how much I’m spending on books (spoiler alert: it’s a lot).

7. Notion

This is a program that is 100% customizable for your needs. I use it for school, and also my reading. I use this for easy tracking (that I apparently feel like I need even though I have other trackers). It’s minimal and fun. I also use it to track my owned books, books I want to read, readathons; pretty much everything.

8. Instagram

On my stories, I post mini reviews and my star ratings.

9. This Blog (Finally)

Finally, I have this site!! I write my reviews here, and make a TBR and my wrap ups.