Bullet Journal Note Taking While Reading a Book
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Keeping a reading journal is a habit all book-lovers should adopt. See how this bullet journal accommodation has enriched my reading experience and my honey of books!
|A Peek Inside My Reading Periodical (& Why I Should've Started Years Ago)|
I'll start by proverb I should accept started this habit years agone! I wasn't much of a reader every bit a kid, but I grew into it as a teenager. Now, I consider myself an avid reader. In fact, I become uncomfortable when I'm non readingsomething. I grab myself desperately scanning the java bag while my morning Joe is brewing just considering it'southward the only text inside reach. In brusk, books are my jam!
My Reading Journal (10 Years Late)
I started keeping a reading journal almost a year and a half agone. I wrote down equally many past books as I could remember then added each new book I read.
But later on I started bullet journaling, I became dissatisfied with the construction of my reading journal. It was actually just a listing of books with no sense of time or guild. I needed room to expand, add my own thoughts, and index book reviews, TBR lists, or whatsoever other reading related collection I might like to add.
If you follow my web log, you know artistic writing is one of my passions. Not only do I run a 6-word story challenge on Instagram, simply I also utilize my bullet journal to meliorate my writing. It's not enough to read books. A writer must written report them, refer dorsum to them, even dissect them.
And so, I painstakingly recopied my reading journal–using the bullet journal framework–and now I can share it with you!
Why Yous Need a Reading Journal
Let's dorsum up for a moment shall we? Why do you demand a separate reading journal, anyway?
My reason: I've forgotten so many books.
I'1000 deeply saddened by that last sentence. When I read a volume, I feel close to it. I know you lot go it, my boyfriend volume lovers. The story becomes a part of you lot as yous travel through its pages. There's a unique cooperation that happens between reader and volume. You can walk away from a motion picture, or Boob tube show, and information technology keeps playing. But a book needsthe reader to enter into a type of covenant. If yous close the volume, the story stops moving. It stops existing in the heed of the reader.
And so, when I say I've forgotten books, it's like claiming an former friend never existed.
I go on a reading periodical to keep my former friends alive.
I'll show you how to make a uncomplicated reading periodical to inspire, organize, and catalogue your reading experiences. It's such a simple project to starting time, only it will requite you many years of happy journaling.
For my reading periodical I used:
- Leuchtturm1917 A5 Hardcover (white, filigree lined): Ordinarily, I prefer the dot grid pages for journaling, simply a company on Amazon gave me this i for free when they accidentally messed up my order. No biggie; it was perfect for this project.
- My trusty Sharpie pen: They make clean, night lines on the folio and they're much cheaper than art pens.
- Westcott 6 inch craft ruler: No thing how many rulers I endeavour, I continue coming back to this piffling guy. It fits perfectly in the back pocket of the notebook, and I like the grid to help with alignment.
- Graphite paper (optional)
Bullet Journal Structure
You defenseless me! I'chiliad a bullet journaling aficionado. Actually, bullet periodical fever is spreading fast these days, and it'southward not surprising. The arrangement is flexible, efficient, and highly customizable. Whether you want an artistic journal or a minimalist approach to notation taking, bullet journaling has you covered.
Since I already keep a daily bullet journal, adapting the style for my reading journal was a snap.
Confused? Read more virtually bullet journal basics >>HERE<<.
The Alphabetize
The alphabetize is one of my favorite parts of the bullet journal. It pulls the whole system into social club.
In the photo to a higher place, y'all'll see that I've indented the lines for each year of books. The pinnacle line, "Goodreads' 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime" is flush left, but each year is indented. You don't have to marshal your alphabetize like this if you don't desire to, but it helps me separate my almanac catalogue from "To Be Read" lists, books reviews, reading challenges, books I've abased, all-fourth dimension favorite lists, and so forth.
I used a low-cal pencil line every bit a guide for where to anchor "Books Read in…"
LT1917 notebooks accept a pre-printed alphabetize (one of the many reasons I love and recommend them!). If your notebook doesn't have a pre-printed index, get out a few pages plank before starting page 1.
A few words about TBR lists…
After combing through about 21,310 ultimate reading lists online (give or take 21,300), I finally picked Goodreads' "100 Books to Read in a Lifetime" for page 1 of my reading journal. The listing covers everything from contemporary YA to the classics of 10th-grade English. Information technology's been so long since I read some of these titles that I left them unchecked so I tin can re-read them.
I'thousand sure I'll add about 10-20 more than versions of "Books to Read in a Lifetime" before this is all through.
What tin can I say? I like lists!
My programme is to add my own TBR listing (To Be Read) each year then catalogue the books I've read with a curt blurb (my opinion, a notable quote from the book, etc.).
TBR lists are handy for keeping a listing of quality books ready for the adjacent time you lot need something to read. My advice is to not let your TBR list give y'all tunnel vision. If a book speaks to you that isn't on the list, read it! The list will e'er exist in that location.
I only began to formally journal my reading in 2015, so anything before that is recorded based on retentivity.
For each book, I list the title, author and stars out of 5, and yep, in that location are a few half stars floating around the pages. Hey, sometimes a girl just needs a half!
Fancy Headers
You practice NOT need to use any fancy headers. Let's become rid of that pressure correct now, m'kay?
I chose to add a little fanciness because I like the way it looks in my journal. I enjoy journaling more when I add together small touches like nice lettering or a splash of color, but permit's non pretend fancy is more effective.
It'south just fun!
The font I used is based on an quondam stamp ready by Sassafrass Lass. I dearest the font, but the stamps ended up looking too pocket-sized for my purposes. I used my printer to enlarge the letters and traced each ane into the journal with graphite newspaper.
If demand more than aid with this technique, check out my full tutorial.
Unfortunately, these stamps were discontinued, and so y'all can skip the actress steps I had to have in enlarging them.
Instead, take hold of a font y'all honey at Creative Market. I should take gone that route the outset time since they accept thousands of fonts to choose from. Information technology doesn't need to cost you lot annihilation (unless you're similar me and can't resist all the pretties); they have gratis fonts & graphics you lot can download each week.
Merely type your headers on your computer and trace them. Argh! Sooooo much easier!
It'due south wise to print a few years in accelerate. It will save you from having to create new ones each year.
I put a few sheets of graphite paper in an envelope and saved, oh, a few decades of header templates. Overkill? Nah. But I'm sure the notebook will run out before the headers do.
I stash information technology all in the back pocket of my Leuchtturm1917 and at present I always take what I demand to beginning a new year. Ready to read and record!
Practice you go on a reading journal in a unlike format? Annotate below to tell me your strategy for more engaged reading and a more inspired life!
Brainstorm with me!
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Author & Creative Blogger
Megan Rutell is the blogger backside Folio Flutter. She's also a writer, jotter lover, Air Force veteran, and homesick Colorado daughter.
Source: https://pageflutter.com/reading-journal/
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