READING JOURNAL 2026

New year, new reading journal! I was actually planning to continue in my reading journal from last year, but I was using a notebook that didn’t lay flat at the seam and it was making things difficult. I decided the new year was a perfect time to start a new notebook. Is anyone else starting in a fresh notebook?

My ultimate goal with my reading journal is to ‘Keep Things Simple.’ Like I said last year, as much as I want to make every page super cute and crafty, I need to be realistic about the amount of time and effort I can give. I’ve started the year off with a couple of fun spreads to keep track of my reading.

One of my favorite things to keep track of is how many books I’ve read throughout each month. I’ll chose a color for each month and fill in each box for a book, then number the boxes. I don’t really have a specific goal in mind as to how many books I’d like to read this year. I just like to see it.

This is another tracker spread I like to complete at the end of the month. Here I will list each book I read during the month and if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add up all the pages for a total.

Here is my super simple reading journal layout for each book I finish throughout the year.

Here is a completed example from last year's journal.

Other reading journal spread ideas for the first of the year:

1. Reading Goals

2. Series Tracker

3. Blank bookshelf where you can write in the books you’ve read

4. Yearly TBR- ‘26 Books for 2026’

5. New releases you’re looking forward to

6. Book purchases

7. Monthly calendar reading tracker

8. Year at a glance graph

9. Reading log—list each book read

10. List of books you’d like to re-read throughout the year

I’ve really enjoyed journaling over the last year. Hopefully this gives you some fun ideas for your own reading journal!

Other Reading Journal Posts

Reading Journal

A-Z Reading Challenge