If you’re looking for the best reading trackers for your reading goals, reading habits, and/or reading challenges, this post shares all the best book reading trackers for you. There are digital and free printable trackers, some for adults and some for kids, journals you can buy right on Amazon, and so much more!
First, I discuss why you should use reading trackers, then I help you decide how to choose the right reading tracker for you. Lastly, I tell you all the details of the eight best reading trackers that are essential for book lovers.
Why You Should Use Reading Trackers
- Reach your reading goals by actively following them.
- Improve your memory of books you previously read.
- Be a good book resource for others.
- Boost your reading concentration and comprehension skills by analyzing what you have read.
- Have a creative outlet.
How to Choose the Right Reading Tracker
Over the years, I have learned that tracking your reading is a very personal thing. For me, the GoodReads app has worked best, mostly because I am always on my phone, and I try to be minimal in real life. I have since also incorporated use of my own printable PDF Reading Journal. Also, I am simply not as creative as the artistic individuals who create the most swoon-worthy bullet journals!
I think it helps to think about:
- what format you personally are most likely to use over an extended amount of time (paper vs. digital)
- what exactly you want to track (anything from wish lists to books read and book reports)
- and then how creative you want it to be.
Below are several examples of reading journals to help you track books the way YOU want to.
Best Book Reading Trackers
Printable Book Reading Trackers (PDFs)
First, I have created a Reading Journal of printable book reading trackers as PDFs you can print at home.
When you subscribe to my email newsletter for free, you will instantly get a one-time exclusive offer to buy it for 50% off! SUBSCRIBE BELOW:
GoodReads
GoodReads is the most widely used free internet-based platform since 2006 that can be used on a desktop or mobile app. It’s owned by Amazon and readers and authors alike use it. It’s also a social platform so you can add friends and follow them, as well as read book reviews written by users. You can also enter book giveaways, create or join groups, and more.
GoodReads is the primary means I use to track my reading. I like that it allows you to create lists of what you are currently reading, want to read, and have read. You can further give star ratings and reviews, and separate books into more specific lists you create.
Another tracking feature I like about GoodReads is that each year you can set a numerical reading goal and the platform shows you a little bar tracking your goal.
The StoryGraph
The StoryGraph is the new (mostly) free digital platform on the scene for book lovers to track their reading. It was released as an updated, more modern alternative to GoodReads.
What really helped it to catch on with readers is its categorization and algorithm. Beyond rating and reviewing books, you can add details about mood, genre, pace, tags, content warnings, and more.
This helps the reader track exactly what they read most and least, and to get more personal recommendations for what to read next. As the name suggests, The StoryGraph displays your data in visual charts.
The StoryGraph also has a nice Reading Challenges feature where you can join, create and/or track specific reading challenges.
And, if you want to switch over from GoodReads, you can easily download your files and import them!
If you love photography, you can join Bookstagram, the little corner of Instagram dedicated to book lovers. You can use your Bookstagram feed to display your reads and/or use a unique hashtag to track them.
If you are interested in Bookstagram, you may want to check out my Bookstagram page @theliterarylifestyleblog and/or all of my blog posts about Bookstagram to get you started.
And if you are new to Bookstagram, don’t worry or overthink it! I hear from a lot of panicked newbies. But, there are no rules to Bookstagram. Just do it YOUR way, by whichever means makes you feel creatively satisfied and able to track your reading the way YOU want to.
Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet may be the best reading tracker for all the “numbers” people out there. I can see my husband – a former finance major and a businessman – using this method.
And people who are really savvy with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets can organize and sort your data however they want!
Google Sheets would also be great for collaborative reading trackers, like for a book club.
If you want a spreadsheet that’s already set up for you, my friend Rachel at the blog Never Enough Novels has a background in accounting and created a great reading tracker for those who want to track their reading this way.
Notes App
And for all of you “no fluff” minimalists, you can track your books via the Notes app on your mobile phone.
Make as many notes as you want in however many categories you want, and hop right on and edit them on the go. It’s a really effective way to read difficult classic books too.
Back before I had a blog, I would track a lot of my bookish stuff this way until it got to be more than I could handle!
Bullet Journal
Bullet journals are very personalized, individualized journals that you can create to track a variety of things in your life, usually in a very visual format with colorful markers and stickers.
They are for the most artistic of book lovers, and you can get really creative with what you want to track and how. For example, the number of pages you read each month, or even what coffee you are drinking with each book!
Pinterest and Instagram are great places to get inspiration for your bullet journal.
Pre-made Reading Journals
There are a lot of pre-made reading journals out there for those who want something a little bit right-brained and a little bit left-brained.
I’m linking a few here for you to check out and find the best one for you:
My Reading Life: Anne Bogel’s (The blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy) guided reading journal for fans of reading and her blog.
Reading Log for Kids: 120 simple record pages with stars to color in
Steel Blue Moleskine Passion Journal: durable and sleek with book review pages, stickers, and an accordion file.
The Book Lover’s Journal: an array of contents including Books I’d Like to Read, My Reading Wish List, My Books, Book Group Info, Acclaimed Authors, and Inspiration for Future Reading
52 Award-Winning Titles Every Book Lover Should Read: a very specific, themed one-year journal and recommended reading list from the American Library Association
Read Harder (A Reading Log): 12 challenges inspired by Book Riot’s annual Read Harder initiative to encourage readers to pick up passed-over books, try out new genres, and choose titles from a wider range of voices and perspectives.
Bibliophile Reader’s Journal: Filled with bookish art by bestselling author and illustrator Jane Mount of the popular Bibliophile line, as well as pages with prompts to rate each book you finish and take notes, as well as themed book recommendations to build out your reading list
My Bibliofile: includes checklists of recommended reading, activities, and entry pages for recording all of the books you’ve read and making note of the books you want to read. Recommended reading lists from a variety of reputable sources (Pulitzer Prize, Man Booker, and National Book Award winners, Oprah’s Book Club picks, Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels, BBC’s Best Novels, etc.), as well as lists of favorite titles for various genres (horror, sci-fi, detective fiction, international classics, etc.)
Well-Read Women Journal: comes with a satin ribbon bookmark and gorgeous watercolor portraits of literature’s most beloved female characters—plus a comprehensive list of prize-winning fiction to inspire new selections
Conclusion
Those are all the best reading trackers for you to track your books in a variety of forms and ways that are most helpful to you.
As a reminder, when you subscribe to my email newsletter for free, you will instantly get an exclusive offer to buy my Reading Journal for 50% off! SUBSCRIBE BELOW:
