I've been looking for the perfect reading journal to help record my reading life for years, and I think I've finally come close to finding it.
What is this almost-perfect reading journal, I hear you ask? Let me introduce you to Litjoy Crate's reading journal, a gorgeous hardback journal with everything you need for organising and chronicling your literary adventures. I recently treated myself to it with my loyalty points, and I'm so impressed with it I just had to tell you about it.
I'll admit, the design of the cover is a little plainer than I'd usually go for, but it turned out to be so much prettier than I was expecting. Just look at it- it's stunning. It has a hardback cover which features tasteful gold-stamped detailing, with The Reading Journal lettered simply on the front in a modern font, and open books fluttering like butterflies alongside the quote 'we lose ourselves in books, and we find ourselves there, too' on the back. While I'd have preferred something patterned and fun, there's something beautiful about its simplicity and the high quality feel of the book, and the most important thing is it has all you could ever need for recording your reading life inside.
There are 288 pages of to-be-read lists, book reviews, favourite book quotes, books read, and so much more, and the great thing is, it's been perfectly bound to lie flat when you write, so it's a dream to write in, too. I honestly think it's one of the best reading journals I've ever seen.
Shall we have a look at what the reading journal has to offer?
First, you'll find that the journal has lovely illustrated end papers, with a design by the artist Abigail Crandall, showcasing a diverse range of people who are all enjoying a good book.
It features two pages for you to record your reader profile, where you can list your favourite authors, characters, books, genres, and quotes.
There is room to review 100 books, giving you a double page spread for each one read, with space to record what the book taught you, a mini review, and your favourite quotes, as well as how the book made you feel, and the little details about the book like genre and format. I love the choice of prompts for these reviews, and think 100 reviews is a decent amount for one journal. It should set me up for a couple of years.
Between the book review pages, you'll also find famous quotes, dotted pages, and places where you can record your thoughts and feelings, which helps to break up the monotony.
There's a double page spread for creating reading goals.
It has three lined pages for listing the books you want to read. Personally, I think this should've been given more space- I could fill this up in minutes.
There are three pages of popular book recommendations in a variety of genres for you to check off as you read them.
It even has ten pages of illustrated bookshelves with blank book-spines you can colour and fill in with the books you read. It's such a fun way to keep track of what you read, and definitely one of my favourite features of the journal.
Towards the back, you'll find pages of literary locations around the world, and a page and a half where you can jot down others you'd love to visit one day.
You'll find two pages each for your favourite audiobooks, and book club picks.
There's two pages for recording books left unfinished. It only gives you room to list fifteen, which is fine for me (I usually persevere even if it kills me), but doesn't seem like enough for some readers.
It has six pages for noting your favourite book-to-movie adaptations with cute little ticket stubs for you to fill in.
There are four lined pages for your favourite book quotes- although, I personally don't think that's anywhere near enough space. I love a good bookish quote, and I won't be able to list all of my favourites. Why this was given less space than movie adaptations is beyond me.
There are even pages for recording your favourite books by season, with a page dedicated to each time of the year, and illustrations you could colour in. This will be fun to think about, as I love reading books that immerse me in the season. Especially in autumn and winter.
At the back, there are three lined pages for thoughts and feelings, a page of reading resources, and four dotted pages for you to use as you like, such as for creating your own reading trackers.
The reading journal also features a ribbon bookmark for marking your place, which is a pale gold organza. I don't know if the ribbon colour differs between the different coloured books.
And it even comes in a matching hardback gift box, making it a gorgeous keep sake, and a lovely gift for any reader.
The reading journal comes in four classic colours, so the only hard part is choosing which to go for. I chose the sea blue (but only as the pink was out of stock), and it's a beautiful teal-green, which I absolutely love. The colour is so much prettier than I was expecting- probably because it's not the petrol blue it appeared in the stock photos. If teal isn't your thing, it also comes in forest green and there's an onyx version on a separate listing, too. (Which has different end papers, and is currently on sale)!
The other three colours currently retail for $24.99, which is just under £20. Shipping to the UK was around $10- under £8, which I think was reasonable for international shipping. I didn't get any customs charges, either, which was definitely a bonus.
Overall, I'm extremely impressed with Litjoy Crate's reading journal, and I'm so glad I found it. It has almost everything I could wish for in a reading journal, and while I wish some topics had more room, I can't think of anything that it's missing. It's going to be perfect for keeping track of things like my TBR list and what I read, and it's brilliant to finally have a place to jot all the important stuff down offline.
I couldn't recommend it to you more.
You can find the Litjoy Crate reading journals here.
Do you keep a reading journal? How to you keep track of the books you read?
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