Starting or continuing a reading bullet journal system for 2024? Here are 3 recommended functional spreads to include in your yearly set-up.

Turn the page

Hello friends! This is Sian or @perceivegrace, on both Instagram & Youtube. My reading bullet journal has been my favorite aspect of my journal system in 2023 and I can’t wait to set up my reading journal for 2024. It’s time to reflect on what essential and functional bullet journal spreads I’ll be migrating over to my new yearly reading journal set-up.

Supply List

No matter what your vision is, it doesn’t take a ton to get started. I used the items below for a low maintenance set-up. You can use my code SIAN10 to save 10% with Archer & Olive on the tools you need to create. 

• Archer and Olive bullet journal (my recommended sizes: A5 or B5)
• Markers (my recommendation: Archer and Olive Acrylographs)
• Black fineliner
• Optional:
• Scissors
• Decorative items, i.e. stickers, decorative tape, doodles, I used torn book pages

Click the video below to check out the process behind these functional reading journal spreads!

What’s more functional than a tracker?

We all love our trackers around here and a reading goal tracker is the perfect way to start your yearly reading journal set-up, just after the beautiful cover page spread you created as well. Do you set a yearly reading goal? This can be 10 books, 25 books, 75 books, or 100 books, but it’s all in good fun. This spread serves as a satisfying way to track your reading goal progress. 

Don’t forget to leave space for your goals. I created a list of optional reading goal examples below to spark some ideas:

• Read more nonfiction
• Try audiobooks
• Donate books I no longer want on my shelves
• Make time for reading 30 minutes a day
• Support more independently published authors 

Track your Bookish Stats

Creating a reading stats page allows a place for you to reflect on your reading month in an efficient way that works well for you. There are many formats this spread can take but I quite like the table method.  

Across the top row of the stats table you can customize what each column represents. I like to track how many books I’ve read, how many pages, how many 5 star reads I had, how many books I chose to not finish (DNF = did not finish), how many books I hauled, and how many ARCs (advanced reader’s copies) I agreed to read and review, all on a monthly basis. I recommend leaving room for a quick summary on how your reading month went, as well.

New Releases, The Future Log for Reading Journals

My third and final recommended essential and functional reading journal spread is a new releases tracker. You can think of this as the reading journal version of a future log. If you don’t follow new releases, this is also a good set-up for planning your monthly TBR lists (to be read lists) in advance. 

This spread can be organized in a variety of ways as long as you have every month represented in some way. I chose to create two dutch doors in between the full spread, housing two months each front and back. 

Something new for me to include in this idea was a section at the bottom to prioritize my highly anticipated new releases for each quarter of the year. Not only was this something fun I thought could fill the space under the dutch doors, but it’s super functional for streamlining all of the exciting releases on my radar in 2024. 

Honorable mentions

Need more functional reading journal spread ideas for your yearly set-up? Check out the list below:

• Recommendations list spread
• Wishlist spread
• Monthly favorites bracket spread
• Favorites quotes spread
• 24 books in 2024

In implementing functional spreads for your yearly reading bullet journal set-up, your future self will thank you throughout the year as you embark on your 2024 reading journey. 

Extra resources

If you don’t have the time or the resources to create your own spreads or would like the extra guidance to get started, check out the printable below. You can print it on regular printer paper or even matte sticker paper and insert them into your reading journal.

If you think these ideas would be helpful to someone including a reading journal in their 2024 system, be sure to share this post. And if you want to learn how to add a book review spread, check out this blog next. Happy journaling and reading!