Over 2023, BookTok has been big news, as avid readers share tips on their latest reads, best books, and favorite authors. This is set to continue into 2024, and whilst people will continue to list their “just read” and “to read” titles on online platforms such as TikTok and Goodreads, many people are also turning to old-fashioned methods to record a reading diary. A simple concept, this works by writing down the title and author of the book you’ve just read, plus some thoughts on the book’s overall plot and characters. The idea is that this creates a permanent record of your reading which you can revisit over time and remember certain titles you loved. If you’re interested, check out these tips on creating your own reading diary.
Make it Beautiful
Part of the reason for recording the books you’ve read on paper is to have a beautiful, lasting record. Aesthetics count when it comes to this trend, so invest in some stunning stationery and practice your handwriting before launching into the first page. While the diary doesn’t need to be perfect, it does need to be pretty enough to make you want to open it and flick through, so take time to decorate each page. This in itself is a lovely mindful activity and a great way to while away a Sunday afternoon.
Don’t Treat it Like a Chore
Keeping a book diary is meant to be a mindful, fun way of recording your favorite reading experiences. If it starts feeling like a chore every time you finish a title, ease up on your diary keeping or change the way you’re doing it. If you’re struggling to find time to do it in the week, reassess whether you could cut down on screen time (which has been proven to reduce overall wellbeing and happiness) in favor of keeping your reading diary.
Share With Friends
Part of the popularity of the BookTok community has been the way in which hints, tips, and advice relating to reading are shared between likeminded people. A great way to make keeping a reading diary more fun is to share it with friends. This does mean treating the diary a little differently from your own journal and ensuring that nothing super personal gets included, as you may want to swap diaries with friends to get their takes on recent titles and see if there are any recommendations for books you haven’t read.
