5 Ways to Track Your Reading

First, we should start by acknowledging that there is no right or wrong way to track your reading, nor is there inherent value in the tracking itself. Many readers don’t track their reading at all. However, just as many readers take pleasure, or at least find it interesting, to track the books they’ve read. Whether you’ve been tracking for a long time or are just getting started, here are a few methods and metrics to consider.

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What are you trying to track?

The method you use to track your reading will depend somewhat on what you’re trying to get out of it. A few things you might be interested in tracking are:

• Title
• Genre
• Author/author diversity
• Format (ebook, physical, audio)
• Number of pages
• Dates read
• Star ratings
• Where a book came from (library, purchased, borrowed)
• Quotes or other notes

If your primary goal is just to keep track of the number of books you read in, say, a year, then simple is probably better. If you’re looking to connect with other readers, you’ll want to choose a more social method of tracking. And don’t forget that it’s possible to track in more than one way at a time to check different boxes.

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What method should you use to track?

That all depends on you! Let’s discuss some of the pros and cons of each of the methods listed below.

1. Physical Journals

Pros: This method is simple and easy to start with just a blank notebook. It’s also highly customizable because you can choose to write as much or as little as you want. Some people just list book titles and some people include dates, notes, star ratings, quotes, and more. Paper also gives you the option to be creative if you are artistically inclined, or you can choose a pre-formatted book journal.

Cons: If you are a minimalist, you might not want another notebook in your house that you have to keep up with. It’s also harder to track on the go unless you don’t mind carrying your notebook and a writing implement with you wherever you go.

2. Spreadsheets

Pros: Spreadsheets are highly customizable, especially if you have some skill with Excel or Numbers already. You can include any category you want to track and use that data to generate pie graphs, bar graphs, and more to give you a full picture of your reading life.

Cons: It can be a little labor-intensive to get started, depending on your skill level and how many metrics you want to track. It can also be difficult to take on the go, as spreadsheets are easiest to use on an actual computer rather than a phone or tablet.

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3. Book Logging Apps

Pros: Most book tracking apps include a pleasing visual element since you are able to see the covers of the books you’ve read. They are also easy to get started with and the ones I’ve tried are pretty easy to use. My favorite ones are StoryGraph and Reading List, both of which allow you to log your progress in current reads, see the books you’ve finished, and keep a TBR list. They also allow star ratings, note-taking, and give you running statistics on categories like average rating or book length. Many people use the Goodreads app, but I have found it to be glitchy and not as user-friendly as other reading apps.

Cons: New releases are sometimes difficult to find in book tracking apps and may require some level of manual input to log. There are a lot of book tracking apps to choose from, so finding the one that works best for you can be overwhelming.

Below are screenshots of the main tracking page and some of the graphs you can expect from the aptly named StoryGraph app:

Here are some screenshots from the Reading List app. The format and reporting of the statistics is simpler, but the logging page is more visually engaging.

4. Social Media

Pros: Taking photos of the books you read and posting them with a short (or longer!) note in the caption can be a great way to generate discussion with other readers and makes for a visually pleasing record of your reading. This is a good option for people who value a social element. The most common platform for this type of logging is Instagram, though you can also do this elsewhere.

Cons: This method can be time-consuming. It also opens you up to comments or criticism of your reading that you might not welcome. Some readers feel pressure (imagined or real) to craft their reading into a certain image when they are sharing heavily online or to read at a pace that feels taxing to keep up with posting demands.

5. Combination Tracking

This is where you use a combination of the methods above to fit your unique needs. Think about what metrics you care most about tracking and what you are trying to accomplish as you craft your tracking plan. At the time of this writing, I am using three different methods simultaneously: a spreadsheet, StoryGraph, and Reading List. Each has different features that I like, so I use them in tandem to log my books.

A final note

Don’t be scared to try a few different methods and stop using one if it doesn’t fit your needs. I usually evaluate this on a yearly basis and consider how my reading has changed and what will serve me best in the future. Of course, don’t wait a year to stop using an app that’s getting on your nerves or to start a bullet journal that helps you stay off your phone. Experiment and find what works for you!