How to Set Up The Reader’s Notebook

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Book lovers need a planner especially designed to help them keep track of what they read through the year. In this video I show you how I set up my Reader’s Notebook Planner.

What!? You don’t have the FREE printable planner pages!? No problem! Downloading The Reader’s Notebook is super easy: just fill in your name and email below and I’ll send my printable planner for book lovers straight to your inbox! 

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Subscribe and you'll receive The Reader's Notebook directly to your inbox!

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Okay, now you’re ready to set up your Reader’s Notebook.

Here are the supplies I used in the video plus a few extras you may want to use!

Let me know if you have any questions or feel free to share ideas for setting up your pages, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy reading and planning!

How to Use The Reader’s Notebook

I love lists and I love filling out forms (well, except for FAFSA and the paperwork at doctors’ offices, and…okay I only like filling out certain kinds of forms). That’s why I love having a planner just for my books. I like keeping track of the various aspects of my reading life.

The Reader’s Notebook contains 25 unique pages. You can print as many copies of the pages and arrange them however you’d like. Most of the pages are pretty self explanatory but I’m going to go over a few of them and give you an overview of how to use them!

Reading Goals of the Year:

If you’ve never set reading goals for the year, then definitely have some fun with this page! For the past couple of years, I’ve been setting a goal for the number of books I want to read in the next twelve months. In the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to read for at least 15 minutes as part of my nighttime routine. These are the kinds of things you can write on this page. Having a list will keep you from forgetting what goals you make.

TBR List:

A TBR, or TO BE READ list is the running list of books that you want to read before you die. Your reading list for the year will come from your TBR list. If you’re an avid reader like me, your TBR list will likely be pages and pages and pages long! 

Wishlist:

I have about a zillion wishlists on Amazon.com and most of them are for books. Why so many? Cause I categorize them according to genre so I’m not sifting through page after page of random book titles trying to find that one book I want to buy. You can do the same with the wishlists in your planner. So just write the genre or subject on the first line (i.e. historical fiction or inspirational) and write down your wishes!

Unfinished Books

Sooner or later we come across a book that, try as hard as we may, we just cannot get through. One rule of reading is never feel guilty about not completing a book. Now, of course, if the book is required for school or work, then you have no choice than to pour another cup of tea and keep plugging away. But if you’re reading for pleasure and you’re finding no pleasure in what you’re reading, then ditch it and pick up something else. Life is too short to read books we don’t enjoy. And when you ditch that boring read, jot it down in this list and give a reason why it didn’t interest you so when your friend recommends it, you know just what to say!

Favorite Authors:

When writing down your list of favorite writers, you can also use the space to write down the books that makes this writer so special to you. It’s also a good place to jot down the titles that you haven’t read yet and want to check out. So for instance, one of my entries may look like: 

Louisa May Alcott

Favorite books: Little Women & An Old Fashioned Girl

TBR: Under the Lilacs

Month on 2-Pages:

The monthly calendar can help you keep track of book club events, book completion, personal reading goal, online reading challenges, etc. 

The other pages included in this planner are:

  • Title Page
  • This Notebook Belongs to:
  • Books I’d Like to Read This Year
  • Recommended Books
  • Completed Books
  • Library Books
  • Favorite Books of the Year
  • Favorite Quotes
  • My Books Lent
  • Borrowed Books
  • Books Gifted
  • Monthly Goals/Reading List
  • Weekly Page
  • Book Review on 2 pages
  • Bookish Notes
  • Diary pages
  • Plain lined pages

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out these posts: 

And if you haven’t downloaded The Reader’s Notebook, just fill in the form below and I’ll send it directly to your inbox! 🙂

Subscribe & Download!

Subscribe and you'll receive The Reader's Notebook directly to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Happy reading and planning!

The Reader’s Notebook | Printable Planner For Book Lovers

*UPDATE!: The Reader’s Notebook PDFs have been uploaded to my new site HERE.

One of the greatest gifts my parents gave me was a love and appreciation for the written word. I love books and I love writing. I also have a thing for paper. My dad worked in the printing industry when I was really young and I have memories of being at his job and smelling ink and paper literally hot of the press. Man, does it smell amazing!

Yes, I’m a nerd. A book nerd, and proud of it. And as a book nerd, paper and ink make my nerd heart smile. And this is what got me into paper planners. I started out with an Erin Condren LP a couple years ago and since then, I haven’t tried to schedule anything on an electronic device if I can help it! Yup, my Instagram and Pinterest feeds are full of beautiful spreads, colorful washi tape, cute stickers and elegant hand lettering.

As the new year approaches and I begin wrapping up a year of reading and start planning for a new 365 days of books, I thought there had to be a better way to keep track of my reading than notes here and there in my regular day planner. I decided I needed a planner JUST FOR BOOKS. 

Both the planner girl and the book nerd in me jumped at that. The book journals that are on the market are nice enough but they don’t have all the things that I need. So I decided to make one myself.

And I figured, if I needed a book planner, some other planner girl/book nerd out there would need one too…
The Reader's Notebook FREE PRINTABLE

This planner printable has 25 pages and you can print as many copies and organize them in any way you want. 

Pages Include: 

  • Title Page
  • This Notebook Belongs to:
  • 9 Different Book Lists
  • Favorite Authors
  • Favorite Quotes
  • My Books Lent
  • Borrowed Books
  • Books Gifted
  • Monthly Goals/Reading List
  • Blank Month on 2 pages
  • Weekly Page
  • Book Review on 2 pages
  • Bookish Notes
  • Diary pages
  • Plain lined pages

There are 3 different printables to choose from, and they are each available in two sizes: US Letter and A5.

  • Classic
  • Script
  • Files

The-Readers-Notebook-3-Versions

These planner pages are super simple and minimalistic so you can have the fun of customizing and personalizing to suit your needs and creativity.

The Reader's Notebook 3

The Reader's Notebook 4

To see how I set up my Reader’s Notebook, check out this post and video tutorial:

How-To-Set-Up-The-Readers-Notebook

To see how I use these pages, check out this post:

how-to-use-the-readers-notebook

Downloading The Reader’s Notebook is super easy: just fill in your name and email below and I’ll send my printable planner for book lovers straight to your inbox! 

Subscribe & Download!

Subscribe and you'll receive The Reader's Notebook directly to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

If you’re a planner and a book lover then this is the perfect planner to help you keep track of all things bookish! Download your copy today!

Happy reading and planning 🙂

5 Podcasts that Make Mondays Better

I love podcasts. They are one of the ways I stay inspired, motivated, challenged, educated, and entertained.

I’m trying to love Mondays. They are a chance to start fresh, do great work, and face challenges head on.  But man, are they difficult to lean into sometimes! Just like mornings can set the tone for the rest of the day, for me Mondays really set the tone for the rest of my work week. If I don’t get Monday right, I have a hard time making up for it during the rest of the week. So I try to fill my day with things that inspire and challenge me. Podcasts are great for this.

Below are five podcasts that are currently some of my top favorites. These are what inspire me, make me think, cause me to consider things I wouldn’t have otherwise considered, or simply make me laugh! If you haven’t ever listened to any of these, then I highly recommend you check them out and you may like them too!

5 Podcasts That Make Mondays Better

1. This is Your Life with Michael Hyatt

I’m a great Michael Hyatt fan, I love his blog. I’ve learned so much since reading Platform, which I reviewed on my book blog, and since becoming a Platform University student. If you feel like you want to embrace more of what you were called to do in your life, polish your talents, tackle life skills, and cherish your relationships, this podcast is for you!

This Is Your Life


2. Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

I love this NPR show. It’s funny and informative and I usually catch up on it during the week when I miss it on the weekend. If you just need an upper on a Monday-ish Monday, you know what I’m talking about, take a load off and listen to this show.

NPR's New's Quiz Show, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!


3. A Way with Words

I loooooooove this show! You don’t have to be a word-lover or a book-nerd like me to appreciate this language show. Their tagline is “the show about language and how we use it,” and it’s super fun and informative and interesting!

A Way with Words


4. The Portfolio Life

I’m a great Jeff Goins fan. He just recently released the book The Art of Work which I’m itching to read but must remain on my shelf where it waits patiently for me to carve out time between school and the other books I’m currently reading. Anyway, he’s a great writer, blogs at Goins Writer, and is such a great inspiration, not just to writers, but to anyone who wants to engage in the work they feel called to do. The Portfolio Life has reeeeeeally great content and I love listening to episodes all through the week, not just Mondays :).

The Portfolio Life


5. This American Life

I’m such nerd, I know, but this is a great show. If you have never listened to This American Life, you should. It’s like what I dreamt reading the paper was like when I was a kid. You know, that consumption of great journalism that is so very dignified and intellectual and cultured. It’s well put together and tackles stories that I wouldn’t otherwise encounter. Great stuff.

This American Life

 


In the comments below, let me know what podcasts you love! I’m always up for checking out a new show!

Happy Monday, y’all!

Monday Morning Gifts

It’s Monday morning, y’all!

This is so not the post I planned on writing but I was grappling with a school assignment last night till the wee hours of the morning so that kind of threw a kink in my plans. But! I have determined to blog on Monday mornings and I will do just that.

There are gray skies overhead in my neck of the world but, surprisingly, despite my lack of sleep, I’m feeling more energetic today than I’ve felt in many a Monday AM. So I thought I’d give you some presents and spread some Monday cheer :).  We all need some inspiration and motivation to get us going, yeah?

First, a song.

Okay, another song cause I couldn’t choose!

Second, one of my favorite passages in the Bible.

“To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:25-31

I looooove these verses cause they remind me of the greatness of God and His watch care over me.  He gives strength to the weak and they will not grow weary.  Thank You, Jesus!! 🙂

Third, a resource.

I’m really trying to change my sleep schedule and be early to bed, early to rise.

(That way, these Monday morning posts will be for real in the morning, like at 6 or 7!)

Late nights are such a hard habit to break but I’m determined to get it together.

Last week, I found this really great podcast that I’ve been listening to and it’s giving me another push toward my goal of a better sleep routine and increased productivity. So far I reeeeeally like it so you might want to check it out too!

It’s called the 5 AM Miracle hosted by Jeff Sanders and you can find it HERE on his website or subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher or where ever you listen to podcasts.  Check it out and let me know what you think!


I don’t know what you’re facing this week, but one thing I can guarantee you: God’s got your back.  Whatever you’re dealing with, whatever obstacles your facing, whatever circumstances feel overwhelming, He’s got you and He will not fail you.  Give it all to Him and rest assured He will lead you through.

Have a blessed week, y’all!

Elyssa

#goodmorningmonday small

 
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