You finish a book, you loved it… and two weeks later you can’t remember names, plot twists, or why it hit so hard.
A light reading journal fixes that — but it shouldn’t feel like homework.
If you want a clean, structured place in Notion for your reading list and your notes, start here: NotionReads.
The goal: capture the feeling, not a book report
A good reading journal helps you remember:
- what happened (high level)
- what you felt
- what you’d recommend it for
The trick is using prompts that pull out meaning fast.
25 reading journal prompts you’ll actually want to answer
Pick 3–6 per book (not all 25).
First impressions
- What made you pick this up?
- What did you expect vs. what you got?
- When did you realize you were “in”?
Characters
- Who did you trust the least?
- Who felt the most real?
- What relationship carried the story?
Favorite moments
- What scene will you remember?
- What line did you want to highlight?
- What moment made you gasp / laugh / cry?
Themes + craft
- What do you think the author wanted you to believe?
- What was the central tension?
- Did the pacing work for you?
- What trope did it use best?
Emotion + reflection
- What did this book change in you (even a little)?
- What did it make you nostalgic for?
- What did you disagree with?
If you’re a romance / romantasy reader
- Did the chemistry feel earned?
- Best “small” moment (touch, look, line)?
- What was the emotional payoff?
Plot + ending
- What was the turning point?
- Was the ending satisfying or rushed?
- What questions are you still thinking about?
Recommendation prompts
- Who would love this?
- What would you comp it to (BookTok style)?
- What’s your one-sentence review?
A simple Notion reading journal setup (2 databases)
You can keep this ridiculously simple:
1) Books (your library)
Properties:
- Title
- Author
- Status (TBR / Reading / Finished)
- Rating
- Date finished
If you don’t have a base library yet, start with:
2) Notes (your journal entries)
Properties:
- Book (relation)
- Type (Select: Prompt, Quote, Character, Theme, Reaction)
- Prompt (Text)
- Note (Text)
- Spoilers? (Checkbox)
Then create a template button in Notes called “New prompt” with 4–5 default prompts you love.
The easiest workflow (30 seconds after each reading session)
After you read:
- Open the current book.
- Add one note:
- a quote
- a reaction
- a prompt answer
That’s it. Consistency beats perfection.
Make it even better with two views
“Quotes I loved”
Filter Notes where Type is Quote.
“Spoiler-safe”
Filter Notes where Spoilers is unchecked.
This makes it easy to share your reading life without accidentally ruining someone’s twist.
Pair it with trackers that keep you reading
If you like structure, these posts go well with a reading journal:
CTA: turn your reading notes into a system you’ll reuse
If you want your reading list, journal prompts, quotes, and notes to live in one clean Notion setup (and actually be fun to maintain), that’s what NotionReads is built for: