Book Journaling: Is it only novels?

Submitted by Cynisterlife t3_zz6gsn in books

I want to make a book journal to keep track of the books I read, to write down how I enjoyed the book, and so on.

However, I've seen book challenges such as "23 books in 2023" or "Bingo: Book Edition"

Does this only apply to novels? I have a lot of books of contemporary art such as "The making of Harry Potter" or "The Art of Howls Moving Castle." I also have graphic novels, how-to books, comics, and manga.

Do those count as "tbr" because I honestly haven't read them, or does it only apply to novels?

4

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

HauntedReader t1_j29q0j2 wrote

These challenges are almost always personal so you get to decide what does or does not count but I get wanting clarification.

I'm making a google sheet to track my books, movies, shows, etc. in 2023. I was torn on whether or not to include fanfic in the reading portion. I decide on counting anything above a 50k word count as a book.

10

Cynisterlife OP t1_j29syg6 wrote

I really did want clarification because I saw a lot of people on tiktok, mostly reading novels, so I had to ask for opinions or advice.

Thank you for sharing yours. I never thought of tracking movies and shows. Maybe I should add that, too. Thanks for giving me ideas, too!

0

HauntedReader t1_j29tzyj wrote

It's fun! I've tracked books for years but during the 2020 lockdown I was watching way more shows/movies and decided to track those.

I like data so it's fun to look at patterns of the genres I'm reading/watching and when I'm reading vs watching more.

2

Cynisterlife OP t1_j29y5f7 wrote

It's an exciting idea to see what my preferences are. Thank you so much for the ideas!

2

ShirazGypsy t1_j29si4s wrote

Set your own rules, who cares? Include graphic novels too, just to really put off the book snobs.

Personally, I track mine on a notes on my phone, each month, with a list of the books I at least started that month, with a checkbox for it or when I do finish reading it.

7

Cynisterlife OP t1_j29xvln wrote

Hahaha 😆 "book snobs"

I love it and love the checkbox method. Thank you for commenting!

0

Katka_11 t1_j29qaw8 wrote

Every book counts!

There are no rules at all, it's your reading and it should not be constrictive.

3

minimalist_coach t1_j2am61n wrote

A journal or a log is about your personal journey, you decide the topic, and you decide what you want to put in it.

I generally just 'log' my books on an app, I used GoodReads for several years and just switched to StoryGraph this year. I log everything that I finish reading no matter the length or the format. Others are free to exclude what doesn't fit their criteria or add books that were DNF.

I also have a couple of reading journals. One is dedicated to series, I use this to keep track of which books I've read and to list all the books in the series in order so I don't have to keep looking it up when I need the next book.

My other journal is for a long-term project of reading books by authors from 195 countries, I plan to read fiction and nonfiction from each country. This is more of a traditional journal, where I'll write about my process of researching and finding the books as well as my impressions of the nation from the books that I've read.

I love to join challenges, there are thousands available in a variety of places. This is one of the features I love on StoryGraph. You can search for challenges in a dozen categories, and when you log a book to complete a prompt, it will show your progress in the challenge. You can see which books you've logged for each prompt and which books others have logged for each prompt.

3

Cynisterlife OP t1_j2ap7c0 wrote

Wow, that's really amazing! Thank you for sharing. This brings a smile to my face.

2

petrichor1969 t1_j2a7m7s wrote

Of course it doesn't only apply to novels! If you're flipping pages to access the content, it's a book!

2

Spamel334347 t1_j2bi3ip wrote

Whatever you want! I count graphic novels and comics. (Try tracking with The StoryGraph)

2

twilightsagawebcomic t1_j2dkgy0 wrote

It’s personal! But if you’re asking what other people do, I think the most popular “book accounts” do focus on novels.

I however use Goodreads for mine (because I would lose any physical book journal I started). I love that I can see everything over the past 10+ years. And to answer your question, I include art books such as the Howl’s one you mentioned, manga, and even online webtoon comics.

2