The Library Card section isn't just for physical books. I don't remember the last time I checked out a physical book from my local library (which, btw, I live next door to). But I regularly check out both ebooks and audiobooks. Thank goodness for the Libby app.
@@atlladyleo1 love the idea. But I'm very reluctant to loan physical books since the day my aunt literally trashed the brand new book she borrowed. Had just bought it at the airport on my way back home. Hadn't read it yet. But she was so persistent Ilet her take it. A month later, went to her house only to be told that the book was being passed along in the neighborhood and she'll send someone to get it. When I got it back it looked like something I picked up in the trash. It was so dirty and the pages were falling apart. Since that day I stopped buying books in French and now only read ebooks. I'm not sure I can loan my ebooks.
I appreciate how thorough you were in reviewing the journal, not only showing the pages but also filling in several of the spreads as though you had been using it, which uncovered some issues or little irritations that might not have been obvious otherwise! Not having rough room to write a title or author name, especially with my big handwriting, would drive me crazy, for example. Thanks for going the extra step there and giving us that additional information.
This reading journal has some fantastic ideas!! It would be very useful for someone who did not want to spend time decorating a journal or needs some structure. Some of the spacing made me think it was intended for a younger reader.
I think this is perfect for me. I have a regular bullet journal and I've tried to set up a reading journal multiple times but setting up spreads and getting out all my supplies makes me not keep up with it for some reason. Having something already set up even if it's not 100% perfect would be great!
I fully get what you mean about the font! This looks like a good option for casual readers but as someone with Strong Opinions about every book I read it doesn’t seem flexible enough 😅 Plus, I was unboxing some new journal supplies that were just delivered as I was watching this and remembered all the reasons I like to DIY my journals 😂
Well I don't normally say this but... I am glad I didn't spend my money on this Notebook. I was expecting something a little bit more considering it's a heafty price for a notebook. I think I am with Erin on this one, I think I'll stick to my own notebook and just put my own style on it. I really valued your opinion on this to be completely honest. You're the one I would trust when it comes to notebooks, stationary and bookish things. thanks so much Erin for making this video!
Since I'm a newbie reading journal gal, this is good to figure out what works and what doesn't for your personal tastes. I'm not a stats girl or a book bracket, but it could be great for those who do like that sort of things. I do like the layout, but I would organize parts better
The two-page spread with all the ratings would be perfect for book club books. I know it'd probably be better than my method of slapping sticky notes on the pages of the book itself to reference during meetings!
I don't necessarily love the emphasis on pictures in a reading journal? This feels unfortunately very aesthetic as opposed to functional, for my own purposes. Also don't love the fact it's an A5 - feels too small
My guess is they're trying to give journal users a chance to add some of the "mixed media" element - stickers and washi tapes or drawings etc. I approached it from the book covers perspective because that's what I do in my own journal, and I guess lots of others might do the same, but I get what you're saying - it could be much more approachable without those implied book cover spaces!
Thanks for the review! It's confirmed that it wouldn't suit me, but I've never really seen one that would. I read a lot and track a lot of extra stats and I would feel constricted by the layouts here. I think it would be great for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time on set ups though. I just personally love the flexibility of being able to completely customise my own.
I would probably use the book log as my series in progress tracking. I list all the books in the series, check off the ones read and date completed. I also mark which books I have or if the book has been released for series still being published. That way I always know where I left off and what I can proceed with.
I'm so curious as to how this would hold up with fanfiction in mind. I know for sure that majority of my word consumption comes from ao3 (and you get word counts, so that's interesting) Might actally look out for this
As an American, I wish we used the u, looks so elegant. I think it's worth the price tag because you get so many blank pages and it's their great quality paper.
I like writing the u in words and I'm American. Half the time or more I spell it favourite. Also parlour, labour. It just looks better in my opinion. So it might bother some Americans, but definitely not all of us.
I think I actually like this journal! Sometimes I don’t want to make a full spread for a book, especially if I didn’t like it. I like the quick rating page for that 😂 but I also like having the option for the spreads. I think I might get this for 2025 reads because I’m falling so behind on my actual reading journal.
I agree with you about the velvet. I have a few velvet NT journals and I love them, but the texture feels much more closely trimmed than what I think of as velvet.
I like it, but I'm terrible about keeping up with journals that I have to design and fuss with. With this being fill-in format, I might do better at keeping up with it. The font doesn't bother me, it makes me think of a typewriter font. I've got to get a job (fingers crossed that's soon) but I suspect it will be in my mailbox once I do. My daughter has already said she wants one for Christmas.
Fun idea. :) I have a sprocket, and I think I would just take the picture of the book a bit smaller so that I could just trim my picture to fit into the premade book areas.
Thanks for providing a review! I was curious on the functionality and interior design but loved the exterior design. However, I don't think this journal would be worth it for myself. I will stick to my DIY reading bujo instead. Also, A5 is too small for the amount of books I read in a year and doesn't leave much room for decoration; I need a B5 or Square notebook.
Thank you for this! I've been curious about what the inside of this journal looks like since its launch. Definitely confirms that I would prefer to make my own reading journal but I also liked seeing how you adapted the things that didn't work for you. Good inspo for the future! 💜
I like the idea of this, and its great for people with little time or who need some help/set structure to follow through, but gods that's EXPENSIVE. I already feel bad spending 30 bucks on an A&O notebook, and they have equally lovely covers nowadays... I prob wouldnt get something like this myself even if it was cheaper, too many layouts that are too specific that I wouldn't use (all of) them, would make me feel bad for wasting perfectly good notebook & paper. Not everyone has the same needs, and I feel some of this locks you into it a bit. I wouldn't need a quick review AND a more indepth one. I think releasing something like this as a mini layout reference guidebook would be pretty neat and more usable for a lot more people who do have the time to make their own tbh.
some thoughts: - the "favourite" thing DOES bothers me. which is funny cuz i don't mind things like "colour", its just favorite is such a long word already - the sans serif font is a bit too... simple? i keep expecting something a little more ornate. maybe a nice serif font would have worked better. they already have some sprinkled around the headings, i dunno why they didn't use it in the table of contents and page numbers - there's not a lot of places to actually write? sorry but when thinking about a book (which is already a text-based medium) i want to go on a tangent about it, not draw/print a bunch of pictures.
I am new to a reading journal. I have found your channel recently and started a DIY reading journal. I like this journal, as a newbie. I feel the pages are not in the order that I would like, though. I’m trying to decide exactly what I like to track. Thanks for your review.
Erin - I am in agreement regarding butterflies. Yes, butterflies are beautiful but I definitely think that in the world of journaling, scrapbooking, junk journaling, whatever your preferred craft is, butterflies are an overused theme. Thank you for this review. I actually ordered this myself as well but have not yet received. So far, I like all the different ways in which you can rate and track your reads. :)
Usually I‘m drinking my coffee while watching your videos but this one had me so ensnared I totally forgot 😄 I‘m definitely a DIY reading journal person, I just love having the space for all my creativity and thoughts. But I would’ve absolutely loved this journal as a younger teenager. (Also back then the butterfly theme would’ve been so on point during the Y2K era).
This is a pretty neat concept! But….considering the price range (which reasonable since Notebook Therapy is a well known brand but, the market for it is……more expensive than Amazon products or even Etsy products that are premade journals) along with the way the reading journal leans towards one type of aesthetic instead of being versatile for all styles, it might be a hit and miss for some people. Hopefully they can see any feedback and make more aesthetic styles and well……a bit more price friendly!
I'd rate it about 3 stars I think. I agree the sans serif font is a bit jarring. I use the reading planner from OwlCrate and have for several years. This one seems a bit scattered. Definitely not for me, though the cover is very pretty and it's nice they use such thick paper, I know a lot of cheaper journals that don't even use 100 gsm. I made a year tracker for pages read per day. Great vid, thanks for the review!
With all the experience that you have on reading journaling, I think you're the perfect commentator for this kind of products, btw, I'm not sold on that font either And as a bottom line, warm colors look so good on you, that nail polish was an amazing choice!
Oh thank you! I really enjoyed the process of testing this one out, I was worried I might be a little too opinionated since I definitely have "my way" to reading journal on lock! I do apply a bit of a warm colour grade to my videos so that might be why the gold is working for me - I'm definitely a cool toned girlie IRL, but I wanted the gold to match my October theme - coming tomorrow!
I like the idea of a pre printed reading journal. The ones I’ve seen are so pretty! But I need way more space for thoughts and comments about books. :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this. Ve been using the one from 'The Quirky Cup Collective' and absolutely love it. I'm definitely going to try this one so I can compare the two. As for the spelling of the word favorite , I actually like it spelled with a U better as it's how they spell it in french. So I always make the mistake when writing it. Lol. Thanks again
i love this journal! however i think id like to set these up in my own journal. i also really like the tinted paper! gives a really aged, storybook look that i presume they were going for ☺️
Don’t have a reading journal but quite enjoy watching RD setups. This is interesting but I’m not sure if it’s convinced me to start. Totally agree with you about the font not matching the vibe of the book.
I'm similar. 😅 But I'm going to set up a media journal for next year. There's so much in reading journals I just don't connect with, but I also love watching setups. 😂
Love your review. Thank you for showing me that I can skip this one and keep working on my DIY book journal. Why are the spaces for book titles so small!? The fact that they give dedicated space at the end of the journal to sum up "stand alone, duology and series" but don't give you that prompt in any of the individual review pages is idiotic. Who ever edited this book needs to make a lot of changes if they ever update this journal.
Thank you, I was wondering about this one. Looks good for beginners or anyone procrastinating on creating a reading journal. The aesthetic isn’t for me personally- I’m jarred by the disconnected fonts and frames. Sometimes it’s minimalist and sometimes flouncy. It feels like a journal put together for the growing trend rather than by a book lover/journaler. Which is fair enough by a business but I’ll skip it 😊 Tfs!
Thank you so much for this review because I was going to spend money on this and now I know that I wouldn't like it, lol. I look forward to their future renditions of this journal and I hope they do actually come out with a 2.0 version or something next year because I love the concept, I'm just not mad about the execution. I agree with you on almost everything you said.
Thanks for the review ❤ I think it would be good for someone who’s a beginner reader and a beginner to journaling, the spreads are not functional and the spacing isn’t thought out, the cover is nice but I hated the reading journal on the spine, lots of the spreads felt repetitive and the spacing isn’t the best like why does rating with stars have the same space for writing your thoughts on the book And the size is a bit small a b5 would’ve been better The journal feels like it focuses on aesthetics rather than reading or books I would much rather buy an empty notebook and bunch of supplies and actually diy my own spreads but at the end different people have different needs so this journal can be suitable for lots of other people
The kerning!! Thank you for pointing it out haha, that would have driven me crazy. Thanks so much for your review, it's super helpful to see a flip through. ❤
I think I prefer Quirky Cup Collective’s premade journal more… it’s around the same price and feels more logically laid out with more space for reviews and details. Thank you for doing a great in depth review and sharing your thoughts!
not to be the one to promote myself on comments but i have a preprinted reading journal on amazon called leafy Reading Journal (heavily inspired by my own reading journal) and i worked rly hard on it :)
I don’t do book journaling as of now even if it’s tempeting me, and I feel like this journal is a nice way to start but I also don’t like some of the designs
I'm not a big fan of pre-set up reading journals. They dictate how you read. And they seem to track the same information over and over again. But they are good for people who read a lot, but don't want to spend a great deal of time setting up. I have a sproket just like yours, but I can't find the paper for it. What size and where do you get yours from?
Would absolutely LOVE if you did a review like this of the Quirky Cup Collective reading journal! 💕 this was a great review, and it made me curious about what thoughts you would have of their premade reading journal, I personally think it's better than this one - but I might be a bit biased since I actually purchased that one xD I would love to have a DIY reading journal, but with my struggles with depression and just not having enough spoons for it makes a premade journal like this perfect for someone like me, someone who wants to start journaling but dont have the time or energy for the compelte DIY journal experience💕✨️ thank you for this video and all your other reading journaling videos!
Great review! ❤ I also think that some of the features that I'm using for my reading system are not included here and they put in some that I won't be using (also favourite chapter and scene).
It's a great place to start if you are new to it all - the lack of space for the blurb and review would dive me nuts. I don't track as such - more a rolling tracker of what I read. I would never use any of the logs and stuff
I tihnk this is good for someone just ot try out a reading journal. see what they like and which spreads are their favorite. but if you already have a preference for certain things then this would be a bit of a waste. this at least got me a pretty good idea of what to expect and how to set up my own reading journal. the quick reviews are surplus for me, and i'd swap some of the sections, like favorite chapters/days read...
its funny you mention how the spelling might bother the americans watching, but i actually spell a lot of words like that(and if it wasnt obvious, i am american lol)! favourite, colour, etc., i think it looks more elegant, but i'm not entirely sure how or when i started that lol. this journal looks really pretty! i do wish the font was more of a baskerville or something of that sort, but i might have to try this out!
As someone who struggles with executive function, this is ideal for me. However, the font and design style of the printed components are off-putting. Wish they had an option(s) regarding aesthetic.
I think it might be a typewriter font? Or maybe not because Typewriters don't have varianle kerning hmm... Thanks for showing this, I think it won't quite for my reading speed and style but I bet it'll work for many people.
Thank you for reviewing this! I saw it and almost got it because it looked aesthetically pretty, but I'm glad I didn't now! It's nice but it doesn't have the sort of layout that works for me. I actually ended up buying one called Waiting For The Night by Con*Quest Journals instead, and I'm really happy with it (though it's a very specific kind of spooky aesthetic so I know it's not for everyone!)
Thank you for posting this! I looked up that journal and it looks exactly like what I need. And it's so inexpensive, too! Definitely putting it on my Christmas wish list.
Thank you for reviewing this journal. I didn't even think to look for a pre-printed reading journal. I just ran out and started buying supplies. 😅 I was initially excited by the journal. I agreed with a lot of the points you brought up. Especially the order of the spreads. I would prefer the static layouts to be in the front. Nor was I crazy about having two different review layouts. I think they could sell two versions of the journal: one with the quick reviews; and one long reviews. At 50+ dollars I would expect more. For example, the frames should be stickers you can place over the printed book covers if you want. Oh well, at least now I know there are pre-printed journals. Hopefuly I can find one that's more gender neutral, with layouts in an order I more confortable with. Thanks so much for all the effort you put into your videos. I am really enjoying them!
I think the ratings page didn't need a place at all for the title and author since it was clearly displaying the covers. They could have skipped the lines all together and fit another row of books on each page. Same with the quick reviews. If displaying a cover image why waste time and space having it written out by hand, too? They could have used that space to make the thoughts section bigger. Oh yeah, and please never apologize to Americans when 1 of the thousands of products on the market isn't catering to them. 😉 I despise that it's almost impossible to find a calendar/planner with holidays noted that AREN'T American.
Thanks for this Erin, was looking at this thinking it was maybe for me but now I'm 100% sure it isn't. The page colour is just weird, it's kraft without being kraft and having 4 fluffy cats the velvet cover is a hard no. I think you should make a journal and release it as I'd happily use one that you made. Great video, thank you
I think I'd be OK with the page colour if it wasn't the exact same print on every background - the darker markings in the bottom right corner of each page make it so obvious! So far the cover is picking up less cat hair than my Tiefossi linen journal though, which is interesting!
I have an idea that the i is really close to the f because the font reminds me of a non electric typewriter and these types of strike errors were frequent. At least they happened in my aunt’s Olivetti Underwood did.
I ordered it because enthusiasm but I have no idea what I'll use it for. I prefer the one I make, this is too simplistic for my needs and there's not enough space to write impressions. I also prefer a bigger journal, I use B5 for my reading journal. So now I'm thinking I'll use it for specific challenges such as my Nobel reads.
I understand you not liking the font but it gave me the impression of being almost like someone writing in script, less typewriter, less perfect? So that way when the user start writing in the journal it almost feel like they could have been the one doing the set up?
Fun fact: The U in a lot of words in British English came out later, favorite being used before favourite and a lot of the words that use a U in the name (like Parlour, Colour, Favourite), the schism happens because America after independence kept using what it was using before, without the extra u and the British started adding the U
I’d heard the opposite, that the U came from words we took from French, and the US started dropping for modernity’s sake? I gave it a google and it seems like the roots are potentially quite unclear 😅 but I do love a good mystery!
I used a little combination - some Tombow dual brush pens, some Archer & Olive Calliograph pens and some Pentel brush sign pens! For a journal like this you can use just about any water-based marker.
The san serif font isn't fancy, sure, but I think it's supposed to be a nod towards dyslexic people. I imagine there are those who are dyslexic who have been wanting to get into a reading journal, trying to flex their wings, or primarily listen on audiobook, and sans serif fonts are friendlier for them.
@@ErinSmith I honestly don't know, what I know about dyslexia accommodations is minimal. I just noticed that there is at least one of the same title that's in the sans serif font on the table of contents page, and the main portions of the review pages that most people are likely to use are all in that same font. Everything else is decorative or in a header that is repeated on the table of contents in the sans serif font. I could be wrong but that was just how I saw it, considering how random it seemed at first.
Illumicrate has just included such a journal in a recent box and it‘s amazing! Like it better than this one. Sadly you can‘t buy it separately but I think I‘ll just make copies and bind them or something.
It's funny you mention your book bracket as I copied yours, and it doesn't work lol. My daughter had to point the error out to me back in Feb. So I have ignored it xx
I was expecting this notebook to be like $25-30 and I thought ok, thats a bit expensive, but it’s still okay… then I open the site and it’s $53??? Oh hell nah, no thanks. A notebook that expensive gives me anxiety. I’d feel pressured to be ‘perfect’ because of how expensive it is! Imma stick to making my own journals.
Yeah the price is very high now the intro sale has ended - it works out to $77.80 Australian. I’m glad they sent me one to review, I wouldn’t be buying it at that price!
@@ErinSmith exactly! Honestly your videos are already so helpful and has really helped me start out my own reading journal. They are more than enough. Definitely dont need to be spending money on sth this expensive!
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Erin, PLEASE make a reading journal that we can all buy. I think you would be the perfect person to make one.
Eep 😅 I'd love that but WOW what an undertaking!
@@ErinSmith I know but it would be so good because you know what readers want in a reading journal.
I went for the Quirky Cup Collective one instead. Liked it better
The Library Card section isn't just for physical books. I don't remember the last time I checked out a physical book from my local library (which, btw, I live next door to). But I regularly check out both ebooks and audiobooks. Thank goodness for the Libby app.
Its for when YOU loan out books to others
@@atlladyleo1 Ah!! That makes so much more sense.😅
Hoopla is fabulous too. I find a lot of books there that my library doesn't have in libby.
@@atlladyleo1 love the idea. But I'm very reluctant to loan physical books since the day my aunt literally trashed the brand new book she borrowed. Had just bought it at the airport on my way back home. Hadn't read it yet. But she was so persistent Ilet her take it. A month later, went to her house only to be told that the book was being passed along in the neighborhood and she'll send someone to get it. When I got it back it looked like something I picked up in the trash. It was so dirty and the pages were falling apart. Since that day I stopped buying books in French and now only read ebooks. I'm not sure I can loan my ebooks.
It’s pretty great for people who are too busy to decorate their own journal
I appreciate how thorough you were in reviewing the journal, not only showing the pages but also filling in several of the spreads as though you had been using it, which uncovered some issues or little irritations that might not have been obvious otherwise! Not having rough room to write a title or author name, especially with my big handwriting, would drive me crazy, for example. Thanks for going the extra step there and giving us that additional information.
I think this would be very good for a person's very first reading journal. I know I probably would have started mine first.
I’ve always wanted to start a reading journal but never seem to actually start it😅 now I don’t have excuse not to. 😊
Love the idea of rating the book journal with the different criteria! 💜 Thanks for showing us the goods 😄
Giving this comment 5 stars too ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🥰
This reading journal has some fantastic ideas!! It would be very useful for someone who did not want to spend time decorating a journal or needs some structure. Some of the spacing made me think it was intended for a younger reader.
I think this is perfect for me. I have a regular bullet journal and I've tried to set up a reading journal multiple times but setting up spreads and getting out all my supplies makes me not keep up with it for some reason. Having something already set up even if it's not 100% perfect would be great!
oh wow I didn't realise it was so full inside! that's actually pretty cool 🥰
I fully get what you mean about the font! This looks like a good option for casual readers but as someone with Strong Opinions about every book I read it doesn’t seem flexible enough 😅
Plus, I was unboxing some new journal supplies that were just delivered as I was watching this and remembered all the reasons I like to DIY my journals 😂
Well I don't normally say this but... I am glad I didn't spend my money on this Notebook. I was expecting something a little bit more considering it's a heafty price for a notebook. I think I am with Erin on this one, I think I'll stick to my own notebook and just put my own style on it. I really valued your opinion on this to be completely honest. You're the one I would trust when it comes to notebooks, stationary and bookish things. thanks so much Erin for making this video!
Since I'm a newbie reading journal gal, this is good to figure out what works and what doesn't for your personal tastes. I'm not a stats girl or a book bracket, but it could be great for those who do like that sort of things. I do like the layout, but I would organize parts better
The two-page spread with all the ratings would be perfect for book club books. I know it'd probably be better than my method of slapping sticky notes on the pages of the book itself to reference during meetings!
That’s a great point! It would be fantastic for that!
I don't necessarily love the emphasis on pictures in a reading journal? This feels unfortunately very aesthetic as opposed to functional, for my own purposes. Also don't love the fact it's an A5 - feels too small
My guess is they're trying to give journal users a chance to add some of the "mixed media" element - stickers and washi tapes or drawings etc. I approached it from the book covers perspective because that's what I do in my own journal, and I guess lots of others might do the same, but I get what you're saying - it could be much more approachable without those implied book cover spaces!
Thanks for the review! It's confirmed that it wouldn't suit me, but I've never really seen one that would. I read a lot and track a lot of extra stats and I would feel constricted by the layouts here. I think it would be great for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time on set ups though. I just personally love the flexibility of being able to completely customise my own.
I would probably use the book log as my series in progress tracking. I list all the books in the series, check off the ones read and date completed. I also mark which books I have or if the book has been released for series still being published. That way I always know where I left off and what I can proceed with.
You’ve probably already heard of them but I highllyyyyy recommend the quirky cup collective. I love their reading journals!
I have one on my shelf right now waiting to be reviewed actually 😉
I was curious to see if people were really liking it. Thank you for making this video!
I'm so curious as to how this would hold up with fanfiction in mind. I know for sure that majority of my word consumption comes from ao3 (and you get word counts, so that's interesting)
Might actally look out for this
As an American, I wish we used the u, looks so elegant.
I think it's worth the price tag because you get so many blank pages and it's their great quality paper.
I like writing the u in words and I'm American. Half the time or more I spell it favourite. Also parlour, labour. It just looks better in my opinion. So it might bother some Americans, but definitely not all of us.
I think I actually like this journal! Sometimes I don’t want to make a full spread for a book, especially if I didn’t like it. I like the quick rating page for that 😂 but I also like having the option for the spreads. I think I might get this for 2025 reads because I’m falling so behind on my actual reading journal.
I agree with you about the velvet. I have a few velvet NT journals and I love them, but the texture feels much more closely trimmed than what I think of as velvet.
Your thorough review is greatly appreciated and I can tell how honest because you pointed out both positive and negative points!
I like it, but I'm terrible about keeping up with journals that I have to design and fuss with. With this being fill-in format, I might do better at keeping up with it. The font doesn't bother me, it makes me think of a typewriter font. I've got to get a job (fingers crossed that's soon) but I suspect it will be in my mailbox once I do. My daughter has already said she wants one for Christmas.
Fun idea. :) I have a sprocket, and I think I would just take the picture of the book a bit smaller so that I could just trim my picture to fit into the premade book areas.
Thanks for providing a review! I was curious on the functionality and interior design but loved the exterior design. However, I don't think this journal would be worth it for myself. I will stick to my DIY reading bujo instead. Also, A5 is too small for the amount of books I read in a year and doesn't leave much room for decoration; I need a B5 or Square notebook.
Thank you for this! I've been curious about what the inside of this journal looks like since its launch. Definitely confirms that I would prefer to make my own reading journal but I also liked seeing how you adapted the things that didn't work for you. Good inspo for the future! 💜
omg!! i'm so pleased you reviewed this cos i've been wondering what it would be like to use
I like the idea of this, and its great for people with little time or who need some help/set structure to follow through, but gods that's EXPENSIVE. I already feel bad spending 30 bucks on an A&O notebook, and they have equally lovely covers nowadays... I prob wouldnt get something like this myself even if it was cheaper, too many layouts that are too specific that I wouldn't use (all of) them, would make me feel bad for wasting perfectly good notebook & paper. Not everyone has the same needs, and I feel some of this locks you into it a bit. I wouldn't need a quick review AND a more indepth one. I think releasing something like this as a mini layout reference guidebook would be pretty neat and more usable for a lot more people who do have the time to make their own tbh.
some thoughts:
- the "favourite" thing DOES bothers me. which is funny cuz i don't mind things like "colour", its just favorite is such a long word already
- the sans serif font is a bit too... simple? i keep expecting something a little more ornate. maybe a nice serif font would have worked better. they already have some sprinkled around the headings, i dunno why they didn't use it in the table of contents and page numbers
- there's not a lot of places to actually write? sorry but when thinking about a book (which is already a text-based medium) i want to go on a tangent about it, not draw/print a bunch of pictures.
I am new to a reading journal. I have found your channel recently and started a DIY reading journal. I like this journal, as a newbie. I feel the pages are not in the order that I would like, though. I’m trying to decide exactly what I like to track. Thanks for your review.
Great video, as a visual person I like the boxed overview page. But I felt like several sections were redundant. Thanks for the wonderful review!
Erin - I am in agreement regarding butterflies. Yes, butterflies are beautiful but I definitely think that in the world of journaling, scrapbooking, junk journaling, whatever your preferred craft is, butterflies are an overused theme.
Thank you for this review. I actually ordered this myself as well but have not yet received. So far, I like all the different ways in which you can rate and track your reads. :)
Usually I‘m drinking my coffee while watching your videos but this one had me so ensnared I totally forgot 😄 I‘m definitely a DIY reading journal person, I just love having the space for all my creativity and thoughts. But I would’ve absolutely loved this journal as a younger teenager. (Also back then the butterfly theme would’ve been so on point during the Y2K era).
This is a pretty neat concept! But….considering the price range (which reasonable since Notebook Therapy is a well known brand but, the market for it is……more expensive than Amazon products or even Etsy products that are premade journals) along with the way the reading journal leans towards one type of aesthetic instead of being versatile for all styles, it might be a hit and miss for some people.
Hopefully they can see any feedback and make more aesthetic styles and well……a bit more price friendly!
I'd rate it about 3 stars I think. I agree the sans serif font is a bit jarring. I use the reading planner from OwlCrate and have for several years.
This one seems a bit scattered. Definitely not for me, though the cover is very pretty and it's nice they use such thick paper, I know a lot of cheaper journals that don't even use 100 gsm.
I made a year tracker for pages read per day.
Great vid, thanks for the review!
With all the experience that you have on reading journaling, I think you're the perfect commentator for this kind of products, btw, I'm not sold on that font either
And as a bottom line, warm colors look so good on you, that nail polish was an amazing choice!
Oh thank you! I really enjoyed the process of testing this one out, I was worried I might be a little too opinionated since I definitely have "my way" to reading journal on lock!
I do apply a bit of a warm colour grade to my videos so that might be why the gold is working for me - I'm definitely a cool toned girlie IRL, but I wanted the gold to match my October theme - coming tomorrow!
Enjoying your delivery/style. Thanks!
I’ve started my first journal and I’m excited
I like the idea of a pre printed reading journal. The ones I’ve seen are so pretty! But I need way more space for thoughts and comments about books. :-)
Ahh I’ve been waiting for a review on this one!!! 😅😊
Thank you so much for sharing this. Ve been using the one from 'The Quirky Cup Collective' and absolutely love it. I'm definitely going to try this one so I can compare the two.
As for the spelling of the word favorite , I actually like it spelled with a U better as it's how they spell it in french. So I always make the mistake when writing it. Lol. Thanks again
Can you do this for the Quirky Cup Collective reading journal too?
Possibly, when the purchase-for-channel budget allows! I'll have to buy theirs to test it out, I was lucky to receive this one from the brand 😅
i love this journal! however i think id like to set these up in my own journal. i also really like the tinted paper! gives a really aged, storybook look that i presume they were going for ☺️
Don’t have a reading journal but quite enjoy watching RD setups. This is interesting but I’m not sure if it’s convinced me to start. Totally agree with you about the font not matching the vibe of the book.
I'm similar. 😅 But I'm going to set up a media journal for next year. There's so much in reading journals I just don't connect with, but I also love watching setups. 😂
Love your review. Thank you for showing me that I can skip this one and keep working on my DIY book journal.
Why are the spaces for book titles so small!? The fact that they give dedicated space at the end of the journal to sum up "stand alone, duology and series" but don't give you that prompt in any of the individual review pages is idiotic. Who ever edited this book needs to make a lot of changes if they ever update this journal.
Thank you, I was wondering about this one.
Looks good for beginners or anyone procrastinating on creating a reading journal.
The aesthetic isn’t for me personally- I’m jarred by the disconnected fonts and frames. Sometimes it’s minimalist and sometimes flouncy. It feels like a journal put together for the growing trend rather than by a book lover/journaler. Which is fair enough by a business but I’ll skip it 😊
Tfs!
I'm glad you see what I see - it's all a bit incongruous, but I agree it could be a great place to start for beginners!
Thank you so much for this review because I was going to spend money on this and now I know that I wouldn't like it, lol. I look forward to their future renditions of this journal and I hope they do actually come out with a 2.0 version or something next year because I love the concept, I'm just not mad about the execution. I agree with you on almost everything you said.
I totally agree - a follow up edition in the future with feedback-based tweaks would be incredible 😍
Thanks for the review ❤
I think it would be good for someone who’s a beginner reader and a beginner to journaling, the spreads are not functional and the spacing isn’t thought out, the cover is nice but I hated the reading journal on the spine, lots of the spreads felt repetitive and the spacing isn’t the best like why does rating with stars have the same space for writing your thoughts on the book
And the size is a bit small a b5 would’ve been better
The journal feels like it focuses on aesthetics rather than reading or books
I would much rather buy an empty notebook and bunch of supplies and actually diy my own spreads but at the end different people have different needs so this journal can be suitable for lots of other people
The kerning!! Thank you for pointing it out haha, that would have driven me crazy. Thanks so much for your review, it's super helpful to see a flip through. ❤
They really created a whole new letter with how close that f and i are 😅
I think I prefer Quirky Cup Collective’s premade journal more… it’s around the same price and feels more logically laid out with more space for reviews and details.
Thank you for doing a great in depth review and sharing your thoughts!
This journal is beautiful, thanks for the review)
not to be the one to promote myself on comments but i have a preprinted reading journal on amazon called leafy Reading Journal (heavily inspired by my own reading journal) and i worked rly hard on it :)
The "fi" in fiction gives me nostalgia of the old school typewriters. Sometimes the letters ran together like that. I like it!
I like this perspective!
I don’t do book journaling as of now even if it’s tempeting me, and I feel like this journal is a nice way to start but I also don’t like some of the designs
I'm not a big fan of pre-set up reading journals. They dictate how you read. And they seem to track the same information over and over again. But they are good for people who read a lot, but don't want to spend a great deal of time setting up.
I have a sproket just like yours, but I can't find the paper for it. What size and where do you get yours from?
I get my Sprocket paper on eBay! Mine's the 2x3" 🥰
I get mine on Amazon and mine is also the 2X3!
@@aprilsmithswe thanks.
Thanks I found some on Amazon
My Reading Journal now has book covers.
Would absolutely LOVE if you did a review like this of the Quirky Cup Collective reading journal! 💕 this was a great review, and it made me curious about what thoughts you would have of their premade reading journal, I personally think it's better than this one - but I might be a bit biased since I actually purchased that one xD
I would love to have a DIY reading journal, but with my struggles with depression and just not having enough spoons for it makes a premade journal like this perfect for someone like me, someone who wants to start journaling but dont have the time or energy for the compelte DIY journal experience💕✨️ thank you for this video and all your other reading journaling videos!
I have one on the way to me right now 😉😉 watch this space!
£42.00 is bit too much for me. It is nice though and if it was cheaper I probably would be tempted.
I was going to get it but then found the Quirky Cup Collective one worked out cheaper and was nicer
Can you share information about that one pen you were using?? I love it!!
Great review! ❤ I also think that some of the features that I'm using for my reading system are not included here and they put in some that I won't be using (also favourite chapter and scene).
Hey Erin. Would love if you could do a print and cut cricut demo.
It's a great place to start if you are new to it all - the lack of space for the blurb and review would dive me nuts. I don't track as such - more a rolling tracker of what I read. I would never use any of the logs and stuff
I tihnk this is good for someone just ot try out a reading journal. see what they like and which spreads are their favorite. but if you already have a preference for certain things then this would be a bit of a waste.
this at least got me a pretty good idea of what to expect and how to set up my own reading journal. the quick reviews are surplus for me, and i'd swap some of the sections, like favorite chapters/days read...
its funny you mention how the spelling might bother the americans watching, but i actually spell a lot of words like that(and if it wasnt obvious, i am american lol)! favourite, colour, etc., i think it looks more elegant, but i'm not entirely sure how or when i started that lol. this journal looks really pretty! i do wish the font was more of a baskerville or something of that sort, but i might have to try this out!
As someone who struggles with executive function, this is ideal for me. However, the font and design style of the printed components are off-putting. Wish they had an option(s) regarding aesthetic.
Such ready-made journals only confirm my belief that I can do it better myself and it will make more sense.
I don’t have a reading journal yet so this is tempting, even though I agree with lots of your comments
Love this review and this notebook! Can you tell me from what country do they ship? Thank you!
I think it might be a typewriter font? Or maybe not because Typewriters don't have varianle kerning hmm...
Thanks for showing this, I think it won't quite for my reading speed and style but I bet it'll work for many people.
Yes, the “favourites” would drive me crazy lol
Thank you for reviewing this! I saw it and almost got it because it looked aesthetically pretty, but I'm glad I didn't now! It's nice but it doesn't have the sort of layout that works for me. I actually ended up buying one called Waiting For The Night by Con*Quest Journals instead, and I'm really happy with it (though it's a very specific kind of spooky aesthetic so I know it's not for everyone!)
Thank you for posting this! I looked up that journal and it looks exactly like what I need. And it's so inexpensive, too! Definitely putting it on my Christmas wish list.
Thank you for reviewing this journal. I didn't even think to look for a pre-printed reading journal. I just ran out and started buying supplies. 😅
I was initially excited by the journal. I agreed with a lot of the points you brought up. Especially the order of the spreads. I would prefer the static layouts to be in the front. Nor was I crazy about having two different review layouts. I think they could sell two versions of the journal: one with the quick reviews; and one long reviews. At 50+ dollars I would expect more. For example, the frames should be stickers you can place over the printed book covers if you want.
Oh well, at least now I know there are pre-printed journals. Hopefuly I can find one that's more gender neutral, with layouts in an order I more confortable with.
Thanks so much for all the effort you put into your videos. I am really enjoying them!
You could always scan the review pages and copy and fill the blank pages with them for heavy readers. So you wouldn't have to fully diy them.
I think the ratings page didn't need a place at all for the title and author since it was clearly displaying the covers. They could have skipped the lines all together and fit another row of books on each page. Same with the quick reviews. If displaying a cover image why waste time and space having it written out by hand, too? They could have used that space to make the thoughts section bigger. Oh yeah, and please never apologize to Americans when 1 of the thousands of products on the market isn't catering to them. 😉 I despise that it's almost impossible to find a calendar/planner with holidays noted that AREN'T American.
Thanks for this Erin, was looking at this thinking it was maybe for me but now I'm 100% sure it isn't. The page colour is just weird, it's kraft without being kraft and having 4 fluffy cats the velvet cover is a hard no. I think you should make a journal and release it as I'd happily use one that you made. Great video, thank you
I think I'd be OK with the page colour if it wasn't the exact same print on every background - the darker markings in the bottom right corner of each page make it so obvious! So far the cover is picking up less cat hair than my Tiefossi linen journal though, which is interesting!
I have an idea that the i is really close to the f because the font reminds me of a non electric typewriter and these types of strike errors were frequent. At least they happened in my aunt’s Olivetti Underwood did.
Thank you for the review
I used the pixel reading tracker to note what day I finish a book
That's a great way to use it!
"I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it" 😂 Speaking truths ❤😂
I ordered it because enthusiasm but I have no idea what I'll use it for. I prefer the one I make, this is too simplistic for my needs and there's not enough space to write impressions. I also prefer a bigger journal, I use B5 for my reading journal. So now I'm thinking I'll use it for specific challenges such as my Nobel reads.
I'm American and don't mind the alternate spelling. I think it's a beautiful way to spell "favorite"
This is very realistic for me-I am not that creative, but like to pretend I am! And the set-up can feel overwhelming-this would work for me, I think!
Noticed on the index page they got the page numbers wrong and had 46 (or 56) twice?
OH I missed that, good spotting!
Erin, where is that gorgeous pink fountain pen from? It is stunning
I got it from Paperwlrd! It is such a pretty pen 😍
@ErinSmith thank you 🫶🏻
I understand you not liking the font but it gave me the impression of being almost like someone writing in script, less typewriter, less perfect? So that way when the user start writing in the journal it almost feel like they could have been the one doing the set up?
It wasn't the fonts themselves that bothered me, it was that I feel like they didn't make sense together or fit the style of the journal cover 😅
Fun fact: The U in a lot of words in British English came out later, favorite being used before favourite and a lot of the words that use a U in the name (like Parlour, Colour, Favourite), the schism happens because America after independence kept using what it was using before, without the extra u and the British started adding the U
I’d heard the opposite, that the U came from words we took from French, and the US started dropping for modernity’s sake? I gave it a google and it seems like the roots are potentially quite unclear 😅 but I do love a good mystery!
I love the stamps you have, can you list the name and links for them? ☺️
They're from the Quirky Cup Collective! thequirkycupcollective.com.au/collections/stamps
Thx just ordered
Hi Erin, pls spill the green pen you used with 2 tips and using fountain pen ink? it got me like😯😯😯
It's the Tom's Studio Lumos Pro Duo - it's expensive but it's SO good! collabs.shop/aluqss
@@ErinSmith yay thanks!!!
Could some kind soul tell me what pens she uses to color in the bookshelves at 22:00?
I used a little combination - some Tombow dual brush pens, some Archer & Olive Calliograph pens and some Pentel brush sign pens! For a journal like this you can use just about any water-based marker.
The san serif font isn't fancy, sure, but I think it's supposed to be a nod towards dyslexic people. I imagine there are those who are dyslexic who have been wanting to get into a reading journal, trying to flex their wings, or primarily listen on audiobook, and sans serif fonts are friendlier for them.
That is a great point! Would the patterned page backgrounds make using this journal harder for dyslexic people?
@@ErinSmith I honestly don't know, what I know about dyslexia accommodations is minimal. I just noticed that there is at least one of the same title that's in the sans serif font on the table of contents page, and the main portions of the review pages that most people are likely to use are all in that same font. Everything else is decorative or in a header that is repeated on the table of contents in the sans serif font. I could be wrong but that was just how I saw it, considering how random it seemed at first.
Illumicrate has just included such a journal in a recent box and it‘s amazing! Like it better than this one. Sadly you can‘t buy it separately but I think I‘ll just make copies and bind them or something.
Ooh so interesting! The reading journal is definitely having a moment!
The aesthetic is gorgeous, but this journal definetely lacks practicality, at least for me. In any case, pre-printed stuff never works for me.
It's funny you mention your book bracket as I copied yours, and it doesn't work lol. My daughter had to point the error out to me back in Feb. So I have ignored it xx
I’m committed to it, cause it’s kind of funny 🤣 but I don’t think I’ll include one next year!
What I want in a reading journal is one that doesn't have spaces for reviews,because that's not what I want to use the journal for...
I’m intrigued! What would be in your ideal reading journal?
The book bingo not being 5 x 5 is bugging me so much. lol
Favourite with a u is also correct in canada
I was expecting this notebook to be like $25-30 and I thought ok, thats a bit expensive, but it’s still okay… then I open the site and it’s $53??? Oh hell nah, no thanks. A notebook that expensive gives me anxiety. I’d feel pressured to be ‘perfect’ because of how expensive it is! Imma stick to making my own journals.
Yeah the price is very high now the intro sale has ended - it works out to $77.80 Australian. I’m glad they sent me one to review, I wouldn’t be buying it at that price!
@@ErinSmith exactly! Honestly your videos are already so helpful and has really helped me start out my own reading journal. They are more than enough. Definitely dont need to be spending money on sth this expensive!
Pretty sure that's meant to be a moth, not a butterfly. It is under the moon, so it's a nighttime creature. ;)
I will stick to DIY