Reading List & Book Log Template
Book reading log with annual summary stats — title, author, dates started/finished, rating out of 5, and notes, plus auto-computed books read, average rating, and goal progress.
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READING LIST & BOOK LOG — 2026
Reader: Sample Reader
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ANNUAL SUMMARY
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Books logged: 5
Books finished: 4
Average rating: 4.2 / 5 (across 5 rated)
Reading goal: 4 of 24 books (17%)
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BOOKS
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1. The Midnight Library — Matt Haig [2026-01-02 → 2026-01-11] ••••· (4/5)
Surprisingly moving
2. Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir [2026-01-14 → 2026-01-29] ••••• (5/5)
Could not put it down
3. Klara and the Sun — Kazuo Ishiguro [2026-02-03 → 2026-02-20] ••••· (4/5)
Quietly devastating
4. Atomic Habits — James Clear [2026-02-22 → reading] •••·· (3/5)
Currently reading — re-reading ch. 3
5. The Three-Body Problem — Liu Cixin [2026-03-01 → 2026-03-25] ••••• (5/5)
Dense but worth it
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WANT TO READ NEXT
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — Gabrielle Zevin
The Overstory — Richard Powers
Babel — R. F. Kuang
About this template
A reading log does two things at once: it remembers what you read, and it shows you the shape of your reading habit over a year. The remembering matters more than people expect — six months later, "what was that book my friend should read?" is a question a log answers instantly, complete with your rating and a one-line note about why it stuck. The habit-shaping is the other half: tracking the **date you started and finished** each book, a **rating out of five**, and a short note turns vague intentions into a visible pattern. Pair the log with a simple **annual goal** (a common starting point is one to two books a month) and a running count of books finished, average rating, and percent of goal reached, and you get gentle, honest feedback — without turning reading into a chore. The most useful columns are the rating and the note: months later they tell you not just *that* you read something but *what you thought*, which is what makes recommendations and re-reads easy. Keep a short "want to read next" list at the bottom so you are never staring at the shelf wondering what is next. This is a personal tracker — there is no wrong way to use it. Some readers log only finished books; others track DNFs ("did not finish") and audiobooks too. Adjust the columns to match how you actually read.
When to use it
- Tracking the books you read across a year with ratings and notes.
- Setting and monitoring an annual reading goal.
- Keeping a personal record so you remember and can recommend books later.
- Maintaining a "want to read next" queue.
What to include
- Reader name, year, and reading goal.
- Per book: title, author, date started, date finished.
- A rating out of 5 and a short note.
- Auto summary: books logged, finished, average rating, goal progress.
- A want-to-read-next list.