Bookish Bullet Journal January 2017

Hello Bookworms and Bujo Junkies!

Before I get into showing you what all is in my bullet journal I wanted to tell you what type of journal I am using. This journal is a Hardcover Essentials Dot Matrix Notebook, A5 size with 192 pages. I got it for $10 on Amazon. It has a pocket on the inside of the back cover, a ribbon bookmark and an elastic band to help keep the book closed. I have not had the chance to use an actual Leuchtturm bullet journal, so I can’t really compare the two, but I am really satisfied with this journal.

I use Prismacolor Premier pens, Creative Memories basic bold-tip markers, and Staedtler triplus fineliner pens. I have not had any issue with bleed through, although there is slight ghosting, which does not bother me.

If you are wanting to start a bullet journal, it really does not matter what type of journal you use; grid, dot, blank or lined. Just find something that fits your needs. If you do want to use a dot grid journal, I highly suggest this type of journal as it is simple to use.

If you want to learn how to bullet journal, go to the bullet journal website,  www.bulletjournal.com created by Ryder Carroll then hope over to the Boho Berry website and watch Bullet Journal 101 created by Kara Benz. Both are fantastic sites to learn from.

Let’s dive into my 2017 Bookish Bullet Journal!

Index:

When I was planning on how I wanted my journal to go, I almost neglected putting in an Index. I thought I wouldn’t need one. Boy, was I wrong. An index is very nice to have. I just go to the index, find the title page I want and flip right to it. Easy. Simple. When you make an index page, make sure you leave 3-4 pages blank after it. Those too will be part of your index.

As you can see, I started writing my page titles and number quite big, two rows/sections for a title. I decided that I was wasting too much space and made my titles and number to one row/section.

2017 Calendar:

Here is a basic layout of the 2017 Calendar. I did add a sticker on the left side of the page. Reason? I messed up on the first calendar I made so I had to cut out that page. It helps hide the piece of paper that was sticking out from being cut. Plus it looks cute.

I decided to make one page of the yearly calendar instead of a month to month calendar because I thought it would save up space. I may eventually create a monthly calendar but as of right now I am sticking to this.

2017 Stats Tracker and Reading Challenges:

As you can see on the 2017 Stats Tracker page there is slight ghosting going on from my calendar on the opposite page. Thankfully there is no bleed through. Also on this page I had another goof up. Can you tell where? Yep. The title. This time instead of a sticker, I glued on a piece of scrapbook paper. Don’t be afraid to mess up. There is usually a way to fix a problem!

For my statistics tracker, I am going to be keeping track of my followers for Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and my blog for each month of the year. I have yet to set a goal for each. Maybe by the next journal update there will be a goal log. Do you keep a statistics tracker?

On the right page, I have my 2017 Reading Challenges cover page.

To be honest, I can’t say that I came up with these two pages on my own. I got these ideas from Super Space Chick on Youtube. She has recently posted her book journal on her booktube. Go check out the video plus all of her other videos.

Goodreads Goal 2017:

Do you have a Goodreads goal? My goal for this year is 60 books. Last year I had it set to 50 and read 45. Five books off!!! This year I bumped it up to 60. I’m already two books behind… Oh well.

For this layout, I have my Goodreads 2017 title with the number count outlined underneath. I will be using a green pen to highlight the number once I have finished reading a book. Below the number count, I will be writing down the book title, author and what I rated that book. I kept the right page blank in case I needed it to write down books I’ve read.

2017 Book Challenges:

This is the first year I will be doing a yearly book challenge. One square is already completed. Each square has a different topic i.e. Takes Place in a Forest, Book Translated from Another Language, Book From Childhood, etc. I did find these challenges on Instagram, however the challenge on the right did not have a title, plus I added a few more challenges to it.

When the boxes were completed with challenges, underneath was bare so I added a quote and the bibliophile meaning. My son was playing with stickers at the time so of course he had to add something to the journal too. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Memorable Quotes:

How can you have a bookish journal without a quotes section? You can’t. At least that’s my opinion. I plan on writing bookish quotes and quotes that stuck out to me from the books I’ve read. Only one in here so far and I’d say it is pretty well known:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
~George R.R. Martin

I even got creative with the title! I am not used to writing in different font types, so I was a little nervous writing this. I do need to practice my lettering. I am out of practice. I used to write and draw all of the time but it has been awhile. I did find this font on Pinterest. That site has everything!

Book Haul and Library Haul:

Last but not least, my book and library haul pages. I should’ve made each topic have two pages each but I can always make new pages when the time comes. I think this is a great way to keep track of what I bought/given to me and the books I have borrowed. When each page is full of books, I have added a total section in the bottom corners.

If you start a bookish bullet journal or a regular bullet journal remember these few things:
Don’t be afraid to mess up.
Make it how you want it.
HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Thank you for checking out my journal! I plan on posting an update next month or two.

Have a fantastic day!!

Cassie