What a log should hold
The point of a log is to be quick to update, so the fields stay minimal. Three are usually enough:
- Dates. When you started and finished. Gaps between the two tell you as much as the count of books.
- Format. Print, e-book, or audio, since these suit different parts of a day.
- A short note. One or two lines while the book is fresh, written for your future self.
A log entry
Reviewed at the end of a season, a handful of entries like this reveal patterns — that audiobooks carry you through winter commutes, or that long print books stall in the busiest months.
Routine over targets
A fixed annual target can turn reading into an obligation. A gentler approach is a routine tied to a time and place: twenty minutes before sleep, or a Saturday-morning chapter. The log records the routine rather than enforcing a number.
Linking the log to the shelves
The log and the catalogue reinforce each other. When you finish a book, updating its Status in the catalogue and adding a log entry is a single small ritual. Over time the catalogue tells you what you own; the log tells you what you have lived with.
- Keep the log in the same place as the catalogue so updates happen together.
- Record the finish date even for books you abandon — a blank note is still data.
- Review once a season, not once a year, so the routine can adjust.
References
- Toronto Public Library — reading lists and seasonal reading programmes for context.
- Library and Archives Canada — national reading and literacy resources.
- Statistics Canada — public data on culture and reading in Canada.