May Reading Journal Setup & What I Read In April 📚

Let's track my April reading, review some books, and set up my May reading journal tracker spreads together! It's been a busy month, so I'm leaning into a more minimal decoration style to make the setup much more manageable while keeping it cute.

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0:00 Updating yearly reading tracker spreads

General supplies used throughout the video:
• Archer & Olive B5 Charming Picnic journal - from March 2023 subscription box/Charming Picnic gift box - no longer available

02:42 Flawless - Elsie Silver

06:32 Updating final March tracker stats
08:32 Updating April reading trackers

09:39 The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic - Breanne Randall

12:20 Sourdough - Robin Sloan

14:20 Check & Mate - Ali Hazelwood

17:20 The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 2)

20:00 Powerless - Lauren Roberts

23:18 An Offer From a Gentleman - Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 3)

26:46 April & yearly tracker updates

29:51 May cover & stats spread

32:06 May reading dashboard spread

34:58 May Page Mages spread

36:44 Flip through

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#readingjournal #booktube #bookjournal

[KatieReadsKoziesAndMore]

I’m retired now. But I had a 32 mile commute (one-way) to work. I allowed 1.5 hours to the office. I remember one horrible, and unexpected, snowstorm that took me 5 hours to get home on a Friday night. Back then audiobooks were available only on CD and they cost up to 5 times more than hardback books. One Friday night I learned that traffic going home was horrible. So, I stayed in town and ate dinner at my favorite bookstore. I saw Jim Butcher’s fantasy series on sale. The bookkeepers knew my taste in reading and they recommended I buy the entire series of Codex Alera which was on an 80% discount. Kate Reading narrates the series and her vocal range made every character distinct and lovely to “read”. This reading/listening experience converted me to audiobooks almost exclusively. Once I retired and moved back into the city, I discovered Audible (way before Amazon acquired the company). One book a month was all I could afford at first. That meant I had one new book to read every month. And I savored every moment of housekeeping while listening to my books. With some of the lovely sales, and reduction in cost for digital books, my collection has grown to 1415 titles. I have about 200 e-books as well.

We humans learn differently. Some learn faster by seeing text on a page. Some by listening with our ears. There is no right or wrong way to consume a book. But audiobooks opened the world of reading to people with vision problems. It is also a blessing for people with arthritis who find holding a heavy hardback book to be extremely painful. But the fact is, I can hold a conversation about a book I’ve consumed with my friends who read the same stories. We laugh because I learn how to pronounce the names of characters and they learn the proper spelling for each name.

[JashiiCorrin]

Yay for Goober Readathon 🥳 Glad to have you on board, Erin! 😄💜

[kristyfolsom]

I have been binging these videos. I have an idea also for my favorite books to have a small space to "cast" the people I picture in my head.

[blackhellebore]

You can get a blunt needle syringe (5ml syringe is well plenty). Buy the colour ink that you like. Watch a video on how to clean your pen and you can also rinse out your empty cartridge. Use the blunt syringe to refill the cartridge with the ink of your choice. Pilot Iroshizuku inks are beautiful and very beginner friendly - their cartridges won't fit in your pen though (some company's have their own proprietery feeds so their own cartridge sizes) so you'll have to buy a bottle. Places in Australia will also sell ink samples which will be enough for almost 2 fills in your pen and a cheaper way to try colours

[annag]

Your reading journal videos are honestly my favourite part of the month

[Bhavzie_Journals]

I was waiting for this!!! Oooh my silicone stamps were the same (16:13) Then I saw a reel where they used an eraser and "erased" the surface of the silicone. I tried it and it worked!. The ink got on quite beautifully after that

[Akuliszi]

Binging your reading journal videos in random order right now. I really love your style of journaling.

[catherinetessier]

It's so fun to be watching something and go "I know that place. I was there!" Totally get your excitement on that! I love your videos so much they helped me get back in to more reading this year and they are just so pretty! ❤

[beckatea]

Reading journal content kinda sprurred me into getting back into reading.. it used to be everything to me, when I was younger, but I just don't ever find the time for it as an adult. Your love of audiobooks convinced me to give them a try, since I can listen to them on less hectic days at work - and now I'm reading like crazy! I read some new stuff in April, and am looking forward to plenty more in May. And once we've finished moving house, I look forward to setting up my first reading journal.

[veredlevy]

I love your videos💕
Also, YES! I don't like adaptation book covers, they feel very wrong.

[cherylmccallum]

That layout for May is so cute! I may have to "borrow" that idea for next month!
My two April recommendations are As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Both books stayed with me for days, and I passed Lemon Trees on to one of my former students, so that I have someone to talk about the book with!!
Thanks, Erin!

[c_gmoney]

Love seeing your set up! My favorite books in April were Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) and Aloha Alibi (Jasmine Webb). Great reads!! Also, I just finished It (Stephen King) and I feel so accomplished.

[RusKms]

I so love your reading journal content Erin! It’s always relaxing to watch and super inspiring. ❤️

I have read the first 4 books of the Bridgerton series. I quit because I got very frustrated by the character development, or lack thereof, among some other choices that didn’t sit well with me. I fully agree that the show is much better! My favorite book of April was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I am working my way through his catalogue, and books by him have been my favorites for the last two months in a row!

[melissajeffers]

I enjoy watching your journaling videos!! Thanks for sharing your creativity. My favorite book of April: Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards.

[mariakeogh]

Love watching these videos, I find them so calming 😊 Benedict's book is my fav of the Bridgertons btw 😏

[MysteriousMind]

Haha, I loved the little 'Mitsu now loading' bar! Love me some Mitsu cameos ^_^

My book of the month for April was Fourth Wing. I finally jumped in and it has me in a chokehold, I tell you. No book has made me start right over (after Iron Flame) but this one had me do it. And I even got my husband to listen to it so I think hell has frozen over but I am also soo excited to be able to talk to him about it! ^_^

[paginator]

I also hate the movie/tv tie-in covers! I refuse to buy them or print those covers for my reading journal. Beautiful spreads as always!😊

[VioletPhoenix]

Love your setup, as always. So much fun to see how you represent each book you’ve read, and I love that your pages are colorful and fun!

I despise adaptation covers on books, even when I genuinely loved the adaptation. I refuse to have them in my house in any way (books, covers in my reading journal, etc.). I will happily go out of my way to find a copy that is the original cover, not the adaptation. What bugs me nearly as much are the printed-on stickers on book covers “Now a movie” or “TV series coming soon” or whatever. I wouldn’t care if they wanted to put on a removable sticker with that on the cover, but not the kind embedded in the cover. The funny thing is I know a ton of book people, and it is a remarkably universal opinion that these things are hated, so I have no idea why publishers keep doing it!!

[lauroralei]

Gorgeous! Not sure my *maybe* 4-5 books a year warrants such effort but am maybe inspired to journal a bit more about things I read. Also went through a whole phase of Australian "cowboy romance" a couple years ago and it's honestly so good 😊

[vivianwakoff]

These spreads are so awesome!
I'm currently reading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao and I'm loving the "Pacific Rim meets female rage" vibes! I'm a mood reader so I never know what I'll read next, but I think I'll pick up Galatea by Madeline Miller as soon as I'm done with Widow.