📚 2023 Reading Journal Setup

Today I'm so excited to share the new 2023 Reading Journal Setup, where we're creating the beginning setup that I'll use for the whole year. I decided to have the same reading goal as last year, which is 24 books, and hopefully I can reach that number this year!
If you haven't seen the previous reading journal videos, here's a playlist including all my 2022 Reading Journal videos:
- • 📚 Reading Journal Vide...
We're continuing with the scrapbooking style approach for the decorations that I've really been enjoying for this journal. It takes less time than creating drawings or decorations yourself, and it also gives me a purpose to use my growing collection of tapes and prints, haha.
If you want to find a list of the books I've been recommended to, see my (very short) reviews of them and have a better look at my up to date "Want to Read"- list, you can find those here:
My Goodreads Profile:
♦ / journalaway
My Pinterest Reading Journal Inspiration Board (most pictures I used are added there):
♦ / reading-journal-inspo
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THE TOOLS I USED:
♦ Notebook: Page Anchor, Matte Black Edition:
www.page-anchor.com/collectio...
♦ Sticker Paper, Online Labels Standard Matte White:
www.onlinelabels.com/products...
♦ Scribble and Typewriter paper, Check pattern washi tape, Clear Stickers and Winter Collection items are from my own shop:
www.papermonogatari.com/shop
♦ *Notebook Therapy Moonlit Alchemy washi tapes:
notebooktherapy.com/products/...
You can also get 10% off all products here with my code: JOURNALAWAY
♦ *Notebook Therapy Dark Academia washi tapes:
notebooktherapy.com/products/...
♦ Ikigai Papir Quote Stickers (by Hedda from @mochibujo ):
ikigaipapir.com
♦ *Petals & Parchment washi tape set by The Washi Tape Shop (designed by me):
thewashitapeshop.com/collecti...
You can also get 10% off all products here with my code: JOURNALAWAY
♦ *Corner Rounding Tool:
amzn.to/3b99YtW
♦ *Kokuyo Dotliner (the glue roller I use, but there are other types too):
amzn.to/3XaXVCu
♦ *Artistro White Paint Pen, Extra Fine Tip :
amzn.to/3ME845D
♦ *Tombow Dual Brush Pen Warm Gray 1:
amzn.to/3yqYLSi
♦ *Sakura Pigma Microns (01, 05):
amzn.to/2Iqpcvr (US) / amzn.to/2DIob3j (UK)
(All links marked with * are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission if you shop through them. I appreciate it a lot if you do so since it helps me to continue making these videos ❤)
Others:
- Nail Polish: OPI Infinite Shine 2 Tanacious Spirit + Throw Me a Kiss
- Pictures downloaded and printed from the internet
- Black and brown kraft paper are bought from my local stationery store but any type works!
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♦ MY ONLINE SHOP ♦
- www.papermonogatari.com
And you can get some free color palettes (and other stuff) here: www.papermonogatari.com/freebies
However, please never feel like you need to buy anything from me to show support! Your time, your comments, encouragement, and questions... that all mean more to me than I'll ever be able to explain, so this is just totally optional for those of you who've been asking for it! ❤
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♦ JOURNAL AWAY PATREON!! ♦
- / journalaway
Join the small Patreon community and get some extra monthly content from me! ^^ Your support means everything to me and is an enormous help for this small full-time content creator! You're the reason I'm able to keep doing this ❤
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ALL AFFILIATE CODES:
♦ Get 10% off of Archer&Olive with my coupon code: JOURNALAWAY10
www.archerandolive.com?aff=91
♦ Get 10% off of Notebook Therapy with the code: JOURNALAWAY
notebooktherapy.com?ref=226
♦ Get 10% off The Washi Tape Shop with the code: JOURNALAWAY
www.thewashitapeshop.com?aff=333
♦ Get 10% off Kawaii Pen Shop with the code: JOURNALAWAY
kawaiipenshop.com
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MUSIC:
From www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
(Singing up with this link gets both of us one month for free! ^^)
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MY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA:
♦ My Online Shop: www.papermonogatari.com
♦ Extra Content on Patreon: / journalaway
♦ Bujo Instagram: @journal.away
♦ Shop Instagram: @papermonogatari
♦ Tiktok: @journalaway
For business inquiries please email me at [e-mail]
Hello everybody! My name is Anna, I'm a creator from Finland, living in Japan. I started bullet journaling in March 2018 and have been hooked ever since. If you share the love for arts and planning, grab your journal, sit back, and Journal Away with me. ❤
#JournalAway #ReadingJournal #ReadingGoal2023

[@cherriqu3583]

I love your voice, it sounds like you're smiling the whole time

[@JournalAway]

That's so kind of you!! 😄 Thank you ❤️

[@AtHomeWithCas]

I’m happy to hear you say that you’ll give men a chance as well. Beautiful theme as usual ❤.

[@JournalAway]

I think I read two books written by men last year and really enjoyed both of them! 😊

[@Yesica1993]

Oh, it's so pretty! I wish I could be creative again. When I was a child/teenager I used to do things like copy the comics from the newspaper, I did calligraphy, and a little bit of drawing in high school. I wish I kept those things. I've tried a couple of times since then but it's like my creativity has completely dried up/disappeared. I wish I still had those projects just so I could remind myself and prove to myself that I WAS able to do it, at some point in my life. I'm not sure what happened to me. It's like blank page syndrome/writer's block, only it covers all my creative avenues. It's all blocked and closed to me no matter what I do. Sigh.

[@sarahisabella1745]

I’m wishing all the best, Yesica! Maybe you find something else like sewing or acrylic painting or start a drawing journal. No one can be creative anytime I guess❤

[@apaiiyui8488]

I had that problem too.. I loved drawing, painting etc.. when I was younger and with higher school I couldn't keep it up since I needed to rest my mind when I was able to.. Some people say that to be creative you need to nourrish it by watching creative things, visit museums, trying yourself then to do whatever needs a little creativity.. and then it grows again Maybe you just need to be in that bubble around creative things again ☺️ To be honest Anna (sorry if I misspelled it) helped me alot on that, I always feel more creative after her videos 😊 maybe you just need that ! Also what can help, is to maybe read books of artists or just like "21 draws" books that have tutorials etc But don't think you lost it, it's still there but in a corner waiting for you to light it up again ☺️

[@ktglick]

Maybe try art activity books that give you simple activities to do. I find those are nice when I’m not sure what I want to do because they will just give you a simple instruction, like “color in these shapes” or “draw a tree” and it’s just for you so it doesn’t have to be a masterPiece. It’s a nice gentle way to get in touch with your creativity.

[@JournalAway]

I completely understand how you feel! I used to be creative when I was younger and then went through many years of not doing much at all while I was in high school and university. I only started again some years ago (around when I started my channel) and feel like the start was extremely difficult. For me, a bullet journal was the thing that kept me creating something small on a regular basis and then slowly I kept trying new methods and started to see improvement. I hope you'll find something that helps you get out some of that creativity that surely is still inside you, as it is in all of us! 😊 Please be kind to yourself and if you choose to try again, I recommend something very easy and simple!

[@jeanrobinson6584]

Such pretty pages …and I learnt a new word APRICITY….. which would be appreciated here in England as it is very rainy at the moment 💙

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 🥰 It's such a pretty word! And new to me too!

[@emhaggsart]

I love the idea of the tabs to separate the years! I also use a reading journal for more than one year so I think that could be so helpful.

[@JournalAway]

I already feel like it's so helpful for finding the page I need! 😊

[@fionaeckert4556]

For the 1st quarter paper I wondered why she cut straight on the edge. I'd have left two or three millimeters standing out to fold into a teeny tiny flap to easily access the quarters...

[@mousegrey6747]

If you can get your hands on it, the series by Megan Whalen Turner that starts with ‘the thief’ is fantasy adventure and has a male MC. It also has almost but not exactly unreliable narration, where even though we’re in his head he keeps secrets from us so we can be surprised with the other characters. It starts out a little like the beginning of ToG where our MC has been imprisoned, but is brought out for a purpose, and he’s kinda sulky and irreverent. But the book has more of a Greek mythology feel to it- specifically their interactions with mortals, like Helen of Troy, the odyssey, etc. Not one of my ultimate favourites, but I remember it fondly, and it would help towards your bingo card

[@booksandyarniness]

You might want to check out books by Ilona Andrews. They're a husband and wife team that write romance as well as paranormal urban fantasy. Their longest series is the Kate Daniels "Magic...." one, taking place in an alternate Earth where the world goes through alternating periods of magic and technology, and the problems that causes. Kate is a mercenary with a mysterious past who is trying to survive on her own, but her past comes looking for her...

[@jackiebradshaw8863]

One of my old time favorites that I’ve fallen back on when I need a break from my serious reading challenges. It’s the Mercy Thompson’s series. It’s an interesting take on vampires and werewolves. The main character is a “walker” ( Native American shape shifter). It’s by Patricia Briggs. I prefer her series on Mercy Thompson the best but she has several other series that inter twine with in that world so you can easily fall down a rabbit hole reading all the stories.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much for the recommendation! 😍 I'll look this up right away!

[@anerdeeeplanner757]

I like your BINGO topics. Very nice setup!

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍

[@nancynurse4552]

We have a few of the same books planned for 2023: The Other Boleyn Girl; Wuthering Heights; The Love Hypothesis; and Project Hail Mary. I read Verity four years ago and continue to think and process it quite regularly.

[@JournalAway]

I'm both excited and a bit scared to start reading Verity, based on the comments I've seen about it! 😄

[@aleidadiaz2261]

You will love Dune. For historical fiction Pillars of the Earth is excellent. Love Story is a romance classic. Name of the Wind should be on the top of your list for fantasy. Verity was ok, Sharp Objects is a stronger dark southern gothic thriller.

[@JournalAway]

Wow thank you so much for the recommendations! Name of the Wind has been recommended to me so many times but I'd like to wait for the last part of the series to come out first before I start reading it. We'll need to see if that ever happens, though 😅

[@NansyDK]

I usually just make a big list in Goodreads and take a screenshot for book covers, then just pass in keynote and adjust to the paper size I'm using (usually A4). And then just print :)

[@kathrynshinn5173]

For “male author,” you should read Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy. It would work for “pure fantasy” also. I also mostly read female authors, but Sanderson writes 3 dimensional female characters

[@JournalAway]

That's good to hear! I already have Mistborn Trilogy on my reading list in Goodreads. It's one that's been recommended to me quite a few times so I'm definitely intrigued! ^^

[@littledarkbloom]

If you want to read anything from Philippa Gregory, I recommend The Wideacre trilogy. It’s fantastic!

[@debyik]

Fantasy - The Bound and The Broken Series by Ryan Cahill; SciFi - Slip, Grip, Flip Series by David Estes; Classics - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much for the recommendations!! 🥰

[@UFOCrochet]

Spooky/horror Repairman Jack series by F Paul Wilson. Fantasy/Science fiction Nightside Series by Simon R Green. Urban Fantasy Harry Dresden Files by Jim Butcher . The Rachel Morgan Series by Kim Harrison is also a good Urban Fantasy series. Kim Harrison has a prequel series as well that is newer but I do not remember what it is called. Karin Slaughter and Lisa Jackson are fantastic thriller writer. I feel their books are very intense. I love them.

[@JournalAway]

Wow thank you so much for the great recommendations! 😍 I'll look these up!

[@tess3000]

So excited to see what you read this year, I love getting recommendations from you and seeing your spreads! So inspirational!

[@JournalAway]

Hearing that makes me so happy! 🥰 Thank you so much! ❤️

[@QuynhHVu]

Your Journal Setups (Bullet Journal + Reading Journal) are always so beautiful! I'm glad that you also have a Reading Journal. I've seen your video last year and it inspired me to make my own Reading Journal. It's so much fun! I wish you a happy and healthy year of 2023 and have fun reading the books!

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍 I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying a reading journal too! I wish this year will be wonderful for you! 🥰

[@marjoriemarlowe8978]

Great ideas and beautifully executed. I can't wait to receive my order from you. The owls are gorgeous. Thanks for work and channel. Look forward to each new release.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so very much!! 😍❤️

[@thisakindredspiritcozynook]

Absolutelyyyyy beautiful 😍

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍

[@heabooktubes]

I love mochibujo. 🥰

[@JournalAway]

Me toooo! 🥰

[@rachellefondaw257]

Such a fun and useful journal! I love the Chronicles of Elantra series by Michelle Sagara.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much for the kind words and recommendation! 🥰

[@apaiiyui8488]

I don't have a reading journal but this was really calming to watch, I used to read quite alot (not really books) a few years ago and it just reminded me how you can travel in the books when you're reading them I really love the colors and designs you used, I mean : everything 🥲 it's really beautifull !

[@JournalAway]

Awww thank you so much! 🥰 I'm happy to hear it was relaxing!

[@citikas]

For pure fantasy, I can recommend Alex Verus and Hellequin series. Very well written (both male and female characters), and interesting worldbuilding. Both would tick a few boxes on your bingo card too.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you very much for the recommendation! 😍 Will look this one up right away!

[@carlienvandernet7902]

I absolutely adore this set up and scraplike bookpictures and librarypictures and I will certainly look back to your videos of last year. I started to watch all of your videos from the earliest one on, so I didn’t reach 2022 yet. I’m not a bullet journal person myself, but I love your drawings. I love books, reading and scrapping so I’m very curious about a reading journal.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍 Haha from the creator perspective, I hope the earlier videos are not too difficult to watch 🤣

[@carlienvandernet7902]

@@JournalAway I just love scrapping and reading so for me it is just wonderful to see you work on the journal with all these beautiful pictures and pieces of paper and washi tape. And every video has his charm also the older ones 😻. I will surely try to start a reading journal as well 💜

[@mmontie6285]

for fantasy i recommend the Mistborn Trilogy! i had a really good time reading these books

[@JournalAway]

Thank you for the recommendation! I've actually already added it to my Want to Read list! 😄 Seems very promising!

[@MeowMyselfandI]

I actually gasped out loud at the start of the video when I saw you had used the moonlit alchemy set on the same page as that quote sticker from ikigai papier because I used that set and that exact quote sticker in my january regular bujo setup and it was open on that page next to me! xD Really beautiful setup, thank you for sharing

[@Phoenixtelstar]

Love this journal, I do love books but I very much stick within my genre, ( sci fi fantasy) and I'm still picky. If you haven't already I'd recommend Anne McCaffrey Pern series. There are technically lot's of books in the series but grouped into small sets (some stand alones too). Each set is with a group of people in the same world but at various times. Although technically not the chronological beginning I'd say start with Dragonflight. As for genre, I'd say it's sci fi fantasy but not magical, despite dragons being a thing.

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much for the recommendation! 🥰 Dragonflight is now added to my list!

[@GO-oi6pc]

I love your idea for a book journal 😊 I will recommend you Educated from Tara Westover is a memoir. Really good book 👍🏼 once I started I couldn’t stop reading

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 🥰 This is why I love getting recommendations, I think I'd have never found a book like this otherwise since it's quite different from my typical genre! 😊

[@martinavinsova8970]

Hi, how do you do a printable background, please? I would like to try some my own theme inspired by you 😁

[@rozettemori]

Very beautiful! I love every setup but reading bingo is just so creative! :D I'm thinking about settong up reading journal too but well... I'm not readin that much books so I'm not sure if thats worth a journal

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍 Well, if you would enjoy the process, it can always be turned into a regular scrapbooking journal, haha! 😊

[@Littlematchabujo]

Your setup looks soo beautiful. 😍 I just finished reading ‘verity’, it’s my first time reading thriller and idk what to feel about it 😢😅

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much! 😍 Haha I saw other people had very complicated feelings after reading that book too 😅 I'm excited to read it this year but a little scared too, haha!

[@thegeekgirl19]

Loveless by Alice Oseman: It follows this girl who kind of realizes that she’s not interested in getting into a relationship and it’s this story of self discovery of sexuality and friendship. I am very biased as I’m aroace, but in a world where it seems to be run by romance (I still love reading romance, but it’s a nice change of pace) it’s a book that’s helped open my eyes more I love your spreads! They’e so pretty and aesthetic

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much for the recomme dation! 🥰 So happy to hear this book helped you 🤍

[@dariaradvanskaya7546]

Very beautiful as always ❤️ Interesting idea about bingo game, I'd like to try it. I wonder what "who did this to you?" means? Something about crime and detectives?😁

[@JournalAway]

Thank you so much, Daria! 😍 I thought "Who did this to you?" / "Who hurt you?" would stand for the popular scene in many fantasy-romance books (or others with some action), where the love interest gets mad when he sees that someone hurt the heroine, haha! 🤣 But it could be anything else too, if you so wish! ^^

[@lydiarushton7473]

Love the setup 😍 can I ask what kind of book would come under ‘who did this to you?’ ? I can’t work it out 😅

[@JournalAway]

Thanky you so much! 😍 I thought "Who did this to you?" / "Who hurt you?" would stand for the popular scene in many fantasy-romance books (or others with some action), where the love interest gets mad when he sees that someone hurt the heroine, haha! 🤣 But it could be anything else too, if you so wish! ^^

Lovely as always ❤ Just a heads-up, Wuthering Heights is not a romance, in fact, it's probably the opposite. I would like to recommend you check up Zoe Chant or Ruby Dixon, they are great romance authors with books set in space, fantasy worlds, modern ones with shifters 😉

[@JournalAway]

Ohh I'm completely prepared to be heartbroken by Wuthering Heights but am very grateful for your warning nevertheless! 😄 And thank you so much for the recommendations! I don't believe I've read anything from them yet!

@@JournalAway Just in case, Ruby Dixon is more steamy than Zoe Chant 😉 but I love them both very much. Also, Zoe Chant series are shorter. Hope you try one of them 😉

[@nineblackgoats]

The Acrobat by Agnes Moon. LGBTQ+ romance, spicy and hilarious. 10/10 recommend. Edit: OMG you're reading the House in the Cerulean Sea! I read it last year and it's become one of my favorite books ever! I'd love to hear your opinion on it!

[@JournalAway]

Ohh that sounds great! 😍 Thank you for the recommendation! I saw many people loving The House in the Cerulean Sea and I definitely wanna read it this year!! 😊

[@susanwhite3729]

Do you use A5 or B5 journals??

[@JournalAway]

All my bullet and reading journals so far have been A5! Only my current painting sketchbook that shows up in some of the videos is B5

[@susanwhite3729]

@@JournalAway thank you!

[@leylartstories5197]

Will you also make this for 2024?🙈💜🥰

[@JournalAway]

Yes I will!! 😊❤️ I'll first post the final reads of 2023 and full flip through video, and after a few days from that the 2024 setup!