Because Reading Deserves a Journal | Traci Reed Designs - Bookish

One of the many things I’m able to do again, or maybe finally make time for - since I stopped working is reading.

For some reason, it was something I barely did when I was working. Thinking back, the last time I really read a lot was when I got obsessed with recollecting the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley Senior Year books. And when I say obsessed, I mean starting from book 1 and reading in order. I think I was already around book 129 when we left for Saudi.

Yes… I managed to collect all of them again.

That part was actually half the fun, meeting people in different countries just to get books, checking second-hand listings online whenever we traveled, and hunting them down one by one. Right now, those books are safely packed in a plastic box at my family’s home, waiting for us to return to Manila and eventually move into our forever home.

And I say recollecting because I actually had these books before… only to sell them on eBay.ph back when I was in high school. Different priorities back then. Haha.

Fast forward to 2024, I found my way back to reading through my Kindle. I was very intentional about tracking what I read and used the Bookmory app to log everything. I genuinely love the app, seeing the calendar view and the number of books read is very satisfying... but I’ve always been someone who prefers writing things down. There’s just something different about it.

Still, here’s how my reading looked:

• 2024: 77 books

• 2025: 36 books

• 2026 goal: more than 2024 (hehehe)

When I needed to create something for Traci Reed’s upcoming Sweet Steals using the Bookish collection, the idea of making my own reading journal just felt right.

So this project was born.

This is a mini Reading Journal made using Traci Reed’s Bookish collection — part journal, part scrapbook, and completely me.

I originally planned to bind this using my Mini Cinch, but once I started playing with the collection, I knew I’d want more flexibility. The pages are so interactive and cute that I know I’ll keep adding to this journal. That’s why I chose disc binding, which allows me to easily insert pages anytime. Bonus: I can also just swap out the monthly pages and continue using this journal next year.

Because I’m a memory keeper at heart, this isn’t just a reading log. It’s a scrapbook reading journal. I’ve already added two photos — one taken in a quaint, pretty bookstore in Jordan, and another from the Ithra Library here in Saudi Arabia. More #shelfies are definitely coming.

I also added two small envelopes to this project. One holds extra embellishments I can use when I add more photos, and the other stores magnetic bookmarks I made using leftover scraps from this project. You honestly never know when you’ll need bookmarks!

And yes… this journal is absolutely meant to motivate me to read more this year. So far, I’ve already finished two books, mostly so I’d have something to update in this journal already. Haha.

This project was so fun to make, and I love that it can grow with me as my reading (hopefully!) continues.

For the full process, close-up details, and more inspiration using the Bookish collection, make sure to check out Traci’s blog as well.