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31 Bookish Journal Prompts to Inspire You for a Month

If you could only read classics or contemporaries for the rest of your life, which would you pick and why? What is your biggest book pet peeve?

Abby Hargreaves

Staff Writer

Abby Hargreaves is a New Hampshire native living and working as a Children’s Librarian in Washington, D.C. She fulfills the gamut of the librarian stereotype with a love of cats, coffee, and crocheting (and likes a good run of alliteration). Her MLIS degree enjoys the company of a BA in English from Hollins University, making Abby an advocate of women's universities. Her favorite color is yellow.

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I’m someone who has journaled off and on since as long as I can remember. Often, I’m so overwhelmed by what’s going on in my life that I don’t have the energy to journal (which is when I need it most!). Other times, I’m at a loss for what to say. If you’re ever in the same spot, here are some bookish journal prompts to kick you into writing gear. Bookish Journal Prompts
  1. Do you prefer character- or plot-driven novels? Why?
  2. What nonfiction title has made you more interested in a topic? What can you do to explore this topic further?
  3. Hardcover or paperback? Why?
  • Describe the perfect reading spot.
  • Who were your reading role models growing up?
  • What was the last bad book you read? What didn’t you like about it?
  • What is the first book you remember loving?
  • If you reread books, what is one book you’ve reread and how did your perception of it change with each reading? If you don’t reread books, talk about why not.
  • What is your biggest book pet peeve?
  • How do you feel about unreliable narrators?
  • Is there a movie adaptation you prefer to the book it’s based on? Why?
  • What is the ideal reading weather?
  • What is a genre or author you wish you read more of? Why haven’t you read more of this genre or author?
  • If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? One author? One genre?
  • Do you let friends borrow your books? Why or why not?
  • Who is one author everyone seems to love but you can’t stand? Why?
  • What is your relationship with poetry like?
  • Do you feel pressured to read the latest books or are you more of a backlist kind of person? Why?
  • What is the perfect reading snack? Why?
  • If you could only read classics or contemporaries for the rest of your life, which would you pick and why?
  • Which author of color deserves a larger audience? What will you do to help introduce more people to this writer?
  • What author, book, or series do you refuse to read? Why?
  • Describe how your bookshelf is organized. Why do you organize it this way? What other organization methods might you consider?
  • Who was your first literary crush or character you wanted to be friends with? What drew you to them?
  • Have you ever pulled an all-nighter to finish a book? Which was it? What made it so compelling?
  • Do you return your library books on time? What do you think your answer means about other aspects of your life?
  • Describe your ideal book club.
  • What are you reading right now? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
  • Are there books or topics that should not be published? What are they? Why?
  • How many books do you typically read in a month? How do you feel about your number?
  • What would be on the soundtrack for your favorite book? These thirty-one bookish journal prompts will get you through a month, but we want to hear from you: what other bookish journal prompts can you think of?