31 Bookish Journal Prompts to Inspire You for a Month
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.
- Do you prefer character- or plot-driven novels? Why?
- What nonfiction title has made you more interested in a topic? What can you do to explore this topic further?
- 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?