What should a printable reading log include?

Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment

Bottom line.A useful reading log has one row per book and eleven columns: title, author, ISBN, rating, the date you added it, the date you finished, status, how many times you have read it, tags for format and source, whether you own it, and a one-line note. We use the column names from the Goodreads export, which is also the format The StoryGraph's bulk import asks for, so a log kept this way can go straight into an app later. Print the table below, or download it as a CSV file and keep it as a spreadsheet.

Facts checked 29 October 2026

Which columns should your reading log have?

Reading log columns, in the Goodreads export format, with what to write and why
Column	What to write	Why it is worth the space
Title	The title as printed on the copy you are reading.	Matching a book in an app later starts here.
Author	First name then surname, for example Jane Smith.	Lets you count books by author at the end of the year.
ISBN13	The 13-digit number by the barcode or on the copyright page.	Goodreads' file import needs an ISBN for each book, and The StoryGraph uses it to pick the right edition.
My Rating	A number from 0 to 5; 0 means not rated.	The StoryGraph's import needs a value here and does not add 0 as a rating.
Date Added	The day you added the book to your log, as yyyy/mm/dd.	A required column in The StoryGraph's import format.
Date Read	The day you finished, as yyyy/mm/dd.	Decides which year the book counts toward.
Exclusive Shelf	read, currently-reading, to-read or did-not-finish.	Keeps did-not-finish books out of your finished total.
Read Count	1 if read once, 2 or more for rereads, 0 if not read yet or not finished.	A required column in The StoryGraph's import format, and your reread record.
Bookshelves	Tags, hyphenated and separated by commas: for example audiobook, library.	Use it for format and where the copy came from; The StoryGraph turns these into tags.
Owned Copies	1 if you own a copy, blank if not.	Separates your own shelves from library and borrowed books.
My Review	One line: why you liked it, or where you stopped and why.	The note you will want if you come back to a book.

Download this table as CSV. It opens in any spreadsheet program; print it, or fill it in on screen.

This format has no start-date column. Hardcover's FAQ notes that Goodreads exports carry only the most recent finish date and no start dates, so if start dates matter to you, put them at the start of My Review.

How do you keep the log up to date without it becoming a chore?

Fill in title, author, ISBN, Date Added, tags and Owned Copies the day you start a book, and set the shelf to currently-reading. It takes a minute with the book in your hand.
Leave the rest blank until you finish or stop.
When you finish, add Date Read, change the shelf to read, set Read Count to 1 (or one more than before for a reread) and add your rating.
Write the note the same day. One line is enough; it is the part you will be glad of later.
If you stop a book, set the shelf to did-not-finish, leave Read Count at 0, and write in My Review where you stopped and why. Our guide to restarting a DNF book shows how that note gets you back in.
At the end of each month, count the rows. That is your monthly total, without any app.

How do you move a paper or spreadsheet log into an app later?

Type the log into a spreadsheet if it is on paper and save it as a CSV file. The StoryGraph's support article on bulk imports says it can only process Goodreads-format files, but that a personal spreadsheet works if you copy the headings exactly from its sample file and fill in Title, Author, My Rating, Date Added, Exclusive Shelf and Read Count for every row; you then upload it on its Import Goodreads page. It also warns that Excel can cut off long ISBNs and suggests LibreOffice instead.

Goodreads' help page says its file import works on desktop only, accepts .csv, .txt and .xls files, needs an ISBN for each book, and works best with files of fewer than 500 books, based on the sample under File Import Tips. Hardcover's FAQ says it imports Goodreads and StoryGraph exports and offers a custom CSV import in beta for other files, and BookBuddy imports CSV files from Goodreads, LibraryThing and Google Books. Our import and export table lists what every app takes in.

Is a paper log better than an app?

Paper is private, needs no account and never changes its privacy label. It is also the easiest to keep at the bedside.
An app adds what paper cannot: barcode scanning, charts and goals that update themselves, and friends. See how to track your reading for a simple app routine.
Many readers do both: a paper log as the record, and an app for the social side. Keep the CSV version of your log either way; it is a backup that no app can close.

For help choosing an app to match your reading habits, readingtrackercompare.com matches trackers to reader types.

Questions

Q1What should I write in a reading log?

At minimum the title, author, start and finish dates, and a rating or one-line note. Adding the ISBN, format and where the copy came from makes the log easier to move into an app and more useful at the end of the year.

Q2Can I import a spreadsheet reading log into Goodreads or StoryGraph?

Yes. Goodreads accepts .csv, .txt and .xls files on desktop, but every book needs an ISBN. The StoryGraph accepts a personal spreadsheet if its headings match its Goodreads-format sample exactly and the required columns are filled in.

Q3Should I log books I did not finish?

Yes, with a DNF status and the date you stopped. It keeps your finished total honest and gives you a note to start from if you come back.

Q4How do I log audiobooks in a reading log?

Add an audiobook tag in the Bookshelves column, and decide once for the whole year whether audiobooks count toward your total.