How do you keep track of a book series you are reading?
Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment
Bottom line.Give each series its own block of rows, one row per book in reading order, and add two notes when you finish each book: where the story stopped, and who matters going into the next one. Those two lines are what you read before starting the next book. Goodreads groups books into series pages and Hardcover has a Series Tracker in its Labs section, but neither keeps your own notes on where the story stood.
Facts checked 29 October 2026
What does the series tracker look like?
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Series | The series name, written the same way every time. |
| Number | The book's place in your reading order (1, 2, 2.5 for a novella). |
| Title | The title of that book. |
| Status | Want to read, reading, read or DNF. |
| Date Started and Date Finished | So you can see how long the gap was before the next book. |
| Where the story stopped | Two lines about the end of this book only. |
| Who matters next | The three to five names you will need at the start of the next book, with a few words each. |
| Next book or release | The next title, and its release date if it is not out yet. |
Download this template as CSV. Add the whole series in order on the day you start book 1, so the next book is always waiting.
How do you write series notes that will not spoil anything?
- Write only about the book you just finished, never about what you expect next.
- Write the notes the day you finish, while the ending is fresh.
- Use names and relationships, not plot twists: who is allied with whom, who is missing, who is in charge.
- Keep it to two lines per column. Long notes do not get read.
- If you look anything up to fill a gap, search the book's own title, not the series, so you do not land on a page that covers later books.
What do tracker apps offer for series?
| App | What it offers | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | Series pages that group the books in a series, maintained by volunteer Goodreads Librarians. | No place for your own end-of-book notes on the series page; the page also lists later books, which can spoil titles. |
| Hardcover | A Series Tracker in Labs, brought back in February 2026: how many books you have read in each series you started, sorting by next release, and a tab for series you follow. | No recap of what happened. |
| Other trackers we cover | A custom shelf, list or tag per series does the job. | No series view published on the pages we checked. |
Our guide to the best apps for reading a book series goes through each option in more detail.
What do you do before starting the next book?
- Read your two notes for the previous book.
- If the gap was long and the notes are thin, use a recap that stops where you stopped. In the U.S., Kindle Recaps covers earlier books in supported Kindle series. For print, ebook or audiobook copies of its supported titles, Magic Bookmark recaps up to the page you give it, on iPhone, with one credit per book and the first free.
- Start the next book and log the start date in your tracker and in the template.
More on the recap tools is on our page about Kindle Recaps, Story So Far and Ask this Book.
Questions
Q1How do I keep track of a book series?
List every book in reading order before you start, log dates as you go, and write two lines when you finish each book: where the story stopped and who matters next. A spreadsheet or the template on this page works, and Goodreads series pages or Hardcover's Series Tracker can sit alongside it.
Q2Does Goodreads track series?
Goodreads groups books into series pages maintained by volunteer librarians. It does not keep your own notes on where each book ended.
Q3What is Hardcover's Series Tracker?
A Labs feature, brought back in February 2026, that shows how many books you have read in each series you started, can sort series by next release, and has a tab for series you follow.
Q4How do I remember a series after a long break?
Read your end-of-book notes first. If they are not enough, a recap that stops where you stopped is the safe route: Kindle Recaps for supported Kindle series in the U.S., or Magic Bookmark for its supported titles in any format on iPhone.