The best time of the year is approaching, so in this video I’m setting up my 2026 reading journal from start to finish—sweat, tears, and love included (I worked on it for 7 hours straight). I’m experimenting with a brand new size for me: an 8x8 square dot grid notebook from Tiefossi, and I built a cozy “books” theme that leans a little academia (it’s inevitable) but stays lighter with beiges, browns, and muted pinks. I walk you through my cover spread (including a full-page book-page background quote), my collages, and yes… the return of the cats—this time in gold. Inside, I set up the spreads I actually use all year: tabs for easy navigation, my rating systems (the PEACH system for books and my own PACeU system for manga/light novels/comics), a “books read” spread with a Dutch door for extra space, and multiple ways to track my 40-book goal (because journaling doesn’t have rules). I also include a relaxed “Maybe Next” list instead of a stressful TBR, anticipated releases by month, low-pressure challenges (A to Z, Read the Rainbow, book bingo, and Year of Goober), a series tracker that actually works for ongoing series, and deeper yearly stats pages. Finally, I set up my square catalog pages for quick book reviews with star + spice ratings—aka my happy place.