How to Track Your Reading on the iPad (Goodnotes, Notion & Goodreads)

My iPad Setup for Reading & Book Tracking (Simple & Aesthetic)

When it comes to book and reading tracking, there’s nothing quite like a digital system that’s flexible, low-effort, and in my opinion—way more sustainable to use consistently. I recently shared my complete iPad setup for how I track my reading on YouTube, but wanted to break it down here for you as well.

If you want to track things like series, TBRs, and all the books you’ve read this year, this post’s for you! Here’s my full breakdown on how to use your iPad as a complete reading hub using three FREE iPad apps: Goodnotes, Notion, and Goodreads.

Why Digital Journaling Works

There’s a reason this setup sticks for me: it removes friction.

Instead of juggling notebooks, stickers, and supplies, everything lives in one digitized place. It’s still super simple to be creative—but without the overhead. And if you already own an iPad, you’re not adding recurring costs like stationery, printing, or supplies. The best part about digital journaling is I can easily manage all of my forms of reading (ebooks, physical and audiobook) in one place.

Core iPad Apps for Reading Tracking

You really can choose whatever fits your style and needs most, but today we’ll be talking about three FREE iPad apps! (Disclaimer: one does have some limitations for the free version vs paid!).

GoodNotes: Your Creative Book Journal Hub

Think of GoodNotes as your scrapbook-meets-digital planner. This is where you can have multiple notebooks (three notebooks are included in the free plan) and create literally anything you want! You can purchase digital planners and import them to start using them right away, or make your own.

Here are some ideas for types of pages you can use to track your reading:

• A “books read” library page with covers
• Full book review spreads
• Occasional scrapbook-style pages for favorite reads
• A dedicated “5-star reads” section (highly recommended)
• Series trackers
• Book wishlist
• An archive of all the books on your shelf (though I recommend using Notion, more on this later)

For some inspiration, you can check out my 2025 book journal flip through.

Notion: A Hyper-Organized Reading Database

If GoodNotes is creative, Notion is your command center. This is where I prefer to track everything in a structured way. Notion allows for the use of databases, where you can host a ton of key information in a variety of views so you can truly customize however you like. I use Notion for all my master tracking (like every book I own, every book I read, etc.)

Some other ideas for Notion databases and boards to track your reading:

• Currently reading section
• Master books read tracker
• Monthly TBR tracking
• Library archive of all books you own
• Series progress tracking
• A full reading log by year

Goodreads: The social, Quick-Add Tracker

Goodreads keeps things simple and fast, and I love being able to see what my reader friends are reading and adding to their TBRs! (You can follow me on Goodreads here)

Use it for:

• Quickly marking books as “read”
• Tracking current reads
• Browsing and discovering books
• Maintaining your “Want to Read” list

But the real trick to make your Goodreads extra organized is using tags to organize your specific chelves instead of dumping everything into one giant TBR list. Use it to create categories like:

• High Priority TBR
• Series TBR
• Specific genre TBRs (fantasy, romance, etc)

This helps keep your 500+ book TBR more manageable, and helps deciding what to read next much easier!

How the Reading Tracker Together

Here’s what this system looks like in real life:

Step 1: Track Quickly in Goodreads

Add books, mark progress, and keep things updated on the go.

Step 2: Log Details in Notion

Update your reading database with ratings, tags, and progress.

Step 3: Reflect Creatively in GoodNotes

Add book covers, decorate pages, and journal your thoughts. Each tool has a purpose—and that’s why this works. You’re not forcing one app to do everything.

What Do You Need to Book Journal on the iPad?

You don’t need a top-tier, ultra powered iPad for this to work. A basic tablet setup is enough:

• Any tablet or iPad can pretty much run Goodnotes, Notion and Goodreads
• Add an optional keyboard case for easier typing (great for Notion)
• Apple Pencil (helpful, but not required)

Should You Try This iPad Journaling Setup?

If you:

• Love the idea of journaling but struggle to stay consistent
• Want a balance of creativity and organization
• Already use (or want to use) your iPad more intentionally

Then you’ll love iPad book journaling! It’s the perfect mix of productivity and aesthetics, and I hope this guide helped you. Now grab that iPad out of your drawer and get to journaling!