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How To Track Your Reading on Fable

Book Trackers
Whether you’re a new reader building a daily reading habit or a life-long book lover tackling your never-ending Want To Read pile, book tracking can help you reap the many wellness benefits of reading. Book tracking isn't something new; it's a tradition that dates back to the days of keeping a commonplace book. But in this digital age, book tracking websites and the best apps make it easier than ever and can help you track reading goals and share your progress inside a book.

Keep track with Fable

When I'm tracking my progress toward my 52-book goal in 2024, Fable uniquely combines book tracking, discovery, and community. Simply follow these steps to utilize all of Fable’s book tracking features.
  • Tap the “Library” icon in the Fable app
  • Select any one of your reading lists
  • Tap the “...” icon for the book you are reading at the moment
  • Choose “Update progress” and enter how much progress you’ve made
  • When you are finished reading a book, tap "Update reading status" for the book and mark the book as completed
Book trackerThat’s it! Once you’ve followed those steps, your reading progress and goal achievement will both be updated. Your Fable friends will watch your reading as it progresses, cheering you on as you head toward your goal. If you want to go beyond the basics, you can now search through all of your Fable lists and add "Finished" dates to any book. It's a chance to celebrate your progress toward past goals.

 The History of Book Trackers

Many centuries ago, Aristotle urged his students to collect great quotes, poems, and ideas in “commonplaces,” or an archive of inspiring writing that could be shared with others. Ever since, great writers have created commonplace books filled with quotes from all the books they’ve read.  Reading journals are another analog way to track your literary accomplishments. YouTubers and BookTokkers share advice every week for creative and inspiring reading journals that you can fill out by hand. 
Years of research has found that journal writing can provide a host of benefits for your physical and mental wellness, helping reduce stress and anxiety while making you more mindful. Readers around the globe keep track with beautiful reading journals that record thoughts, feelings, and great quotes from the books they are reading.  On our blog, Fable readers shared advice, photos, and videos to help you start a reading journal in 2024. It’s the best way to enjoy the full benefits of both healthy habits: reading and journaling! Fable’s bookish community has helped me explore a wider range of voices and stories, and I've started taking read challenges as well. For our community, it’s not just about tracking the quantity of books we read. It’s about improving the quality of our reading.

Comparing Digital Book Tracking Apps: Goodreads, Storygraph and Bookly 

These days, readers have many digital options for book trackers as well. Tools like Fable, Goodreads, Storygraph, and Bookly all offer book tracking features. Think of these websites as your digital bookshelf, well-organized and easily accessible. They help you rediscover long-forgotten books, aid in picking your next best book, and keep a fulfilling record of all your much-loved reads.  Out of all read tracker platforms, Goodreads has been the most popular among readers for many years.  It offers goal-setting tools, book tracking features, and tons of reading challenges. However, many readers have been searching for a more positive environment. The mobile track app Storygraph combines the functionality of a reading tracker with the design sense of a reading journal. It also offers visual representations of your reading history that can be very inspiring. The track app Bookly includes a reading timer, goal-setting tools, and quote saving functionality. It also includes a library of ambient sounds to enhance your reading experience. The read tracker LibraryThing has been around for many years as well, offering book recommendations and an independent community of readers.

What Book Tracker Should You Choose?

Everybody’s reading journey is unique and the most important thing is that you stay inspired to keep reading. Find a book tracking website or app that works best for you. Whether you're a classic novel aficionado, a graphic novel enthusiast, or an audiobooks lover, reading apps can help you meet your reading goals. Here are some thoughts from people in the Fable community!

"I have started using Fable now to track my reading. I like to physically see my progress, especially since I read ebooks and don’t have a library of physical books to visualize." — Amber L. 

"I keep a realistic TBR goal and not compare my progress to others. If I read a little before bed most nights, I feel like I've made some progress even if it's a little bit. Most importantly, don't hold yourself to an unrealistic goal, go with the flow. Life happens, we can't all read 7227623 books in a year." — beanie   

"Contrary to popular opinion, I like reading thicker books in physical format. As someone who has big book fear, I find it easier to read a book big book physical so I can actually see my progress." — Magnus

Keep reading on Fable

Don't forget that you can go beyond book tracking and find a whole community to support you! The Fable app is built for social reading, with tools for sharing highlights, comments, insights, links, pictures, and videos. With our platform, you can host every aspect of an online discussion at a single destination to reach readers and build safe online communities regardless of location or time zone.
Start your own book club today!
You can also discover the best audiobook by exploring thousands of book lists on Fable, decoding your personal taste with our guided recommendations. It’s easy to make your own list as well!
Make a great book list.
Just finished reading an audiobook and have the urge to share your thoughts with the world? It’s time to write your review and highlight your favorite sentences! You can also import your Goodreads reviews to your Fable account!
Set a reading goal!
It's easy to organize your reading aspirations and track your progress on Fable. Use our app to set the number of books you plan on reading this year and share your progress with our supportive community.  

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