A reading log is a plain record: which book, on which day, and how much was read. Some people keep one for themselves. For others it's a form from school to fill in and hand back, and by the day it's due nobody remembers how many minutes Tuesday was. This guide covers what a log usually holds, then how to keep one on your iPhone with Reading Log Cat, our reading log and book tracker for iPhone and iPad, and print it when it's due.
What goes in a reading log
A row for each day, with:
- The date.
- The book, by title.
- Pages read, minutes read, or both. If you're filling in a form, log what it asks for; if it doesn't say, both cover you.
- Initials, if the form has a box for someone to check each day.
At the end come the totals for the week or month, and a line for a parent or guardian to sign if the form asks for it.
The hard part isn't the form. It's writing things down on the day, so the numbers are real and not a guess at the end of the week. Log each day in the app, and print the form from that.
Add your books
- Open Reading Log Cat and tap Add a book (later, the + button at the top right).
- Type the Title. The Author and the number of Pages are optional.
- Pick a shelf: Reading, Want to read or Finished.
- Tap Save.
Add as many books as you like; there's no limit. If you give a book its page count, it gets a progress bar on the Reading shelf ("120 of 310 pages"). Without one, the row shows the pages and minutes logged so far instead.
Log reading each day
Tap Log reading on the black Today panel at the top of the screen. You can also swipe a book on Reading or Want to read to the right and tap Log.
- Pick the Book. Books on Reading and Want to read are listed. Logging a Want to read book moves it to Reading.
- Check the Day. It starts on today; pick an earlier day if you're catching up. Days still to come can't be picked.
- Type the Pages, the Minutes, or both. The +5, +10 and +25 chips under Pages and the +10, +20 and +30 chips under Minutes add to the number, and Clear empties it.
- Tap Save.
There's no daily limit. Read twice in one day and log twice; the Today panel adds them up, and so does the printed log.
If the book has a page count, the Pages section shows where you'll be ("Page 145 of 310"). When the pages you've logged reach the last page, the book moves to Finished by itself, dated the day of that session. Without a page count, move it yourself: tap the book, pick Finished under Shelf, and tap Save.
The Today panel and the streak
The Today panel shows today's pages and minutes in big numbers, and a streak: how many days in a row have some reading logged. Today doesn't break the streak before it's over, so a streak from yesterday still shows in the morning before anyone has read.
Fix a mistake
Tap a book to open it. Under Sessions, every logged sitting is listed with its day, pages and minutes, newest first. Swipe one to the left to delete it, then log it again with the right numbers.
To remove a book, swipe it to the left on the main screen and tap Delete, or open it, tap Delete book and confirm. That removes the book with all its sessions, so its days disappear from the printed log as well.
Print the reading log
Tap the printer button (Printable log) at the top left of the main screen.
- Pick This week, This month or Last month. A week starts on the first day of the week your iPhone uses.
- Type the Reader's name if you like. It's kept for next time. Leave it empty to write the name by hand.
- Check the preview. It shows the first page as it will print.
- Tap Print to send it to an AirPrint printer, or Share as PDF to email it or save it to Files.
The page says Reading Log at the top, with the week or month, and the name. Under it is a row for each day with the date, book, pages and minutes, plus a box for initials. A day with two books gets a row for each. Days with nothing logged, or still to come, print as blank rows to fill in by hand, so this week's log can be printed early and finished on paper. The total for pages and minutes comes at the end, then a Parent or guardian signature line and a Date line.
A month always runs onto two pages or more (a week can too, if lots of books are logged), and each page is numbered. Paper follows your iPhone's region: Letter in the US, Canada and a few other countries, A4 elsewhere. Nothing on the page names the app.
Want to track a reading habit?
If reading is one of several daily habits you tick off, see how to make a printable habit tracker.
What it costs
Reading Log Cat is free to use, with no limit on books, pages or minutes. The shelves, the streak and the printable log, as a print or a PDF, are all free. There are no ads and no account.
Reading Log Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase. It adds Stats (pages and minutes for the last 30 days and month by month, books finished this year, your longest run), Goals (pages or minutes a day, which fill up on the Today panel, and books a year) and Export CSV (every session in a spreadsheet). Losing Pro deletes nothing. More on the Reading Log Cat page.
Your books are kept on your device and in your own backups, and leave only when you print, share or export them.
Quick answers
Can I log reading for a day I missed?
Yes. Pick the earlier day under Day when you log it.
Do I have to log pages, or can I log minutes only?
Either, or both. A session needs at least one of them.
Can I print a log for last month?
Yes. Pick Last month in the printable log.
Does the printed log have a watermark or your logo?
No. It has the title, the reader's name, your rows and totals, and page numbers.
Can I keep separate logs for two readers?
Not separately. The app keeps one library, and the printed log lists every book logged on each day, so it fits one reader per device.
Try Reading Log Cat
Try Reading Log Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/reading-log-cat