Reading guides
How to track your reading, switch from Goodreads without losing your library, and get more out of every book.
Looking up a term? Read the reading glossary.
- Reading
What does HEA mean in books? HEA vs HFN, explained
HEA means happily ever after: the committed ending romance promises. What HEA and HFN mean, how they differ, and why the genre treats them as a contract.
- Reading
What is a reading slump? Why it happens and how to get out
A reading slump is a stretch where you want to read but cannot settle into a book. What causes one, why willpower makes it worse, and eight things that help.
- Reading
What is BookTok? The reading community that rewrote the bestseller list
BookTok is the book side of TikTok, where readers post reviews, recommendations, and stats. What it is, the vocabulary it invented, and why it moves sales.
- Reading
Spice meaning in books: the spice scale explained
Spice means the amount of explicit romantic content in a book, rated zero to five peppers. What each level means and how to check before you read.
- Reading
What are book tropes? The reader's guide to the patterns you keep picking
A book trope is a recurring pattern readers seek out, like enemies to lovers or found family. What tropes are, why they are not cliches, and which ones sell.
- Reading
What does ARC mean in books? Advance reader copies explained
ARC means advance reader copy: a pre-release edition sent to reviewers. What ARCs are, how readers get them, and the rules that come attached.
- Reading
What does DNF mean in books? A reader's guide
DNF means did not finish: a book you stopped reading and chose not to return to. When to use the term, and why a DNF shelf makes you a better reader.
- Tools
The kids reading log that actually gets filled in
What belongs on a kids reading log, how to keep the nightly ritual short, and a free printable you can set up in a minute for school or summer reading.
- Reading
How to build a TBR list you'll actually read
A TBR list stops working when it becomes a guilt pile. How to size it, sort it, prune it, and pick the next book without opening every app you own.
- Reading
Reading goals that survive past February
How to set reading goals you will actually keep: choosing between books, pages, and minutes, setting the number honestly, and what to do when you fall behind.
- Tools
Books read in a year: how to track the count without losing the year
A books-read-in-a-year tracker, three ways: a printable sheet, a spreadsheet, or an app that counts for you. Plus what to track besides the number.
- Reading
How to build a book rating system that actually means something
Five stars is too blunt and ten points too fussy. A practical book rating system: half and quarter stars, sub-ratings, and rules that keep scores comparable.
- Reading
How to make an aesthetic reading journal (without the two-hour setup)
An aesthetic reading journal you will keep past February: a simple layout, a fixed palette, spreads worth copying, and the trade between paper and an app.
- Reading
50 reading journal prompts for the books you actually finish
Reading journal prompts that go past star ratings: questions for while you read, right after you finish, and at the end of the year. Pick three and keep them.
- Switching
How to export your StoryGraph data (CSV guide)
A step-by-step guide to exporting your StoryGraph library as a CSV, what the file includes, and how to import it into Endleaf with your dates intact.
- Reading
How to track your reading (and actually stick with it)
How to track books read without it becoming a chore: what to log, where to keep it, and how a few simple numbers help you read more. Paper, spreadsheet, or app.
- Reading
How to read more books without making it a chore
Low-pressure ways to read more books: shrink the goal, stack the habit, always have a book, allow yourself to DNF, and track it gently. No guilt involved.
- Reading
25 reading challenge ideas to read more in 2026
Fresh reading challenge ideas for the year, from a simple book count to themed prompts. Pick one, set a goal, and track it without the spreadsheet.
- Tools
The book tracking spreadsheet, and a faster way to keep one
How to build a book tracking spreadsheet that works: the columns that matter, a free template approach, and when an app saves you the busywork.
- Switching
How to export your Goodreads data (CSV guide)
A simple step-by-step guide to exporting your Goodreads library as a CSV, what the file does and does not include, and how to import it into Endleaf.
- Switching
The best Goodreads alternative in 2026, and how to choose
Looking for a Goodreads alternative? An honest comparison of StoryGraph, Bookly, Fable, and Endleaf, with the trade-offs that matter for switching.
- Reading
What does TBR mean? The to-be-read pile explained
TBR means to be read: the books you plan to read next. Where the term comes from, how readers use it, and how to keep a TBR you actually finish.
Ready to track your reading?
Free to download. No account, no ads, no data sale.
No account. No ads. Your data stays on your phone.