Your 12-month companion guide to help you get the most out of the books you read.
Keep track of titles, important takeaways, favourite quotes and more in this “must have” journal for all readers. This annual record of your personal literary journey will become as valuable as the books themselves!
having an organized space makes just about everything easier in life, but what happens when you organize your thoughts?
My Book of Books is a system to help you get the most out of the deep thinking that develops from the books you read. It is a collection of your ideas, lessons and memorable quotes from a year’s worth of reading tucked into one neat little package that is easy to access and reference back to when you need it.
Some might say that it is a journal and others might say that it is a keepsake, but it is more than that. It is a reflection of the effort that you are putting into yourself! It is a synopsis of the journey that you are about to embark on and the commitment that you are making to your own well-being.
BookKeeping
This book will be your companion every step of the way. It will become your confidant and sounding board, your literary catalogue and your notebook of thoughts. It will be all of that, and so much more!
Write it down
Putting pencil to paper is a powerful step in personal growth, and a guided journal is one of the most popular and convenient ways of getting the most out of this practice.
Creativity
Designed intentionally in black and white so that you can add your own colour. It is easy to add colour and make it suit you! Use highlighters or pencil crayons on top of the black and white designs to make this journal uniquely your own.
When we read the best books we’ve ever read, we want to know the ending, but we don’t want the experience of reading a great book to end. When we close the book there’s often a void. Sure, we share the title or a few cliffhangers with some fellow avid readers, but how do we savour it for ourselves? Well, Theresa McNeilly has solved that with her brilliant book, My Book of Books. This is the space every reader needs to hold space for the precious content of their favourite book after they are finished. Whether it sits alongside other active journals or rides besides your current book, it is an incredible opportunity to get more out of your favourite reads. And with room for six, it's an amazing invention for book clubs.
~ Marie Beswick-Arthur, Author of Listen For Water (Ingenium Books)
how to use this book
A system to document six nonfiction books with the goal of reading them in one year.
Record and track using the following journal pages.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Prologue
Fill in the form to record the book you are reading. Make connections while you read and track them here to remember them.
NoteTaking
Get the most out of a book by making your own notes about what you read. Putting pen to paper helps retain the information. Use these prompt pages to guide you on what is important to you.
Personal Inquiry
Remember to be present while reading and pay attention to little nudges calling you to grow.
Do The Work
This is where you mark down any action steps. This is an important part. Make sure to review this page often and check if you have done the task.
Epilogue
This is your celebration page! After you finish reading your book you will complete the following form and questions.
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My Book of Books encourages…
keeping the Promises to Yourself
Designing your Reading Intentions
tracking for Habit and routine
Bonus BoostS for additional support
Disconnection for reconnection
connecting the dots
Building your Knowledge base
space and time for self exploration
Fun, Inspiration and creativity
A guided journal
for the books you read.
Get creative.
Celebrate you!
Rest & relax.
Organize your thoughts.
Track and remember.
Theresa McNeilly’s My Book of Books is the perfect companion for personal growth and development book lovers. Such a great tool! As an avid reader, it is so exciting to finally have a book that enables me to log what I have read in a creative, innovative way rather than having scattered loose pieces of paper everywhere!
I can keep my notes, learnings and all in one place. This makes it so easy to refer back to. The added bonus of being able to colour, customize and add my own creative flare is a neat feature in this beautifully designed book.
The well thought out, methodical, and thorough instructions help to establish a consistent way of note taking, making it so much easier to come back it.
I am looking forward to gifting this to my fellow readers.
~ Susan Ksiezopolski, WriteWell
Do The Work Books has a passion to inspire and encourage putting pen to paper.
The use of paper is integral for Do The Work Books which is why we are donating proceeds of this book to Forests Recovery Canada to go towards forest restoration initiatives and education.
Forests are at the center of our lives, providing clean air and water, wildlife habitats, beautiful natural landscapes, and they help slow climate change.
Our goal is to help Forest Recovery Canada plant trees and build the overall capacity and success of Canada’s forest restoration and education efforts.
An all-encompassing guide that will help you identify and embrace positive changes in your life by…
1. Tracking your lessons 2. Analyze your learning 3. Taking action on your reading
my book journey
This pic above was taken after designing my friend Judy’s first workbook, in 2015. That’s me discovering my life purpose in Judy’s Life Purpose Playbook. My daughter has been my biggest cheerleader since the start!
My Book of Books started from a worksheet created for an online book club.
After so many years of designing books for other authors, I had an “aha” moment of my own. I realized there was one type of workbook that was missing on bookstore shelves and online bookstores. A workbook that encompassed a big picture approach. A workbook that was also a guided journal that could be utilized by individuals and book clubs. A workbook that would enhance the reading experience and enable readers to hold on to key thoughts and ideas gleaned from books, no matter the subject matter. A workbook that every reader could make their own.
If you love workbooks, if you want a workbook, or if you want to learn more about creating workbooks, I would love to connect!
About the Creator of My Book of Books
Theresa McNeilly is the founder of Do The Work Books, a publishing studio that specializes in interactive planners, journals, trackers, activity books and more, using engaging visual prompts to encourage the participant to do the work.
Theresa graduated from Humber College in Industrial Design at the top of her class and was labelled as “the person in charge of the book” that documented the developmental process in every team and individual project she undertook. Theresa worked as an industrial designer and product design manager in household consumer goods for more than ten years. No matter the project, Theresa designed a “book” that documented the entire product development process.
After designing a workbook for her friend in 2015, Theresa was bitten by the book bug and began a new journey working with independent authors — developing and designing unique workbooks in a range of areas that include wellness, transformation, and self-mastery.
My Book of Books is Theresa’s first workbook that was inspired by a worksheet she designed (just for fun) for an online community she belonged to.
Theresa lives in a small town in the Muskoka region of northern Ontario with her husband, daughter, and son. Together, they enjoy family reading time every evening before bed.
© 2023 DO THE WORK BOOKS