The Lounge #01: My Digital Reading Tracker + Winter Reading
Your monthly blend of cozy recommendations, community updates, and bookish inspiration.
Welcome to The Lounge: Your monthly reading guide to tropes, TBR additions, and bookish plans. A cozy space to discover new releases, and dive into seasonal tropes that’ll make your reading life even better. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and settle in—we’ve got a lot to explore!
My Digital Reading Tracker + Winter Reading Recs - The Lounge January 2025
📫 From the Desk of Under the Covers
Hello, friends!
Welcome to the January Lounge, where we’re keeping things cozy and wintry as we settle into a brand new reading year.
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know this monthly post used to be a downloadable PDF magazine called the monthly Insider. While I loved that format, 2025 is all about simplifying—so I’m introducing you to the Lounge. It will come directly into your inbox each month, with the same cozy content and book recs you love, just in a way that feels easier (for both of us!). But don’t worry—starting this summer, I’ll be bringing back a special seasonal guide PDF for those of you who love collecting those extra goodies.
✨ Something New in 2025: The League of Lusty Ladies Book Club!
I’m so excited to officially launch our brand new book club this month! Or old but making a comeback. The League of Lusty Ladies is all about diving into deliciously romantic Kindle Unlimited reads—focusing on fantasy, paranormal, and historical romance. This month, we’re reading A Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager, a lush fantasy romance with adventure, tension, and a bit of spice. If you’re a paid member and you start reading it, jump in the Substack chat and come tell us your thoughts.
📖 Want to join us? All you have to do is grab the book, read it in the month of January and join our live chat in early February to gush about it together! Find all the details below.
Now, let’s dive into this month’s feature article where I’m sharing a personal look at how I’m tracking my reading in 2025 using my Notion reading tracker (with video!).
Plus, paid members—keep reading for our January KU picks, new releases, and seasonal book recommendations just below. You can also listen in to my December wrap-up!
❄️ Early Access Alert: Winter Market Square Prompts!
Also for our paid members, you’re getting exclusive early access to the upcoming Romanceopoly Winter Market Square prompts in this newsletter! This batch of prompts is filled with seasonal vibes. You'll find the full list of prompts, downloadable trackers and PDF guidebook for the seasonal event. If you’re not a paid member, don’t worry. Announcement for all the winter event details is coming in early February.
Here’s to a cozy, book-filled start to the year!
— Francesca 📚
📢 Valentine’s Vibes in the Shop!
Whether you're all about the romance or feeling a little anti-Valentine's this year, I've got some fun, bookish goodies in our shop perfect for the season!
💖 Love Potion Pink Accent Mug: For cozy reading mornings with a hint of magic. Grab Yours Here
📚 Coquette Bookish Tee: Soft and sweet, perfect for Valentine’s and bookworms. Get Cozy Here
😈 Anti-Valentine’s Club Sweatshirt: Not in the mood for hearts? Say it with sass. Snag It Here
📖 Retro Comic-Style Tee: Buy me books and tell me to STFUATTDLAGG—basically a mood. Check It Out
🖤 Born to Read Forced to Work Tote: For your TBR hauls and cozy bookshop runs. Grab Yours Here
🌟 Psst... Valentine’s is coming up! Whether you’re shopping for yourself or dropping hints, these picks make perfect gifts for romance lovers and bookish besties alike
📚 January Tropes to Read
Looking for the perfect vibes to match the cozy winter season? Here are some tropes I’m loving for January—perfect for snow days, fresh starts, and all the just-one-bed tension we crave this time of year:
Snowbound Romance: Forced proximity, crackling fires, and all the tension.
→ 18 Snowbound Romances for Your Winter TBRComfort Books: Because winter feels like a time for something that makes you feel like a warm hug.
→ Best Comfort Books for WinterWinter Sports Romance: The excitement of hockey or the beauty of figure skating.
→ Winter Sports Romance Books You’ll LoveMagical Realism: Step just outside of the ordinary with a touch of magic.
→ 10 Magical Realism Books You Need to Read
❄️ Which trope are you gravitating toward this month? Hit reply and let me know what’s on your TBR!
How I’m Tracking My Reading in 2025 (And Why You Might Want To Try It Too)
New year, fresh start! If you're like me, January always feels like a clean slate—perfect for reorganizing everything, especially my reading life. This year, I've decided to keep my reading tracking both cozy and intentional using a digital system that's already making a huge difference. Spoiler alert: It's the Notion reading tracker I designed myself, and I’m giving you a full peek inside today.
Why I Ditched Goodreads (Again)
For years, I used Goodreads religiously. It was my go-to for tracking every book I read, rating, and reviewing publicly. But over time, I realized I wanted something a little more personal—and a lot more customizable. Plus, let’s be real: when you read a lot, remembering every book you’ve read or own without a solid system? Practically impossible.
Last year, I experimented with Storygraph, and while it offers some cool features, I missed the ability to track details my way—especially when it comes to my inventory, and even author insights.
So for 2025, I'm fully committed to my using my Notion reading tracker. It's been a work in progress for over two years, and now it's become my perfect all-in-one digital reading journal. Let me introduce you to it.
What My Notion Reading Tracker Actually Does
At its core, my tracker is a fully customized digital reading hub where I can:
Log my books: Including multiple formats (like Kindle, paperback, and audiobooks) and whether I own, borrow or preorder them.
Track progress and reading sessions: Create reading logs and track daily reading sessions and even track my reading speed—hello, stats nerd!
Organize my TBR: There's a planned TBR section where I assign books to months, plus a wishlist and even a place to store recommendations or books I’ve seen online for those someday reads.
Keep a Book Inventory: I can track all the editions and formats I own—so I don't double buy a book. (Yes, it's happened before!) Even save photos of the books for memory keeping and track signed copies.
Note Taking & Reviews: I can store quotes, annotations, personal reflections and reviews without the pressure of sharing them publicly.
And Stats, Lots of Stats: One of my favorite things about logging the books I read and own is to be able to look at stats. Who is my most read author? What percentage of books in my book inventory have I read? How fast did I read a book? And more.
It even has sections for authors, series, genres, tropes, and character types, so when I’m in the mood for a vampire romance or a cozy mystery, or if I want to see how what I own by a certain author, I can easily browse my library.
🎥 Check out my full Notion video tour below where I walk you through the entire setup! Click here to watch it on Youtube
Want to Try It Yourself?
I’ve made my Notion reading tracker available so you can try it out yourself! Whether you’re a data-loving reader like me or just want a low-maintenance way to keep up with your books, there are two versions available:
The Full Reading Tracker: Perfect if you love detailed stats, book inventories, and tracking multiple years.
The Simple Tracker: Designed for minimal tracking—just log your reads and keep things easy.
Or join this Substack as a free member to get access to my free Airtable reading tracker.
📚 Ready for Some Cozy January Reads?
This month, I’m sharing all my top picks for the coziest winter vibes and fresh reads for the month of January:
📖 Kindle Unlimited Romance Picks:
Perfect for snow days and binge-reading.
❄️ New & Upcoming Releases:
January’s recommendations and even one March release I loved.
🔥 Seasonal Book Recs:
Books and series that are perfect to read this season!
👉 Upgrade to a paid subscription to continue reading the Lounge for my full January book recommendations and my December wrap-up!