# Reading List & Book Notes

## 1️⃣ Dashboard  
A quick‑glance hub that surfaces your current reads, upcoming books, and recent notes.

| View | Description | Quick‑Access |
|------|-------------|--------------|
| 📚 **Now Reading** | Books you’re actively reading (status = “Reading”). | Click the “Now Reading” button on the top bar. |
| ⏳ **To‑Read Queue** | All books marked “Want to Read”, sorted by priority. | Drag‑and‑drop to reorder priority. |
| 🗂️ **Recent Notes** | The 5 most recent note entries across all books. | Tap any note to jump to its full page. |
> 💡 Tip: Pin the Dashboard to your sidebar for one‑click access every day.

## 2️⃣ Master Book Database  
The heart of the system – a full‑featured table that tracks every book you own, want, or have read.

| Title | Author(s) | Format | Status | Priority | Start Date | Finish Date | Rating | Tags |
|-------|-----------|--------|--------|----------|------------|-------------|--------|------|
| *The Midnight Library* | Matt Haig | Paperback | Reading | 1 | 2024‑04‑01 | — | — | #fiction #mental‑health |
| *Deep Work* | Cal Newport | Kindle | Want to Read | 2 | — | — | — | #productivity #nonfiction |
| *Sapiens* | Yuval Noah Harari | Audiobook | Completed | 3 | 2023‑12‑10 | 2024‑01‑05 | 4 ★ | #history #science |
| *Atomic Habits* | James Clear | Hardcover | Reading | 1 | 2024‑03‑20 | — | — | #self‑improvement |
| *Project Hail Mary* | Andy Weir | Paperback | Want to Read | 4 | — | — | — | #scifi #science |
> 💡 Tip: Use the “Priority” column (1‑5) to auto‑sort your To‑Read Queue; lower numbers appear first.

## 3️⃣ Book Notes & Insights  
A linked database that stores detailed notes, quotes, and personal reflections for each book.

| Note Title | Book (Relation) | Page/Timecode | Type | Summary | Tags |
|------------|----------------|---------------|------|---------|------|
| “The power of choice” | *The Midnight Library* | p. 112 | Quote | “You are not your mistakes, you are the sum of the choices you make after them.” | #philosophy |
| Chapter 3 – Deep Work | *Deep Work* | Chapter 3 | Insight | Deep work is a skill that can be trained like a muscle; schedule 90‑minute blocks. | #focus |
| Timeline of human evolution | *Sapiens* | 00:45:12 (audiobook) | Diagram | Visual timeline from Homo habilis to Homo sapiens. | #timeline |
> 💡 Tip: Turn each note into a toggle block on the book’s page for collapsible reading.

## 4️⃣ Reading Workflow  
Step‑by‑step process that turns a raw book idea into a finished note entry.

1. **Add to Master Book DB** – Fill core fields (Title, Author, Format).  
2. **Set Status = “Want to Read”** – Assign a Priority number.  
3. **When you start** – Change Status to “Reading” and set **Start Date**.  
4. **Take notes** – Click the “Add Note” button (linked view) on the book’s page.  
5. **Finish** – Update Status to “Completed”, set **Finish Date**, and give a **Rating** (1‑5★).  
6. **Review** – Once a month, filter “Completed” books and revisit top‑rated notes.

> 💡 Tip: Automate step 5 with a Notion formula: `if(prop("Status") == "Completed", dateBetween(now(), prop("Finish Date"), "days"), "")` to see how many days since you finished.

## 5️⃣ Tag & Theme Library  
A simple reference page to keep your tagging system consistent.

| Tag | Meaning | Color |
|-----|---------|-------|
| #fiction | Narrative prose | ![#ff7f7f](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ff7f7f/000000?text=+) |
| #nonfiction | Factual/educational | ![#7fbfff](https://via.placeholder.com/15/7fbfff/000000?text=+) |
| #self‑improvement | Personal growth | ![#7fff7f](https://via.placeholder.com/15/7fff7f/000000?text=+) |
| #science | Scientific content | ![#ffbf7f](https://via.placeholder.com/15/ffbf7f/000000?text=+) |
| #philosophy | Deep thought | ![#bf7fff](https://via.placeholder.com/15/bf7fff/000000?text=+) |

> 💡 Tip: Use the “Tags” multi‑select property on both the Master Book DB and Notes DB to enable cross‑filtering by theme.

## 6️⃣ Monthly Review Dashboard  
A pre‑built view that surfaces stats for the current month.

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Books Started | 2 |
| Books Completed | 1 |
| Total Pages Read | 820 |
| Avg. Rating | 4.3 ★ |
| Top Tag | #self‑improvement |

> 💡 Tip: Duplicate this view each month and rename (e.g., “April Review”) to build a reading history archive.

## 7️⃣ How to import into Notion
1. **Create a new page** in your workspace where you want the template.  
2. Click **Import** → **Plain Text (.md)** and select this `.md` file.  
3. Notion will render the headings and tables as regular text.  
4. For each table marked as a “database” (Master Book Database, Book Notes & Insights, Tag & Theme Library, Monthly Review Dashboard):  
   a. Click the three‑dot menu on the table → **Turn into → Table – Full Page** (or Inline).  
   b. In the new database, click **+ Add a property** to match the column types (Title → Title, Author(s) → Text, Format → Select, Status → Select, etc.).  
   c. For relation columns (e.g., **Book** in Notes), add a **Relation** property linking to the Master Book Database.  
5. Re‑create the saved **Views** (Board, Table, Calendar) using the view buttons inside each database, applying the filters/sorts described in the sections.  
6. Copy the **Dashboard** section into a new page, then add **Linked Database** blocks that point to the newly created databases and set the view types as indicated.  
7. Test the workflow: add a test book, change its status, add a note, and verify that the Dashboard updates automatically.  

Your Reading List & Book Notes system is now live—start filling it with your next great read!