Copy the book notes template below into any Markdown editor or notes app, and fill it in as you read. It records what the book argues and keeps the lines you might want to quote. It ends with an actions checklist, so at least one idea becomes something you actually do instead of sitting in a "read" pile. The sections after the template explain how to fill in each part.

The book notes template

The template uses only headings, bulleted and numbered lists, and checklists. It has no tables, nested lists or blockquotes, so it stays readable in plain text and works in simpler editors.

# Book title

- Author:
- Started:
- Finished:
- Why I picked it up:
- Rating (out of 5):

## The book in three sentences
1. 
2. 
3. 

## Chapter notes

### Chapter 1: Title
- Main point:
- Best example or evidence:
- Quote worth keeping (p. ):
- My reaction:

### Chapter 2: Title
- Main point:
- Best example or evidence:
- Quote worth keeping (p. ):
- My reaction:

## Key ideas

### Idea 1
- In my own words:
- Why it matters to me:
- Where I disagree or have doubts:

## Quotes
- "" (p. )
- "" (p. )

## Questions it left me with
- 

## Actions
- [ ] One thing to try this week:
- [ ] One habit to start or stop:
- [ ] One person to share an idea with:
- [ ] Reread these notes on (date):

## Related books and links
-

Copy the chapter block once for each chapter that earns a note, and the idea block once for each key idea. You don't need a block for every chapter.

Chapter notes: write them after each chapter, not during

Taking notes mid-chapter tends to produce long lists of highlights you never look at again. A better rhythm is to read a full chapter, close the book, then fill in the chapter block from memory. Whatever you can't recall without looking is usually not the main point.

Keep each chapter to the four lines in the template:

  • Main point: one sentence. If the chapter argues two things, write two blocks or pick the stronger one.
  • Best example or evidence: the story, study or case the author uses to make the point. This is what helps you remember the idea months later.
  • Quote worth keeping: one line at most, with the page number. Page numbers save you from hunting through the book when you want to cite it.
  • My reaction: agree, disagree, "already knew this", or "this changes how I do X". This line makes the note yours rather than a summary anyone could find online.

If a chapter gave you nothing, skip it. Padded chapter notes make the useful ones harder to find.

Key ideas: the part you'll reread

Fill this in when you finish the book. Look back over your chapter notes and pick the ideas that still seem important a few days later. Many nonfiction books are built around one central idea with a few supporting ones, so a short list is normal.

Write each idea in your own words first. A quick test: if you could explain it to a friend without the book in front of you, you understand it. If you can only repeat the author's phrasing, go back to that chapter.

Then add why it matters to you and where you disagree. Disagreement is worth writing down. It is often the most original thing in your notes, and it stops you from adopting an idea just because it was persuasive while you were reading.

The "book in three sentences" section at the top is the same exercise, compressed. Write it last, even though it sits near the top, so it reflects the whole book.

Actions checklist: turn ideas into tasks

This is the section most book notes leave out, and it is why the template ends with checkboxes instead of plain bullets. A good action is:

  • Specific: "Block the first hour of Monday for writing" works. "Be more focused" doesn't.
  • Small: something you can do this week. For bigger changes, write down the first step.
  • Dated where it helps: the "Reread these notes on" line is the one people skip, and it is the one that brings the book back to mind once the first excitement has faded. Put that date in your calendar as well, because a date written in a note won't remind you on its own.

To write one, take a key idea and ask "what would I do differently tomorrow if I believed this?" Write the answer as a task that starts with a verb. If nothing comes to mind, the idea may be interesting without being useful to you right now. Leave it in Key ideas and move on.

Tick items off as you do them. When every box in Actions is checked, the book has done its job, even if you never open it again.

If an action turns into a regular habit or a recurring block of time, move it out of the book note and into wherever you plan your week, such as a weekly planner template or a time blocking template.

A shorter version for lighter reads

Not every book needs chapter notes. For fiction, short books or anything you read for fun, this version is enough:

# Book title, Author

- One-line summary:
- What stayed with me:
- Favorite quote (p. ):
- [ ] One thing to do or look up because of this book

Using the template in Gubb

We make Gubb, a small notes app for Mac and Windows. It suits the "while reading" part of book notes: one small window you can keep beside an ebook or open on your desk next to a paper book.

Gubb turns Markdown markers into formatting when you type them at the start of a line and press Space:

  • #, ## or ###, then Space, for headings.
  • -, then Space, for a bulleted list. 1., then Space, for a numbered list.
  • [ ], then Space, for a checklist item. Click the box to tick it, and checked items are struck through.

Because the conversion happens as you type, build the template in a Gubb note line by line rather than relying on a pasted block. Press Return in a list or checklist to add the next item, and Return on an empty item to leave the list. For checklist lines, type [ ] on its own rather than - [ ]. The full set of typing shortcuts is in the notes section of the help center.

A few Gubb features help with reading specifically:

  • Pin window on top keeps your notes visible over an ebook reader or PDF. Move the pointer to the right edge of the note and click the pin button.
  • Clipboard History keeps the text you copy from an ebook, so you can add quotes to your notes later with Paste to note. Open the panel (right edge ▸ Clipboard History) at the start of a reading session, because capture starts only when the panel is first opened. It stores text only, and it stores everything you copy as text, including passwords, so clear it with Clear History if that matters to you.
  • Speech to Text lets you say your reaction to a chapter out loud and inserts the transcript into the note at the cursor. For on-device transcription, download a Whisper model in Settings ▸ Voice to Text, then select it under Active Model. Local mode is English-only and transcribes only the first 30 seconds of each recording, so record one chapter reaction at a time.
  • Search notes... matches note titles and the first 50 characters of each note, so keep the book title on the first line to find each book quickly.

Know the limits before you build a whole reading library in Gubb. Notes live in a local database, not as .md files, and Gubb has no folders, tags or backlinks. The Markdown export currently doesn't produce readable Markdown, so to move a note elsewhere, press ⌘⇧C (Command-Shift-C). That copies the whole note as plain text rather than Markdown, with bullet items as "•" lines.

If you want years of book notes tagged and linked, a fuller notes app such as Bear (tags and links between notes) or Obsidian (Markdown notes stored in local vaults) is a better long-term home. One workable split is to take notes in a quick scratchpad while reading, then move the finished note there.

Gubb costs $59 once for a lifetime license on gubb.net as of November 2026, and the Mac download includes a 7-day free trial.

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