My Favorite Book Tote

I have a lot of reading projects going on.  At the beginning of the year, my sister encouraged me to a reading challenge (Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church in one year).  I also set a goal to read two novels a month (I keep tabs of what I have read on Goodreads).   Throw in a couple of group reading projects as well, and gosh!  I really needed to organize myself.

Last fall, a friend told me about this cute tote from Thirty-One bags.  She uses a couple in her house and is quite pleased.  So I gave it a try.  (The available patterns for this tote change depending on the season.)

This is not a reimbursed endorsement of any kind.  It is a product that I really like and just wanted to share with y'all.

With two roomy compartments inside, I am able to put many items into this tote.

Let's see...

Inside one of the compartments, I store my colored pencils and markers/highlighters.  I use them for my daily planner.  (I fill the inside of the planner in with color and doodling but not so much the cover of the planner.)

This is my favorite daily planner.  Hands down.  It can be found over at Catholic Sistas and is worth ever. single. penny.

My Kindle is kept in my tote as well.  It's an old one, but still works.

There's room for my Bible.

It is very important to be using a Catholic Bible, especially if you are Catholic.  The Catholic Bible includes the New Testament and Old Testament and several books excluded by the Protestants.

Bibles make great gifts for children, teens, and adults.  Catholic Bibles editions include the following: The New American Bible (NAB), Revived Standard Version - Catholic Edition (RSV-CE), Douay Rhimes (the earliest translation from the Original Latin), and the Navarre Bible.

My Catechism of the Catholic Church is too large to put in my tote.  It's an original edition, a gift from my in-laws (when David and I just started dating - pretty intuitive I thought).

When praying a novena, I keep this little nugget tucked inside as well ::

You will currently find, Stories of Grace, inside.  I am participating in a 31 day Bible/book study using using it (based on the parables of Jesus).

You can find beautiful book studies over at, Take Up & Read.  They have an amazing online community and offer a an email subscription as well.

Each side of the tote has a set of pockets in which I store pencils, pens, sharpener, ear buds, and chords & chargers.

The tote is sturdy and easy to carry.  The only negative thing I found is that the balance can be thrown off causing the tote to tip, but by shifting books (weight) around, that issue can be easily remedied.

I love having everything in one place, right at my fingertips.  It's a perfect tote if you have kids in sports and you are sitting around waiting for practice to get over.  On road trips, just grab and go.  It is so convenient.

Lastly, how I use my tote isn't necessarily how you have to use it.  And with all the different patterns available, the possibilities are endless.

Patty