Time for my first Post (click on white square to view)

Hi from Yvonne!

Why Keep a Reading Journal?

After fighting the idea for several months (or even years), I finally decided to follow my friend's advice and start a reading journal. I had tried all of the excuses: why bother, it sounds like homework, what if I forget. However, when our group met for a book group, I found the journal quite useful. I write the title, author and publication date. For books of fiction, I would take note of the setting (time and place), the main characters, the main idea of the book or theme. It was not long, only several sentences. For non-fiction I would take note of main ideas. I often put a sentence or two about my reaction to the book, the author's writing style and whatever came to mind. There are 3 – 5 entries on each journal page. Now I have several volumes of journal. About once a month (or season, if I get behind), I enter the book titles in an alphabetized notebook, using the author's last name. I left many blank lines after favorite authors so I could add to it. Now that notebook is filling up, I am not sure what my next step will be. At the book club, though, someone might say “What Kingsolver books have you read?” it is nice to have an answer. Not all journals are the same, so you can develop your own style. One of our readers put all of the book titles she has read on the computer in Excel, the title of each book can be located quickly. To each his own!