Reading Journal

As you probably already know, I’m big on journals. I think currently I have about 7 in progress. I keep several going on at the same time because each one has a different focus. Some I write in almost daily and there are others that I may write in once a month so that’s why there are so many.

In the past I’ve tried keeping reading notes but usually without much success and most of the notes were scattered around on post-its, catch-all journals, word doc, etc. But late in 2022 or so I started seeing YouTube videos and Instagram posts on reading journals/planners.

There is so much creativity out there! Some people go all out with their decorations and designs. Of course as someone who journals, I thought I want to do that too but then I thought, I already have a blog and an Excel spreadsheet where I track my reading so do I really need to add another thing to keep up with? For example, I’ve seen some where readers track their reading hours spent daily or pages read daily. Which is great but again, do I really have the time and energy for all of this?

I started thinking about why I needed this and what I was really looking for was just a notebook dedicated to my reading notes and this time make a concentrated effort to keep up with it. The reason is that as you know, I’m always behind on book reviews so if I can take some notes I have a much better chance of remembering my thoughts on the book. Also if there’s a sentence or thought I want to remember, I can jot it down and refer to it later.

So I’m very happy to report I started a reading notes journal in January 2023 and I kept up with it all year. The set up is very simple, a picture of the cover of the book and then my notes. Sometimes I take more notes than other times. It just depends.

As you can see on the journal covers, I just used a sticker or image and I did some (wonky) rubber stamping on vintage paper to add the year. I used the Baron Fig Vanguard dot-grid notebooks. I like their size (I use the flagship size) and that they are soft covers so they are easy to add in my purse or tote bag if I’m reading away from home and still want to take my journal with me.

For my journal for 2024 I did use the first page in the journal to jot down some reading goals (which if you know me, are not set in stone!) and of course had to use some book-themed stickers.

Anyway, I’m excited to continue with this reading notes format and I hope you enjoyed this and would love to hear how you keep track of your reading notes. Do you mark up your books or do you also have a reading journal?

...Read More

Currently Reading

Well here we are just a couple of weeks into the new year and I’m already two books behind on my GoodReads reading goal! haha… I love to set a number and think about the different genres I want to read over the year but it’s basically ideas. If I meet these goals or not, what matters is that I’m enjoying my reading and here’s what I’m reading lately.

Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher. This was my first book of the year and it’s such a good and engrossing story but I had to put it aside to focus on a book for my upcoming book group.

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. The protagonist is a young man who can’t speak after suffering trauma as a young child. He’s has quite a unique talent though in that no lock is a deterrent and of course bad things are about to happen.

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt. Bob Comet is an older gentleman who was a former librarian and one day he decides to volunteer at a senior center. Honestly the first half of this was engaging but somewhere along the way I feel like I’m reading a totally different book. There’s a lot more focus on some other characters from Bob’s young age and the story is just dragging.

I hope to finish one of these books soon and given that we are expecting frigid weather conditions in the next few days then I’m planning to stay in with some warm drinks and my books. Hope you all stay warm and safe!

...Read More

New Releases for January

A new year and lots of new books are hitting the shelves. As usual, I’m grateful for the opportunity for the advance review copes from Netgalley and the publishers. I’ve got a bit of everything here so let me tell you what’s on my radar:

Split by Alida Bremer. It’s 1936. The seaside-resort village of Split on the Adriatic coast bustles with tourists and émigrés. But as war in Europe looms, Split is also a nest of spies, fascists, and smugglers. Then one summer morning it becomes the scene of a murder investigation when a corpse is found entangled in fishing nets in the port. On sale 1/1/2024.

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga. A thriller about a down on his luck ex-cop who is thrown in prison and is about to fight the most dangerous convicts in Missouri when the prison security system fails. On sale 1/2/2024.

The Silence in her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa. A psychological thriller about a young woman with a rare neurological condition who is convinced her neighbor is going to be murdered. On sale 1/16/2024.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James. The story follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making. On sale 1/23/2024.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn. A thriller set in a remote rehab clinic on the Pacific Northwest coast, in which the death of a woman inside prompts her sister to enter the clinic as a patient in order to find the truth. On sale 1/23/2024.

Held by Anne Michaels. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory as the snow falls. A narrative that spans four generations. On sale 1/30/2024.

Which one to start with first? That’s going to be a tough decision. Let me know which one you’d choose.

...Read More