Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

J.K.Rowling wrote “I do believe something magical can happen when you read a good book.” I have always been a reader. When I was a youngster, my favorite place to read was a tree in our backyard. As I grew up, I read fairy tales, adventure stories, biographies, and historical fiction. In my bookcase Nancy Drew mysteries share spaces with Murder She Wrote books, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Diaries, various westerners, and oh yes, some religious, craft and teacher manuals as well.

Books have always been a gateway for me to travel to distant lands, form pictures in my head and lead me on adventures to the Revolutionary War, a prairie in Wyoming or a tea party with Jane Austen.

It wasn’t until I started journaling that I became aware of my literary journey that went way beyond those composition book reports we wrote in school. We’ve all been there when we close the final sentence in a book, heave a sigh and exclaim “now that was a great book!”

All the pages of your book journal should feature the book title, author, publisher, page content, other books to read by the author, your rating, notes. For purposes here I have divided the genres into the following categories with possible prompts/questions: classic, modern, romance, sci-to, horror, mystery, self-help, my favorites, book club, and TBR.

Some questions for Classic literature:

• Describe the setting and time period.
• What character (real or imagined) was the most important to the Story?
• What was the conflict?
• What was your favorite part of the story?
• How did you feel about the ending?

Modern stories:

• Did the Story reflect on your own life?
• Could the Story actually happen?

Romance stories:

• Could you tell from the title what the Story was about?
• How realistic was the Story?
• Describe the characters. Was the relationship a “good fit”?
• Was there a “happily ever after”ending?

Sci-fi stories:

• What prompted you to read the book?Do
• Did you like the Story?
• Could this book be made into a movie?

Horror stories:

(Disclaimer-not my favorite genre in book form, tv, or movie!! In fact, Silence of the lambs (a book and a movie) gave me nightmares for weeks!

• Were you on the edge of your seat?
• Did you finish the book?
• Was there a hero?
• How did the book make you feel?

Mystery stories:

• How intriguing was the plot?
• We’re the characters “real” to you?
• Was there a villain?
• Did you solve the crime early?

Self-Help books:

• Why did you buy this book and did it help you?
• Have you applied any principals or advice from the book to your life?

Favorite stories:

Title, genre, &Times read

Favorite authors – genre, #of books read, favorite one

Books that changed my life – title, author, genre, why and what are your favorite things about the book?

Quotes – title, author, page #

Book Club

• Books to read
• Meeting times and notes

TBR (this category tends to take up many pages)

~~~~and as they say, “that’s all folks!”

~Sallie