Reading Journals | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

The Great Sleepover

12 Feb 2020 Comments Off on The Great Sleepover

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: The Gladstone Library, travel, UK

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Have you ever dreamt of spending the night in a library? Turns out that the Gladstone Library in Northern Wales, UK is your “Dream come true”. This library, which doubles as a bed and breakfast is 130 years old. There are 36 rooms and each comes with its own collection of books. Guests can stay at the library for one night or months at a time! The library offers many workshops such as the “Writer’s in Residence” and “Writing Animals” all open to anyone at any skill level. Authors share tips and tricks of the trade during a program called “Hearth” which is offered in either November or February each year.

The food offerings vary from locally sourced food to afternoon tea to a traditional Celtic lunch on Sunday.

So, if you’re of a mind and you’re traveling overseas, check out (no pun intended!) The Gladstone Library.

~Sallie

Bookstores

05 Feb 2020 Comments Off on Bookstores

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams, Reading Journals Tags: Book stores, children

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I once walked into a bookstore in Virginia and never wanted to leave. I live in New England (USA) and while there are still great barns and antique shops, quaint book stores are NOT the norm. The bookstores I’m talking about have a great book selection along with comfy chairs, maybe a nook or two with windows, and maybe a cafe.`If they cater to the community they are situated in then you have a definite winner. This past summer I went on a search to find my next great read and found a great bookstore, courtesy of Yankee Magazine. So, for those of you who are “armchair travelers” here’s the short list

R.J.Julia’s in Madison CT –This store on the Connecticut shoreline, is always attracting authors for signings and readings. There’s an on-site (independent owned) cafe that sells food along with signature coffee.

Gibson’s Bookstore -Concord, NH – This store boasts more than 40,000 books! They also have plenty of tables and chairs and a reading schedule.

Northshore Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT – This store is in a converted inn with multiple floors including one completely devoted to children. There is also a cafe and lots of comfy chairs.

“Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find” is a slogan from a store in Montague MA called fittingly Montague Bookmill. Plenty of books and seating.

Maybe you’ll find a hidden gem in one of these absolutely delightful mecca for book lovers.

~Sallie

February Monthly Prompts

01 Feb 2020 Comments Off on February Monthly Prompts

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Monthly journal, Reading Journals Tags: February, love, Reading journal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Yes, this is traditionally the month of love, but we know better. This is the month where we write in our Reading Journal. So these prompts comprise a little bit of everything:

~Sallie

When was the last time you said “I love you?”
What are your 10 favorite romantic movies?
What is your favorite romance novel and why?
Do you have a favorite fairy tale?
What personality trait do you love about yourself?
What have you read recently that inspired you?

Have you read the book?

27 Nov 2019 Comments Off on Have you read the book?

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: book, movie

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Do you ever read a book after you’ve seen the movie?

That would be a big “yup!” from me! So many times I’ve seen a movie review, been intrigued and then after watching the movie investigated whether or not the movie was based on a book and proceeded to read the book. For instance, our local library featured the movie “The 15:17 to Paris” earlier this year which led me to the book of the same name by one of the original participants Anthony Sadler. Another great movie was “The Finest Hours” which led me to “Into the Raging Sea” by the main character/participant Bernie Webber. “The Shack” led me to the book with the same title by William Paul Young and a documentary by Bill O’Reilly “Legends and Lies” which led me to his books about the old west and the patriots.

It goes on and on for me, but the same could lead us to a discussion of TV movies as well. In June of this year, BookBub featured an article “The Biggest Book to Movie Adaptation of the summer” that led me to “A Dog’s Journey”, and “The Art of Racing in the rain”.

So, you see, it goes both ways. What have you read lately that brings you to a greater level of literary enjoyment?

~Sallie

Book Lovers Journal

13 Nov 2019 Comments Off on Book Lovers Journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: Reading 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: