Good Reads | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

Where do you find your next book?

06 Nov 2019 Comments Off on Where do you find your next book?

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: books, Good Reads, Library

Dear Fellow Journalers,

It occurred to me this week while I was reading the last few pages of my latest read “The British are Coming” by Rick Atkinson, that my book challenge on Good Reads was coming to an end. My list of titles this year was eclectic to say the least: 8 true stories, 3 Cozy Mysteries, 6 Fiction, 3Self-Help, 1Western among others.

I bet your list of read books is about the same as mine. I also can attest to the fact that my TBR (to be read) pile of books has grown also. So I thought I’d take a look at our Reading Journal and bring you an update on articles I have found over the year.

Where do you find your next great read?

According to a recent library article there are (believe it or not) somewhere between 600,000 and 100,000 books published every year in the US alone.Now, if you were to purchase all your favorites from B & N ( Barnes & Noble) you’d be feeding an expensive hobby. Luckily your local library has come to your rescue. Most libraries in the US belong to a consortium which means if they don’t have the latest “xxyy” title, they will check the other 30 or so libraries in the group. There are also hold systems, so you can get your hands on “xxyy” eventually. Also, have you checked your library book sales?

If you have a Kindle or other e-reader you can download. books from apps like OverDrive, Amazon, Libby, or RBDigital. If your community has a used book or Thrift Store, you will find books of all kinds at the fraction of the original cost. Lastly, you can start a book swap with friends.

One of the ways that I have kept prices down are to keep a wish list of books on my Amazon wish list. Once a month I check the prices against my library catalog and other apps. When the price point is close to my comfort level, I buy it or borrow it if I can.

What have you read lately?

~Sallie

Revisit Reading Journals

04 Sep 2019 Comments Off on Revisit Reading Journals

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: challenge, Good Reads, Reading journal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I thought I’d revisit some old journals that we have talked about in the past. One of the most read series of posts has been the Reading Journal.While much can be said the idea of a Reading Challenge caught my eye. Our local library sponsored a Summer Reading Challenge for adults and children this year and I thought I would share some of the book themes they suggested. This challenge is not so much as how many books you read ( Good Reads) but in what types.

Read a book with more than 500 pages.
Read a genre you don’t usually read.
Read a book published from a decade before you were born.
Read a non-fiction book about science.
‘re-read a book you read in high school.
Read a travel book.
Read a book with a type of food in its title.
Read a book with a decorative cover.
Read a poetry book
Listen to audio book.

~Sallie

Reading Journal

02 Jan 2019 Comments Off on Reading Journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Reading Journals Tags: Good Reads, Reading journal, Twilight Zone

Dear Fellow Journaler,

Can reading a book change your life?

We, who love to read, write about our favorites, share our books at book clubs and with friends, and who have stacks of UN-read books agree wholeheartedly. That’s where the idea of a Reading Journal came from, at least for me. I met a lady at a book club who told me that after reading a book she would rate it and write a review. In a way, this exercise became her journal.

For the past couple of years I’ve been writing about this type of journal and I have to admit that of all the journals I’ve written this is one of my favorites. Because “my nose is always in a book” I write in it constantly.Every year I participate in the Good Read Reading Challenge. Even though I set my own goals (25-50) and my own genre I always find it interesting at the end of the year to review which books I really liked. This year I read books written by favorite authors and serials by I also read some that I discovered on Book TV. Among those were a couple of political ones and some interesting biographies.

When you’re hunting for the next big read in your life where do you go? When faced with this dilemma I sometimes remember a tv show called The Twilight Zone. One episode stands out of a timid bank clerk who loved to read so much that he almost lost his job and his marriage. He used to take his books to the bank vault to read during his lunch break. You will have to look the episode up on u-tube – it’s called “Time Enough At Last”. My sources are: Bargain Booksey, Over Drive, Book Bub, Book TV, Free Kindle Books, NoveList, Hoopla, Libby, digital, and my local library’s blog.

Where will your next reading adventure take you?

~Sallie