Book journaling... (Yeah Its a thing)!

I never thought of book journaling until I got serious about tracking my reading and the books I wanted to buy. It all begun with my goodreads account; of which I have been a regular (almost daily) user for over three years. I use the app to keep track of books I have read, want to buy and have lent out. While the app and site are wonderful however, it does not allow me to really keep track of quotes. Thoughts and sometimes raw emotions

that a book can invoke. So here comes the book journal. I have given these as gifts but until a year ago never thought to get myself one. The beauty of journalling is that it allows you to rant and rave in a way that you may not want to do on a website. It allows you to also write out all the feelings you have about the book your reading while your reading. No need to quickly tweet it, or put it on facebook or goodreads; when you can just write a quick note in your journal and move on.

(This is when post notes can become your friend too; so easy to just stick them to the pages of your book.) Another awesome thing about book journaling is that for the aspiring writer it gets you to write in depth about what you love and may hate about a character, scene etc. It could inspire you to try out different scene/world buliding techniques; change the way you describe objects or characters. God knows Stephen King changed the way I structured chapters and inspired me to not ramble on and on but, to get to the point quickly. Book Journaling is also helpful in helping you decide what books to read next. By simply fliping through your journal ever now and again you may rediscover and author that you liked. Or may want to reread a book again to see if you get the same reaction from it. This happened to me with The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson; the second time around I had a deeper appreciation for the book and the love story of Marianne and the main character. Also journaling is down right therapeutic; so why not combine your love of reading with writing too. I am sure you'll learn more about yourself as you journal. I know I have.

*My journal is the Booklovers Journal bu Moleskin; its available at Barnes and Noble for 20$ and at amazon.com for 17$)