Good morfterevening, fellow bookworms! (I hope that’s a good intro, still trying to figure it out…)
Personally, a 2021 resolution of mine was to read more. In trying to develop steps to hold myself up to this challenge I developed this blog- with the promise to read at least one novel a month, but there’s one more item that I hope will help me- my Literary Journeys journal. You can purchase this journal on the Barnes and Noble website. The reason why I bought this journal is because, not only does it include dates so I know when I started and finished a book, but it includes more personalized sections like “favorite quotes” which allows me to revisit favorite passages after I’m done reading. I also appreciate the structure of a journal because I appreciate structure in general, and there’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with filling it all in once you’re done with a book.
There’s one final aspect of this journal that I want to touch on that is a little more personal and embarrassing to admit. When I used to read as a teenager the journey of my imagination that the novel took me on was a feeling that would carry me for weeks or maybe even a month. I immersed myself in whatever world was laid out by the author and I truly felt like whatever life lesson the characters were learning I was learning and embracing with them. I haven’t felt like that in a few years. I haven’t felt so attached to a novel that I feel like I have to sit with it for a moment and meditate. As I grew up and as that feeling dissipated my nose in a book on the subway devolved into my nose in my phone on social media. Now, I don’t think any journal on its own will bring that feeling back, but just the act of finishing a book and sitting back and writing about it is a nice shell of that meditative moment I mentioned before. This is just a baby step and I have been enjoying it so far.
I recommend you also start your own journal. Maybe you don’t care to write your favorite quotes down, maybe you create your own with stickers or drawings instead. I may personalize my Literary Journeys journal myself and include sections that I want to focus on. Let’s make this journey as warm and fulfilling as possible. In my opinion self-reflecting and reading go hand in hand and I’m excited to rediscover that natural occurrence this year with all of you; I look forward to hearing how you’ll structure your journal in the comments below.
P.S. The first book I’ll be doing a review on is “Children of Blood and Bone” and the review will be up the first weekend of February. I hope you all take this month to read it with me and we can discuss together.
The Kind Book Club 