Book Journaling

Ok for those of you who are extreme bookworms (like yours truly =)) I recommend you keep a book journal. A book journal is a great place to react to what you read! You can find out exactly how you feel about the characters, you can gain insight about the theme or plot, and you can expand your overall enjoyment of the book! It's like having a record of all the books you've read!

When writing in my book journal I write the:
Title of the book
Author
Copyright
Number of pages
Paperback or hardcover
Date I started and the date I finished
ISBN
and my thoughts/comments

I also write any words in the books I don't know and then write the definition of them in the journal after I look them up (I've learned some weird words after doing this!) I also draw little doodles and drawings and write any writings/quotes/sayings in the book that I like and think sounds cool (I've also learned some really cool sayings after doing this).

Keeping a book journal is fun and you can learn a lot more about the book you're reading by keeping one. You can expand and get into details with you're journal (by answering questions like how do you feel about the characters/about the chapter or you're emotions about chapters) or you can do the journal very simple, easy, and basic like me the things I listed above!

Click here to see a list of questions to answer in your book journal when reading a book if you want to keep a detailed book journal. Otherwise, to keep a simple book journal just refer to the list above in the middle of this post!

Happy Journaling!!!

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

***5 stars***
Gold Star Award

Synopsis (From Barnes&Noble): Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.
Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished. How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.

This book was amazing! It was the fastest I've ever read a book because it kept me reading and it kept me turning the page and it kept me interested! It's a mystery/thriller book, which you can tell right after the first few chapters when you find yourself wondering what's going to happen next. Best friends separated after years of drifting apart, all have secrets that they've tried to bury and never bring up again.

But when they all start getting messages from someone named A threatening to reveal them of all their secrets they've tried to hide, they start to freak out. Not only are they scared A is going to reveal their individual secrets, but an even bigger secret they all share. The suspense throughout this book is almost unbearable. With romance, drama, secrets, and the mysteries and thrill of who A is and why they have something against all four girls, something against them big enough to reveal their secrets and ruin their image (and possibly lives), you'll love and enjoy this book as much as I did! I guarantee!

Click here to visit the official Pretty Little Liars website and get info on the rest of the PLL series, a bio of the author, sign up for the newsletter, and enter contests to win books in the Pretty Little Liars series!

• HarperCollins Publishers (Pub. Date August 2007
• ISBN-13: 9780060887322
• YA Book, Pretty Little Liars Series, #1
  

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

***5 stars***

Synopsis (From Barnes&Noble): Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

This story is truly deep and inspiring. This book is about a teenage girl named Hannah Baker who commits suicide and records the reasons why she ended her life on audiotapes. The reasons are different people who did something to her that affected emotionally and/or mentally. Before she killed herself she mailed the tapes to the first person on her list. After listening to their story (or their choice of listening to all the stories) they're told to send the tapes to the person after their story.

This story has been questioned by parents. They don't think that a book about suicide is the appropriate type of book for their teens to read, but they are completely wrong. Teenagers who have read this book and were having suicidal thoughts have actually gotten help after reading this. Many said it made them realize that they need to get help with their depression. The author has gotten many letters from kids all of the country thanking him for making such a book that taught them a lesson rather than giving them ideas. This story has opened their eyes to see that no matter what they are going through or how hard life is suicide is NEVER an option. This book isn't only for teens who have depression or suicidal thought but for any teen willing to read a good book!

Go to www.thirteenreasonswhy.com for reader comments, reviews, a synopsis of the book, a small excerpt from the book, info about the author, and other links to more websites about the author, Jay Asher, and the book, 13 Reasons Why.

• Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated (Pub. Date October 2007)
• ISBN-13: 9781595141712
• Young Adult book
  

• 
  

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

***5 stars***

"I Know Your Secret . . ."

Synopsis (From Barnes&Noble): It started with weird e-mails and freaky phone calls. Now someone's leaving Drea white lilies-the same death lilies that have been showing up in Stacy's dreams. Everybody thinks it's just a twisted game . . . until another girl at school is brutally murdered.

There are no witnesses. Worst of all, no one has a perfect alibi. With everyone as a potential suspect, Stacy turns to the one secret weapon she can trust-the folk magic taught to her by her grandmother. Will Stacy's magic be strong enough to expose the true killer, or will the killer make her darkest nightmares come true?

This book is one mystery/thriller you won't want to put down! Stacey Brown, a student at a coed boarding school, has just recently gotten over a traumatic event in her life. See Stacey is not normal. She has premonitions about upcoming disasters in her dreams.

The premonitions start to come back when she starts having dreams about her best friend/roommate, Drea, and a dangerous stalker following her. Stacey doesn't automatically jump to conclusions and keeps the dreams to herself. Until different signs start show. First, she does a card reading for Drea and sees the death card. Then she notices that a strange man is continuously calling Drea and knows what she's doing while he's talking to her.

With all the clues lining up, Stacey's on the clock to find out who's stalking Drea before he finds her. And possibly kills her. This book was a big page turner. I wanted to stay up as late as I could just to read it. One night I even stayed up, literally, until 3:00AM. Every chapter left me wanting more and every page was ALWAYS suspense filled. Anyone who likes the mystery/thriller genre will definitely love this book, I guarantee!

Go to www.lauriestolarz.com to not only see Blue is for Nightmares but other books the author, Laurie Stolarz, has written. Also get a bio on the author, see awards her books have won, sign up for the newsletter, and more!

• Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD. (Pub. Date November 2003)
• Young Adult book, Blue is for Nightmares Series, #1
• ISBN-13: 9780738703916

Hi!

Hey hey! I'm Alisha a.k.a. alisharo. One of my favorite pastimes is reading. It makes me smart and more importantly keeps me out of trouble! If I said I know what I'm going to be blogging about I'd be lying! I do know, however, I love to read, write, create, and listen to music. So I'm guessing maybe... I'll blog book reviews, writing tips, stories of my own, and reviews on CDs? I don't know. I also don't know how much I will actually update this but I will make sure it's AT LEAST weekly if not every other day.

Just so you know what to look out for, my favorite genre of books are mystery/thriller/suspense. I read both YA books and adult books but I mostly read YA books because it's kind of hard to find really good adult books but it's easy to find good YA books. I hate books like Gossip Girl and The Clique. Really fake books where in it there are rich people who put everyone else down. Those are just not my type of books.

Also my favorite genre of songs are alternative, pop, and rock. Some of my favorite artists include Paramore, Charlotte Sometimes, Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, 3OH!3, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and Green Day, just to name a few. I pretty much listen to anything except heavy metal or anything with screaming it and that would give me a huge headache.

Although I may occasionally review albums/CDs, this is mainly a book blog F.Y.I. So please enjoy and happy reading! (I'll say this until I can come up with a better catch phrase!)