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Rating: 
Summary: It was okay. . .
Review: I'd have to check out other reading journals before I'd buy another of these. Five pages are allotted for reflection of the book; three of those pages have pre-printed guide questions (about characters, the ending, and your prediction of the book's staying power) at the top of the page, which I felt a strange obligation to stick to. I felt weird leaving blank space, though I did with many entries. There were a few books that I clipped in extra pages so I could keep digesting the book on paper.Perhaps a blank journal would suit me better, but I do like having those guide questions; I sometimes need that little kick to get me to really think about what I've just read.
Rating: 
Summary: A reviewer's refresher and pleasure
Review: The success of a book like this to the individual reader depends on what the reader was looking for. I wanted something to help me break out of what I felt was my reviewer's rut. I've been reviewing books for almost 20 years and find that I tend to look at each much the same way. This little volume has helped me out of that rut and into some useful and original thinking about the books I'm reading. Although admonitions like, "jot down the book's strengths and weaknesses" and "write down questions that arise" were nothing new to me, thinking of putting myself into the life of a character in fiction or considering what I'd ask the author of a nonfiction book if he or she came by for a visit caught my attention along with several other extremely useful suggestions. By the time I've read 25 books and noted my reactions to them according to these guidelines I'm sure I'll have broadened my perspectives considerably as far as book reviewing is concerned. As for deepening my pleasure in reading, it's hard to imagine but it is possible! Natalie Goldberg, who is familiar to most writers as a superb teacher and mentor (WRITING DOWN THE BONES, THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, and LIVING COLOR), says in her introduction, "This journal gives the reader the opportunity to have double pleasure like a double latte: Not only do you get to read the book, but then you get to savor the taste, roll it around in your mouth, and feel its complete flavor." That has always been the pleasure that reviewers discover as they ply their craft. Now, thanks to Robin Doak, the pleasure is available to everyone.
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