Kick Your Reading Life Up a Notch

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Reading is an essential activity in my Heartspoken Life for all the reasons we all love to be entertained, educated, or transported. It’s no wonder I gravitate towards any book, product, or service that promises to help me get more out of the time I spend reading — either to read more books (without sacrificing the quality of my reading) or to get more out of the books I do read so I can squeeze all the bookish juices out of every one. Here are some of the resources I love.

Keep a reading journal

Not only is my reading journal a log I can peruse and review to compare my current reading life from year to year, but the act of writing down (yes, by hand with a pen) my thoughts and impressions after each book helps me get clear on what I liked and didn’t like and to note the ways the book might have impacted me, expanded my thinking, or taught me something new. Here’s more on why I love to do this: “10 Great Reasons To Keep A Reading Journal.”

My favorite journal notebook: The LEUCHTTURM1917 — Medium A5 Plain Hardcover Notebooks. They come in many wonderful colors, and you can choose unlined, ruled, or dotted pages. The pens I prefer are EnerGel Liquid Gel Pens, available in many colors too. These write like a fountain pen but the ink doesn’t bleed through the pages. If you like an eraseable pen that writes beautifully too…