Are you the type of person who loves having a paper & pen way to keep track of the books you’ve read? Then please join me today in welcoming Janet Sketchley to the blog today to chat about her new book lover’s journal, Reads to Remember!
Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer who likes her fiction with a splash of mystery or adventure and a dash of Christianity. Why leave faith out of our stories if it’s part of our lives? You can find Janet online at https://janetsketchley.ca/
You can also connect with Janet on Facebook and Twitter.
READS TO REMEMBER
GENRE: Book Lover’s Journal
PUBLISHER: Janet Sketchley
RELEASE DATE: February 8, 2020
PAGES: 132
Do you love reading?
Whether it’s a book a day or a book a year, in print, digital, or audio, this reader’s journal is the perfect way to track the next 100 books in your life.
Jot your reactions and reflections.
Note key details:author
subject
format
date finished
rating
favourite lines
and moreTrack your reading habits across genre/subject.
List those rare, life-impacting reads.
Manage your to-read list.Includes bookmarks you can cut out and colour for the print books on your list.
Happy reading!
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Alternate Cover:
Hi Janet! Welcome to the blog!
Janet: Cats! I like dogs too, but cats 😊 They have such self-possession. I may be biased from having a wonderful cat in my childhood.
Carrie: those pets we have in childhood really set our course, don’t they?
Janet: Right now there are at least 65 kinds of tea in our cupboard. And one tin of coffee in the freezer. Tea wins!
Carrie: hahaha
Janet: Music lifts my spirits, helps me worship, and can even help me run better (sometimes!).
Carrie: I was with you until the running… lol
Janet: I mostly read ebooks, and they have a lot going for them. But honestly? I prefer print. Especially mass-market paperbacks, which for some reason feel like summer vacation to me.
Carrie: Ebooks are great & so convenient but there’s something so special about holding a print copy.
Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?
Janet: Oh, I do have a superpower! I can untangle things like yarn, necklaces, and Slinkies™ — not the power I’d have chosen, but it serves me well.
Carrie: hahaha i love that!
Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood?
Janet: Meg Murry, from A Wrinkle in Time. I really related to Meg, and I kind of hoped I’d grow up to be like her mom. I chose not to see the movie because it couldn’t be the same as what I imagined 😊
Carrie: exactly! (Meg is one of my faves too)
Q: Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?
Janet: I have a comfy chair in a corner of my bedroom, where I like to hide away with my laptop and imaginary friends. When my children were small and the chair was in the living room, they called it the “snuggle chair” and that’s where we used to read together.
Carrie: awww that’s so sweet!!
Q: Why did you decide to publish a reading journal?
Janet: Back in the old days, pre-internet, I used to keep track of my reading with a list in the back of a notebook. I eventually migrated to Goodreads, but last year I watched a webinar on making various types of journals and thought “I can do that for books.” It started as a fun project and took way more time than I expected, but I’m pleased with the result. If you search for “reading journal” on Amazon, you’ll see that either they’re pretty popular or a lot of us have wasted a bunch of time making something we think people will like. Confession time: I’m still using Goodreads, myself. I like being able to search my book list. But my 20-something son asked for one of my journals. And my husband’s talking about using one.
Carrie: That’s awesome! (I’m a Goodreads person myself too but i know A LOT of people who prefer using a paper/pen journal too)
Q: How have your reading habits / preferences changed over the past few years?
Janet: I still read across genres, mostly Christian fiction or clean mainstream reads, but the more I see of tragedy, bad news, and frightening world events the “tamer” I need my suspense fiction to be. I’m turning into a somewhat timid reader. Maybe that’s part of why I’ve shifted from writing suspense to mysteries.
Carrie: that’s really interesting – and I know several people have been wanting lighter reads right now. I love mysteries but I also still love suspense novels because of the justice that goes along with them. It does my heart good to see that evil doesn’t win.
Q: Do you have any ‘secret reader confessions’ that you don’t mind sharing with us?
Janet: I may *ahem* have been known to dogear the occasional page. With nonfiction, I even underline key passages. Fiction-wise, I confess I prefer to have the romance as a secondary thread to another plot. A risky thing to admit on a blog where swoon-worthy kisses are celebrated!
Carrie: hahaha that’s ok – you’re still welcome here 😉 You’ll probably get in trouble more for the dogeared pages … but I do that too so I’ll stand with you lol.
Q: Why do you think it’s important to keep track of the books we read & what can people expect to find in your reading journal?
Janet: We’re all readers here, and we love our books! This sounds silly, but in a way I think remembering the books we’ve read is a form of respecting them. It accounts for the time we’ve spent, and we can look back and say it was valuable (or not so valuable—sometimes we just need to unwind!).
Also, on a more practical level it’s good to be able to look back and see if we’ve read a particular book, and perhaps find some details to jog our memories. It might even save us buying the same book twice.
For Reads to Remember, I wanted to make a journal with room for plenty of book-geeky things. Each of our next 100 reads has its own page, with space to record the standard information plus more: why I chose this book, who I think would like it, where this book is now. There’s plenty of room for writing our reactions, reflections and best-loved lines. Instead of stars, we have hearts because we’re going to love at least something about these books, right? Readers who like to colour can even use different shades for different genres.
For the list-lovers among us, the book has charts to record books we own, favourite books, favourite authors, our to-read list, and to track genres/subjects we’ve read. There are also tips on writing reviews and a page of bookmarks to cut out and colour for the print books in our lives.
Carrie: What a great resource, Janet!
Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.
Janet: Thanks for having me, Carrie. You ask fun questions! Next for me… I’m in the middle of planning my next Green Dory Inn mystery, and itching to dive into writing the first draft. I’m almost ready!
Janet Sketchley is offering a copy of Reads to Remember (winner’s choice of cover) to TWO of my readers! (US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What interests you most about Reads to Remember and/or my Q&A with Janet Sketchley?
This looks like something my daughter would love! I enjoyed the Q&A!
Doesn’t Carrie ask fun questions? Thanks for reading, Julie!
aww thanks, Janet!
thanks, Julie!
I like keeping track of the books I read and this would be a great way to do so.
Thanks, Dianne. It’s good to be able to look back at what we’ve read!
It is always exciting to discover new authors 🙂
It sure is, Natalya! I wish we could discover more time to read!
What an interesting concept. I should keep better track of what I read.
Jocelyn, one thing I’d hoped tracking my books would do is keep me from buying the same one twice. Except it didn’t! But it’s helpful to be able to look back when we want to.
In 2011, I started keeping a spreadsheet of books I read with a recap, so I can remember what I liked/disliked about them. This comes in especially handy if I need a refresher while reading a series and the books are a year apart. I also started writing down lines and scenes I liked in the book. It’s fun to go back and read them. This journal would be great to have.
Great idea, Amy! Especially the refresher notes for when the next part of a series comes out.
oh that is a great idea!
I am a tea drinker as well. Your answers are entertaining and enjoyable. What a great interview. Since I am an avid reader keeping track of books is important and helpful. I am Canadian but live int he U.S. and looked up your captivating novels.
Hi, fellow Canadian! Avid readers are probably the ones who most need to keep track of what we read, since we read so much. Thanks for checking out my novels, Anne.
Sounds really great
What a great interview! Before goodreads I used to have an excel spreadsheet for all the books I’ve read. Was quite intense to set up lol.
When I was little I used to eat up Madeleine L’Engle. A Wrinkle in Time was always a favourite
Spreadsheets can take a while to set up, but once we get them they’re useful! I always think it’s funny when we’re using them for words instead of for the numbers and calculations one might expect. Words, I can do. Spreadsheet calculations, I ask for help!
Heather, have you read the new-ish biography of Madeleine L’Engle, A Light so Lovely? The library has it, or they will have it when they open so I can return it!
one of my enduring faves, too!
Reads to Remember sounds like a fun way to keep track of ones reading history.
Thanks, Caryl!
I do believe I may have about 65 different kinds of tea in my cupboard, too! And what a fabulous idea this journal is. I think I would also use it for keeping track of content for when I write a review. Great interview, too. Thanks, Carrie and Janet! 🙂
Glynis, I’m glad I’m not alone in having a tea stash! And that’s a great idea, to use the journal space for review notes.
This journal would be awesome to keep track of the books I read. The description of how its laid out sounds very nice.
Thanks, Bernice. Happy reading!
Thank you for this giveaway. I love to keep track of the books I have read.
Marilyn
Keeping track can be part of the fun!
interesting about the reading journal
Thanks!