Select a novel or work of literary nonfiction to read on your own and write about in a series of journal entries. This should be a book that is new to you (you haven’t read before), that you find interesting, and that challenges you.
• What led you to choose this book? What did you expect when you started, and how is the book living up to (or not living up to) your expectations?
• Summarize a significant scene from the book. What makes this scene important?
• Who is the central character in the book? What do you know about them (actions, thoughts, feelings, relationships, events, etc.)?
• What have you found in this book that you can relate to, that speaks to your personal experiences, thoughts, or feelings?
• What have you found in this book that has introduced new ideas to you? How are these ideas valuable to you?
• Where in the book have you struggled, either to maintain focus or to understand? What strategies have you used to work through these struggles?
• What is the historical context of this book? How does the time in which it was written, or in which it takes place, affect the meaning you are making of the book?
• What, if any, political message or political relevance does the book have? What techniques does the author use to make a political point? How effective are they?
• If you were casting a movie for this book, who would play the lead roles and why?
• What does the book suggest about the culture in which the story is set? What, if anything, does it suggest about our culture today?
• What is one of the central conflicts of the book? Why is this an important conflict to the characters? How do you predict it will be resolved?
• If you were creating a soundtrack for the movie of this book, what are five songs you would include? Why?
• Pick a minor character in the book to describe. What role does the character play in advancing the main plot or action of the book?
• A friend asks you whether you would recommend this book. What do you say, and why?
• Would you classify your book as literature? Why or why not?
• What universal theme or themes are explored in your book?
• What do you notice about the writer’s craft? Give examples of where you see literary techniques at work, and what effect they have.
• What has been surprising about the experience of reading this book?
Sample Solution