How To Start a Bullet Journal

Having a planner is a necessity to anyone who wants a more structured and efficient life. But trying to figure out what planner to buy can be overwhelming because of the number of planners available on the market and same of the high prices for the more popular planners. Because of this, bullet journaling has become a popular alternative to conventional planners.

But what is bullet journaling?

Bullet Journaling is an analog system created by Ryder Carroll meant to have the combined functions of an agenda, a to-do list, a journal, and a cork board. By using it, you can take any notebook and can track calendar events and write different sets of to-do lists, logging lists (like movies you want to watch or book you’ve completed), or habit trackers all in one place. You can also write journal entries where you talk about your day or just ideas that you have about something that made an impact on you. In addition, you can add any outside papers (like receipts or business cards) by taping them into you bullet journal or putting them into a pocket folder (which can be as simple as taping an envelope to the inside cover of a notebook) in order to keep all of your information in one place. 

Bullet journaling is easier than it sounds. All you need is a notebook and a writing utensil. Instead of buying agendas (some of which have become extremely expensive), ANY notebook can be used for bullet journaling.  

Follow these steps in order to set up your own bullet journal.

1. Choose a notebook. 

2. One of your first blank pages should have your Icon Library. The bullet journal system functions the way it does because it uses symbols to represent different kinds of tasks. The new bullet journal system used a series of different symbols to signify different kinds of tasks (bullets for tasks, circles for events, and a line for notes). I personally remember the Icon Library being a bit more complicated and looking like this (as per my first bullet journal):

But the Icon Library can be customized to suit each journaler's individual needs. In my current bullet journal, I've down sized to a small number if icons I used regularly:

3. After creating an icon library, leave two or more pages free for your Index. The bullet journal system suggests that you number your pages so that you will be able to reference any information stored in the bullet journal by logging entry page numbers in your index. 

As you fill in the pages of your bullet journal with daily to-do's, appointments, and general lists (like Movies to Watch), you can add a subject to your Index and log the page number so that you can go back and check off the movies on your list as you watch them. 

4. Create a monthly spread. The suggested bullet journal set up tells you to writhethe numbers of the days of month in a vertical line going down the page and the first letter of the day of the week right next to it, like so:

On the other side of the page, you can write a monthly to-do list, goals, or track your spending. 

This layout didn't work too well for me. Visually, it's too different from the monthly calendars I look at on my wall. A lot of people draw their own calendars but if you're a lazy journaler like me, printing out cute personal size monthly calendar printables is much easier. This as a result, this is what my monthly calendar looks like: 

My spread includes monthly printables I receive from Design Is Yay. I receive a new monthly calendar at the end of every month for the next upcoming month. In my spread I include a list of monthly goals, notes or reminders for the month, and a list of things to buy. I also include a No Spend tracker where I circle the days I spend and cross out the days I don't. The No Spend does not track how much money I spend or what I've spent to amount on (that I log in my weekly spreads) but it does show me how often I spend money throughout the month. I made my No Spend section by using the calendar wallpapers for Mac and iPad that are sent with the Design Is Yay printables. I cut down the part that only had the dates or the month and pasted that beside my monthly calendar. 

5. Now you can move on to your daily spreads. You can do anything you want with your daily spreads. They can be as simple as writing the date are listing some tasks you need complete. In fact, when I first began bullet journaling, most of my posts looked like this. 

But as time went on, I found that creating a weekly spread in order to plan ahead for the rest of the week was a real lifesaver. I loved that I could use only as much space as I needed for each of my days but couldn't figure out how to remember information/tasks I needed to complete for later that week or for the next week. So I created weekly spreads that look like this:

My weekly spread includes my schedule for the week, has a week of weekly goals I want to accomplish, has space for things I am grateful for throughout the week, and a spending log. For planning ahead of the current week, I leave a blank box that I put post-it notes on, in order to remember information to put on next week's weekly spread. 

After this, I move on to my daily pages. Like stated above, your daily pages can be as simple and functional as you need them to be, but I have recently gotten into minimal decorating. Because of this, I use two pages for each day in my bullet journal. My recent spreads look like this:

I need the space because I like to include a quote and word of the day (seen in the jar and the sticker besides it), a food and fitness tracker, a water intake tracker, along with my schedule for the day, any tv shows I don't want to miss, a general to-do list, a section for work where I include lesson plans, or notes for future tutoring sessions, and a space for daily reflection. 

This can look a bit involved but all I've done is separate my day into sections that I think are important to keep up with or that I want to track and decorated with a small amount washi tape and stickers.

In between your daily pages, feel free to include general lists like these (wishlist, a future goals to accomplish, and bookstores to visit in NYC):

I like the bullet journal system because you can put literally anything in it. On top of these sorts of lists between your daily pages, you can also include business cards, postcards, ticket stubs, and small flowers like these (which are Baby's Breath from a bouquet of roses I received on Valentines day):

What can you do to make your bullet journal easier to use?

First, you can create a dashboard in order to house any post-its or page flags you might need. I really like the idea of carrying these supplies with me not just for my bullet journal but also for tutoring sessions. Often times, students don't have their own post-its to write notes in for books they've gotten from school or to plan small parts of their writing assignments. 

You can make your own dashboard by taking a thing number of post-its and sticking them to the inside of the front cover of your bullet journal. You can set this up in any way that is aesthetically pleasing to you. 

Mine looks like this:

Next, you can create small pockets in the back of your bullet journal to house receipts, stickers, or other small papers. Many people make their own pockets with craft paper and you can find these tutorials on youtube. But if you're into minimal effort like I am, you can just stick differently sized envelopes into the inside back cover of your bullet journal, to make these pockets.

What kind of notebook should you use?

A majority if bullet journalers use Moleskin or Leuchtturm1917 notebooks for their bullet journals. These notebooks have a minimalist classic look and are very plain on the inside, which is great for people who are artistic and like to decorate their bullet journals. 

As I am not one of these people, I personally like to choose notebooks from Barnes and Nobles that have cute covers and that have either quotes or slight decorations on the pages. The notebook I am using now is a traveler's notebook I purchased at Barnes and Nobles and has quotes and map-themed drawing throughout. 

Finally, why should you bullet journal?

Bullet journaling is a great tool for organization and efficiency. It's one of the best methods available for getting all of the details of your life in one place. It's very much like having a planner that caters to your individual needs. you can use it for memory keeping, journaling, and scrapbooking. Or not. You can use it to keep appointments, work related tasks and plans, or goal setting. You can use it to be creative and practice your drawing or stretch your artistic muscles. Or not. 

At the very least I hope that this post has been helpful and has made you more interested in the bullet journal system. It's a really good system to try if you're ready to downsize from bulky binder planners and a great system to implement into your conventional planning even if your not.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to put them in the comments section. 

Have a great Wednesday!

  

Sarah Dessen Author's Spotlight

Hey guys. I wanted to start an author's spotlight and thought I'd use one of my favorite teen fiction authors, Sarah Dessen, to get the ball rolling. A friend of mine has also written a "Why Every Girl Should Read At LEAST One Sarah Dessen Novel post here. I hope you enjoy. 

No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater...The love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that's the key. It's like a big pie chart, and the love in a relationship has to be the biggest piece. Love can make up for a lot." 

                                                                                              - Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby

Sarah Dessen has been one of my favorite go-to authors for Teen Fiction since I picked up a copy of This Lullaby in high school. I liked how was the cover looked and the book jacket seemed interesting. I’d gotten into books when I was in middle school and had been reading either YA fantasy books (of the Tamora Pierce variety) or classics (like Shakespeare or The Complete Sherlock Holmes - which gave me a love for great prose but I’ll admit there was a lot I didn’t understand at the time) but it wasn't until I got to high school that I started reading realistic teen fiction. This Lullaby was (is) amazing! And since I read it, I've bought all of Dessen's releases. Some were better than others but overall, I've never regretted purchasing or reading a Sarah Dessen novel. Dessen is a gem in the YA Teen Fiction genre because she delves into substantial and real themes, doesn't over-dramatize the way other YA novels do, and approaches love in a way that is organic and real.  

When I was in high school  saw Remy, the main character of This Lullaby, as a kindred spirit. She was seemingly pessimistic, her social skills were sorely lacking (she was generally mean without meaning to be), and she didn’t believe in love. At the time this was published, I felt like she was different from most teen fiction MC’s who would meet a guy, instantly feel drawn in, and fall in love only to have some outside force interfere before the couple finds a way to overcome the force. This Lullaby broke away from that formula. Instead, it featured a girl who had seem relationships end badly and who was weary of them. In the novel she was approached by a sweet musician named Dexter who becomes interested in her and she avoids him like the plague, turning him down every chance she gets. Then on one of her worst nights, Remy has no one to turn to and Dexter is there see her vulnerability and ease her pain. This is how their relationship starts and they are so opposite one another - Remy being a bit controlling and serious versus Dexter’s laid-back, unplanned, goofiness, that watching the two interact is interesting and seeing the growth of their relationship is compelling. What I loved most though, is that Dessen doesn’t come up with a huge outside force to pit against the lovers because sometimes all that stands in the way of our own happiness is ourselves. So if you enjoy good writing, real and interesting characters, and a respect and love for themes about growing up, please pick up a (if not THIS) Sarah Dessen novel.

Dessen is also one of my favorite Teen Fiction authors because each of her books focus on a theme that is weighty and important without over-dramaticizing it, exposing teens to important topics without them feeling threatened or overwhelmed by the material. Dessen's books explore themes like identity, not letting your past rule you, love, family  and friendship dynamics, insecurity, body image, anorexia, rape, abandonment, psychical and emotional abuse, and incarceration to name a few. And while all of Dessen's books do have romantic elements (that have a romance enthusiast like me gushing), romantic relationships are not the point and therefore are not in the forefront of most of her novels. Instead, Dessen focuses on growing up, telling stories of the bittersweet life lessons of adolescence. Because use of this attention to her characters and worthwhile themes, Dessen's novels are moving and resonate with their readers.

Currently, Dessen has thirteen published Teen Fiction titles. They include:

That Summer (1996) - The more things change. . . As far as Haven is concerned, there’s just too much going on. Everything is changing, and she’s not sure where she fits in.Then her sister’s old boyfriend shows up, sparking memories of the summer when they were all happy and everything was perfect. . . . But along the way, Haven realizes that sometimes change is a good thing.

 

Someone Like You (1998) - The world is a terrible place not to have a best friend. Scarlett was always the strong one. Halley was always content to follow in her wake. Then Scarlett’s boyfriend died, and Scarlett learned that she was pregnant. Now Halley has to find the strength to take the lead and help Scarlett get through it. Because true friendship is a promise you keep forevermore.

Keeping the Moon (1999) - Fifteen-year-old Colie is spending the summer with her eccentric Aunt Mira while her mother travels. Formerly chubby and still insecure, Colie has built a shell around herself. But her summer with her aunt, her aunt's tenant Norman, and her friends at the Last Chance Diner teaches her some important lessons about friendship and learning to love yourself.

Dreamland (2000) - Love can be a very dangerous thing. After her sister left, Caitlin felt lost. Then she met Rogerson. When she’s with him, nothing seems real. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?

This Lullaby (2002) - When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?

How to Deal (2003) - Rule #1: There are no rules. Just when you think you've got everything figured out for yourself, things get turned upside down. Families change. Lives end. New lives begin. And love sneaks up on you when you least expect it. The trick is finding that one person you can always count on, that one person who will throw out the rules and help you figure out how to deal with it all. (Combined copy of Someone Like You and This Summer)

The Truth About Forever (2004) - That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes, unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to question her sheltered life.

Just Listen (2006) - Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything" — at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store. This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong.

Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

Lock and Key (2008) - Ruby, where is your mother?
Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.

That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Along for the Ride (2009) - It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

What Happened to Goodbye (2010) - Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out. 

The Moon and More (2013) - Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Saint Anything (2015) - Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

My favorite Sarah Dessen novels are This Lullaby, Just Listen, Lock and Key, and Saint Anything. These books are filled with female characters who are strong-willed and independent. Maybe because I have a personal preference for female characters who struggle with breaking down emotional barriers within themselves, these books really spoke to me. Remy and Ruby are both strong characters who push people away and struggle to control their lives by being alone. They find that they don’t have deep connections with people because they push everyone away and must overcome this in order to find happiness. Both Macy and Peyton are dealing with family troubles and are having trouble finding where they fit or belong because it. Both of these characters are relatively sensitive but believable - not too strong but understandably weakened by the circumstances in their lives. To me, these four characters are what made these stories great and if you prefer strong female characters or characters that become stronger despite being beaten down, these books are what I’d recommend to start with if you’ve never read a Sarah Dessen novel. 

My least favorite book by far was The Moon and More. I couldn’t get into the book in the beginning for some reason, and when I got to the middle and thought I knew what was going to happen (was looking forward to it really), we took a sharp turn off course and the book left me feeling unsatisfied. Also as a disclaimer, I have not yet read any of the books published before This Lullaby.

Sarah Dessen has been a staple in my teen fiction suggestions to others. I made all of my friends read her novels in high school and have stolen phrases like “zip sodas” which I use in daily life. I have also spent more than one afternoon talking to a friend about whether or not we have caught all of the cameos Dessen sprinkles throughout her novels. Her books have given me much enjoyment and at this point have become books that are nostalgically linked to my adolescence. So please, if I’ve done a bad job of convincing you to pick up a Sarah Dessen book, please for the love of God, do it anyways!   

The Name Game

Do you know what the meaning of your name is?

Names are really important. We use them to identify and make sense of things. Human beings have a need to organize their thoughts and names are a way of doing that. In fact, this is were stereotyping comes from. When you are tired or frustrated, your brain will leap to the nearest word or name that applies to a given thing. But where do these words come from? Roots. 

In English, 65% of all English words come from Greek and Latin roots - meaning words from Greek and Latin that are borrowed but altered and share the same meaning. For example, the word PHILANTHROPIST meaning the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes comes from the Greek PHILO (meaning love), ANTHROPO (meaning human), and the Latin IST (meaning one who or that which). These roots combine to mean one who is a lover of humanity - someone who loves and wants to nurture humanity which is what a philanthropist does through charity.

Usually, the fact that all words can be broken down into its root parts isn't an incredibly important fact unless you study linguistics, are in the medical field, or are studying for your SAT's. 

But all languages are rooted in one or two other older languages as shown in the language tree below. 

Still, roots are integral to how and why we name things. And if anyone has ever asked you for the meaning of your name, that meaning is derived from language roots. 

My name, Amanda is a seemingly American name. Many people are surprised to hear that I come from Brazil because I am pale and have an Americanized name. The name Amanda is very American but like most of English, it pulls heavily from Latin and can it's meaning can be compared to many romance languages that stem from Latin (like Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian). 

The name Amanda comes from the Latin feminine gerundive (form of a verb) of the root AMARE. 

In contemporary languages, this can be seen as: 

The Portuguese AMAR

The Spanish AMAR

The French AIMER

The Italian AMARE

and the Romanian A IUBI

Borrowing from the word love, my name can mean: Worthy of Love or Child Who is Loved By All. 

Speaking a latin language had made it easy for me to guess the name meaning of those who have Latin based names like:

Lucas - meaning light for the Portuguese LUZ (meaning light)

Mariana - having someone to do with the sea for the Portuguese MAR (meaning sea or ocean)

It's easy to look up name meanings in websites dedicated to baby names. My favorite is http://www.babynames.com. I use this not only for fun but also to help me name characters in writing projects I'm working on. Name meaning is a great tool to generate names for new characters in stories and websites like BabyNames is great for this because you can look up names by gender, ethnic background, meaning, etc. 

Learning how roots work are a great way of coming up with character names, expanding your vocabulary, and understanding new languages.

If you are interested in learning a list of often used roots, check out this list here.

I hope this post encourages you to learn more about roots and expand your vocabulary.

Have a great February!

New Years, New Habits

Happy 2016!

January is the time for planning and making changes, goal setting and resolutions. Go-getters are making vision/inspiration boards to motivate them to complete their goals, organizing their space and their planners, and thinking of new habits of incorporate in their daily lives.

I've been in a spin the last few days, making list after list of the above. I've made a list of new habits (writing daily, doing yoga in the morning, exercising three days a week, eating better, etc) and started a habit tracker in my planner as well as updating my Habit RPG.

--> What is Habit RPG? Habit RPG aka Habitica is a free habit building and productivity app that treats your life like a game.  For every habit you complete daily, you gain experience points to help you character "level up". You can go on quests, find and buy items with money you gain from completing to-dos, dailies, and habits. If you do not complete tasks and check them off, your character is penalized by losing health points.

I've finally set deadlines on on goals I've procrastinated on for the last few years.

This year I've decided to:

1. Read at least 100 books by 2017.
   
2. Read for (at least) an hour and a half each day. I plan on reading a "fun" book (something read mainly for enjoyment) for (at least) 45 minutes each day and reading an "educational" book (something informational or culturally enriching) for the remaining 45 minutes each day. This way, I'll be able to able to read books that I enjoy while reading more of the classics I've shied away from since graduating.
   
3. Make videos on book reviews and study skills. I've always liked the idea of vlogging on these topics but have never had the equipment and the space necessary to run with the idea. This year, I'll be trying to learn video editing in order to successfully complete this goal. Hopefully, I'll have more reviews up this year because of the vlogging which I think will be an easier and will be a more cohesive way to get my ideas down.
   
4. Produce at least one online class for the student study spot. I've had the classes planned for some time now but have never filmed the videos necessary to complete the course. The classes will focus on essay writing, reading skills, and building better study habits.
   

I hope that revealing my plans for this new year will explain some of the future changes in litologie and that it may inspire you to consider actively creating positive changes in your daily life by setting new goals and encouraging you to organize your space and your time. 

Happy New Year! 

8 Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

Here is my gift guide for book lovers and avid readers for this holiday season. I hope it helps you guys with some of our shopping troubles and makes your life a little less stressful.

1. Book Nerd Mugs

I absolutely love book nerd mugs. I see pictures of these adorable drinking apparatuses on Tumblr and Instagram all the time and because mugs are such a small, non-necessity, I would never go out of my way to get one for myself. It doesn’t mean I don’t want one. It doesn’t mean I haven’t imagined myself sitting on my couch or arm chair drinking tea in my “Never Judge A Book By It’s Movie” mug while reading a long daunting classic by Dostoyevsky. It just means that I’m “frugal” and always talk myself out of buying one because I don’t “need” it.

This year, I’ve started a tradition with my boyfriend where I’ve demand he get me a book nerd mug every year for Christmas. It’s a self imposed tradition but I’m looking forward to having witty book puns on my mug while I guzzle tea and try to write my 500 words for the day. I really like the idea of book nerd mugs as a gift because not only are they cute, but they’re functional. I mean, a girl’s got to drink beverages sometime right?

Though I’ve seen a few cute book nerd mugs in retailers like Barnes and Noble, Michaels (they have scrabble tile mugs!!), and container stores, the cutest and most accessible mugs to shop for online come from Etsy. If you don’t know what Etsy is (and seriously, how could you not?), Etsy is an online marketplace where people can sell their homemade products to others. Think Ebay but handmade and not used.For cute book nerd mugs, check out:  https://www.etsy.com/search?q=book%20mugs.

These can be great stocking stuffer gifts or if you fill the mug with small things like cosmetics or seasonal candies, can be a great low cost gift for friends.

2. Personal Library Kit

This isn’t as useful a gift at the mug - not everyone needs a personal library kit but if your friend or significant other is always lending books out to friends (like I do), then this might be a really fun gift for them. It really tickled me when I first saw it in a Barnes and Nobles years ago.

I don’t own one of these personally and I haven’t lent out books to my friends in months. When I was younger though (and loved sharing - and shoving - new favorites at friends), I would have really benefited from owning this adorable kit. I was always getting anxious when I couldn’t find a specific title in my shelves (still get that way, in fact) and would have liked to know when something was unaccounted for because of being lent out as opposed to my just mis-shelving it.

These kits comes with 20 self-adhesive pockets and checkout cards to put in them, a date stamp and ink pad, and filing cards for you to keep with you so you have a record of what is loaned out while your book is off making new friends.

This gift may not be the most useful for everyone but is a gift someone will think is cool regardless. To purchase your own personal library kit, check out http://www.modcloth.com/shop/office-desktop/check-me-out-library-kit.

3. Book Lover’s Journal

Another affordable gift that a book lover would appreciate is a Book Lover’s Journal - think goodreads but in a notebook. While a lot of people like using websites like goodreads to rate or log books that they’ve read, others (like me) might like a notebook like this to reflect on books they’ve finished. 

These notebooks usually have a list of general information for you to include in cataloging the book (title, author, number of pages, genre). Some only have a notes section for you to free write your thoughts on the book like this:

From My Bibliofile: A Reading Journal For Book Lovers - http://www.amazon.com/My-Bibliofile-Reading-Journal-Lovers/dp/0307465373/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1449462618&sr=8-5&keywords=reading+journal

While others give prompts for you to write about each book that you read like this: 

From the Book Lover's Journal - http://www.amazon.com/Book-Lovers-Journal-Reading-Organizer/dp/1441304827/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449462618&sr=8-2&keywords=reading+journal

Some also include quotes sections, which I think are a serious bonus. 

These notebook or reader's journals can be a lot of fun to fill out of you're someone who keeps track of the books that you read like I do or if you take reading challenges throughout the year like I do - I've already surpassed my 50 books for the year! 

You can find different variations of these on amazon at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=reading+journal. 

4. Floating or Invisible Shelves

I love books, more than I probably should. And what this means is that I buy way too many books at the expense of my wallet and the nonexistent space on my bookshelves. Ergo, the need for more shelving. I love the way invisible shelves look and if your friend or significant other has the shrinking bookshelf space problem, invisible shelves are the perfect solution. What I like about these small and awesome optical illusion shelves is that unlike large bookshelves, they don't take up floor space. Instead they suspend your books higher up for a really cool effect.

So if your friend has books piles up on the floor against the wall, these book shelves are the perfect way to help them make their space look less cluttered, to get their books more organized, and to add an interesting decorative flair to their room. 

You can find these shelves at Barnes and Nobles.

5. Book Retailer Gift Card

A lot of people don't like to give gift cards for Christmas. I'm usually one of these people. Gift cards don't feel personal and honestly, I feel a little lazy trying to give them to people as gifts. The weird thing is, I love receiving gift cards as gifts. I like not having to spend my own money on books, video games, and movies. I like buying apps without having to spend my own money. Instead of telling myself I don't need a new book or new video game or app, I just buy it because why not? I think this is why gift cards are so amazing. We stop being so strict with ourselves when we spend money from a gift card and we are able to enjoy getting small things we would have convinced ourselves we didn't need. 

Since this article is specifically about buying gifts for book lovers, obviously I'm hinting at bookstore gift cards. I personally like getting Barnes and Nobles gift cards (since I like to support physical stores I can visit instead of online stores - more on that here). But there are a lot of other popular online book retailers like: Bookoutlet, Powell's, and Strands.  

6. Book Subscription Box

If you know someone who is an avid reader, a book subscription box is the perfect gift. A book subscription box is a monthly service that sends a book (and depending on the subscription, book related things). What comes in these boxes depends on which subscription you apply for. The most popular of these subscriptions are:

• Owl Crate - Owl Crate is a subscription box that you can pay for every month for $30. These boxes include (at least) one hardcover novel and four or five bookish things to go with the book. Each month has its own theme and the book and objects sent in the box reflect it. Last month, the theme was Myths and Fairytales and I received Soundless by Richelle Mead. I was sent a castle necklace, a mermaid tale pattern compact mirror, an amazing tin of tea (themed after fairytale princesses - mine was Snow White), and a Camp Half-Blood bracelet.
  
  I really enjoyed receiving this box in the mail. It was something to look forward to and honestly, I was so excited about not having to pick out a book myself (having to go through Barnes and Nobles book shelves for an hour before picking just 2 books to leave with), that I read it almost immediately. The smaller gifts were cute and appreciated and I really really liked the tea. This is the only subscription box that I subscribe to out of this list because after looking up unboxing videos I felt this had the most to offer but I plan on trying some of the other subscription boxes as well sometime in the future.
  
  The best part is that you can gift someone a specific number of months worth of this subscription box. You can gift someone up to 6 months for $167, 3 months for $86, or just one month, to show someone what getting a subscription box would be like.

• YA Chronicles - This is a book subscription box from Australia. The subscription costs $30 plus shipping and handling. The box includes a book and two to five extra bookish things. This subscription also had different themes every month that the book and extras follow. November's box was themed: What Nightmares Are Made Of and included The Masked Truth by Kelly Armstrong, Organic Unicorn Blood Tea, Harry Potter Dark Mark Tattoo, and a Monster's Inc. decal.
  
  This is maybe not the best subscription for someone who lives in the U.S since shipping would be very expensive ($24.99), payments are not recurring so you will not automatically be charged every month if you buy a one month subscription box. This means that you can buy someone one box and not be worried about being charged again next month. You can also buy 6 months, 3 months, or one month worth of subscriptions in one shot before having to manually resubscribe at the end of the those months.

• Uppercase - I really want to try this subscription out. Uppercase has 3 different options available for their subscriptions. They range from $17 - $30 a month depending on which one you choose. These boxes include: a new hardcover young adult novel, a signed book or bookplate, 1-2 bookish items, and a personalized note. November's box included Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin, a cute picture frame about books, a book pin, a book stack keychain, and two letters from Uppercase. I would suggest trying this box for at least one month and seeing if you like it.

• The Book Drop - This is the most customizable book subscription as it offers 4 different kind of books for subscription: The Jane (contemporary and historical fiction with some literacy books - in paperback), The Ernest (thrillers or action novels with some non-fiction books - in paperback), Young Adult (paperback books appropriate for readers ages 14-15+), and Children (paperback books perfect for kids ages 8-12).
  
  Unlike the subscription boxes above, which are young adult book boxes, here you can really choose the kind of literature you like to read. But unlike the above which includes hardcover copies of books, these are all paperback. Also, these subscriptions don't include bookish extras. If these things aren't deal breakers for you, then maybe this if the better and more frugal choice for you. Depending on which box you choose and how long you subscribe for, the cost runs from $13-90.

• Book Riot - This is a quarterly book box, meaning it is sent every 3 months. They offer both an adult box and a young adult box depending one your preference. This is the most expensive of the book subscriptions listed and is $50 per box. I've decided to get at least one box from this subscription just to see what it is like but wouldn't want to pay more to feel like I'm getting less (the same amount of things I would get from other subscription boxes but 3 months apart). This book box does include 2 books (instead of just one) and 5 bookish things. I would suggest that you try this at least once and see who you like it before ruling it out all together.  

Book subscription boxes are a great gift because you not only get a book but you get add-ons but it's fun getting something in the mail that isn't a bill or bank statement. It also gives an avid reader more books without the trouble of having to go out and purchase it yourself. It also sends you something you might not have heard of that becomes your favorite new book. 

7. A Collection from Juniper Books    

PUFFIN CLASSICS SET OF 10

PENGUIN CLASSICS 5 BOOK SET

        MAKE YOUR OWN DROP CAPS

     HMH “2 WORKS” MODERN CLASSICS

                JOHN STEINBECK SET    

Juniper Books has an amazing book collections for sale on their website. These are collectables that look amazing on your shelf and that you'll be proud to display. The most affordable set I've found is $65 and most of these collections are by author (though few are genre specific). These are pricey collections that range between $150 and $400.  The website also offers Make Your Own sets which will help more frugal shoppers to create a smaller and more affordable collection without compromising on the quality of these beautiful books. 

These would make wonderful gifts for anyone who has thought of collecting books. I also think it would be a wonderful gift to give someone a collection of their favorite author. These collections also include children's literature sets for younger readers (Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, etc). 

I've had my eye on these collections for the past two years and have no yet been able to convince myself to make the the purchase. These would be a great gift and would surely make any reader happy. 

8. An Ebook Reader

Physical books are amazing. I like the weight of them in my hand and I love the smell of books but there is something to be said about having a good ebook reader. I love being able to switch books whenever I want on my Nook and I love being able to carry a full library with me without breaking my back. 

An ebook reader is a life savor if you are an English Major in college as you can have all of your reading materials in one device without it being an issue to your bank account or added weight to your backpack. Ebook readers also have an amazing function that will find quotes for you and save minutes in trying to find quotes for essays.

Ebook readers are also kind of personal. Picking the right kind of ebook reader is somewhat of a challenge. There are many different models within the same brand. I myself have the Nook E-Ink Glowlight from Barnes and Nobles. It doesn't go online, it doesn't have apps, it just lets me read. I got it because I didn't want to be distracted from my reading by all of the possible add-ons. It also simulates a real paper feel while reading so my screen doesn't have glare. Furthermore, because of the glowlight feature, I can read in bed after having turned off the lights. This is terrible for making sure I have enough hour of sleep, but amazing to my reading experience. 

I have purchased Samsung Nook tablets for other family members with all the bells and whistles. They love them and use them as book an e-reader and surrogate-laptop (since I also bought them keyboard cases). I think these are wonderful gifts that are incredibly useful. The new Nook Glowlight is on sale right now for $99. It is waterproof and had some enhancements that my glowlight does not. Honestly, I might upgrade to this nook before the holiday season ends.

I hope this gift guide for book lovers has been helpful to you. Please let me know of you have anything else you think should be put on the list or if you own any of these products and your opinions on them.

Hope you have a great holiday!