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17th out of 44 books
—
62 voters
Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits
Keeping a journal is easy. Keeping a life-altering, soul-enlightening journal, however, is not. At its best, journaling can be among the most transformative of experiences, but you can only get there by learning how to express yourself fully and openly. Enter Samara O'Shea.
O'Shea charmed readers with her elegant and witty For the Love of Letters. Now, in Note to Self, she...more
O'Shea charmed readers with her elegant and witty For the Love of Letters. Now, in Note to Self, she...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
July 22nd 2008
by William Morrow
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Jun 03, 2012
Charlene
marked it as to-read
I was so disappointed in this book. Maybe I’ve been journaling so long that I expected too much out of it but nothing in the book seemed new, insightful, or intriguing. I found it to be less about journaling and more a “Look at me! I’m so cute!” self indulgence trying to mask as a book about journal writing.
It’s very very rare that I won’t read a book to its conclusion but about 30 pages into this one I was considering calling it quits. I read another 30 pages of sophomoric “I was like this and...more
It’s very very rare that I won’t read a book to its conclusion but about 30 pages into this one I was considering calling it quits. I read another 30 pages of sophomoric “I was like this and...more
So as a devoted journal writer I knew the moment I spotted it on the library shelf that I would be really annoyed by what it had to say. Chalk it up to morbid curiosity, and now I almost feel bad rating this book because it was just what I expected but I made the decision to go ahead and read it anyway. So I'll be charitable and say that I'm not at all part of the target audience for this book, as I don't need tips on motivating myself to write, topics to record my thoughts on, etc, etc. But mor...more
This deserved a 3.5 but I decided to be generous and bump it up to a 4.
You're going to love or hate this book. If you're not a journal writer but are looking to get motivated to start writing, you'll probably love it. If you're a journal writer, you may not like it because you may feel you already know all this stuff, or that the tips are unimaginative or already apparent. Or, you might read through Samara's book and appreciate the tips she offers (that you may very well already know and use in...more
You're going to love or hate this book. If you're not a journal writer but are looking to get motivated to start writing, you'll probably love it. If you're a journal writer, you may not like it because you may feel you already know all this stuff, or that the tips are unimaginative or already apparent. Or, you might read through Samara's book and appreciate the tips she offers (that you may very well already know and use in...more
i wanted to like this book. i have been keeping diaries since i was about five. i enjoy reading published diaries from famous diarists. i actually kind of enjoy weird self-help-style books, especially when they are about "finding yourself through writing" (even though they are all so repetitive, i pretty much never actually learn anything from them). but this was not what i expected.
the author is about my age. in fact, i think she is just a hair younger. so i wasn't really expecting the kind of...more
the author is about my age. in fact, i think she is just a hair younger. so i wasn't really expecting the kind of...more
Much of the book was what I already knew, like the importance of not repressing anything while journaling; the idea of how journaling can serve various purposes instead of just the traditional usage as a record of daily events (eg. writing about goals and feelings and impulses and so on). I read the first twenty or so pages quite conscientiously and then just powered through the remaining parts of the book. I got some quotes or sayings I liked, but other than that, I felt that she was excessivel...more
I can't believe how much I got out of this book. I thought I of all people had nothing to learn about keeping a journal: I've been doing it on and off for long enough that I thought I knew all I needed to. Ha! Note to Self completely turned that conception around.
What I like the best about this book is its honesty. Samara O'Shea really bares all to her readers, in a no-holds-barred approach that shocked me into being more honest to myself and my friends. It's so honest that in the acknowledgment...more
What I like the best about this book is its honesty. Samara O'Shea really bares all to her readers, in a no-holds-barred approach that shocked me into being more honest to myself and my friends. It's so honest that in the acknowledgment...more
i really enjoyed this. it made me want to pick up my journal again, which has been most neglected in the last few months. the book is filled with inspiration and the author's own journal entries as well as those of other writers. basically, this book just made me kinda happy.
I liked the cover. The insides...well, not so much so far. I'll give it a little more time before I pitch it, though.
...time passes...
OK, I finished it. I skimmed some of the chapters, i.e., the ones on breakups and writing about sex and God and drugs and stuff. Not interested, thanks.
I still think it's trite and I don't think I'm a fan of her writing. That being said, though, there are some practical ideas in here about how to direct your journaling, if you need direction, as well as some ins...more
...time passes...
OK, I finished it. I skimmed some of the chapters, i.e., the ones on breakups and writing about sex and God and drugs and stuff. Not interested, thanks.
I still think it's trite and I don't think I'm a fan of her writing. That being said, though, there are some practical ideas in here about how to direct your journaling, if you need direction, as well as some ins...more
I have kept journals and diaries on and off my whole life, so when I saw this little volume at my local library I decided to see what it had to say. In the end it didn't have much to say to me, though a younger reader might find it useful There are some quotes I liked, like this one: "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." -- Anais Nin. I liked that, and I was interested in her comments on other writers who also kept journals or notebooks, like Anne Frank, Samuel Pepy...more
Journal-keeping is made to sound nothing like 'danger' here, and the 'other pursuits' seem to be limited to 'blogging' and 'being blogged about'. O'Shea is a competent writer, but not a very compelling one; this book is fraught with her personal history of relationship issues and loaded with deep journaling insights like "let your journal be what it wants to be!" and "don't be afraid to quote song lyrics!" (which she then follows up with Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez lyrics, much to my chagrin...more
I was pretty into this book in the beginning. I really like keeping a journal, and thought it would be fun to seek out some inspiration and encouragement from a fellow journal-keeper. But what started out as a diary adventure quickly turned into Samara's biography with some cheesy homework assignments thrown in at the end of the chapter. I honestly didn't see much skill in this book - nothing that the average Joe couldn't have done. It was mostly just the author reminiscing on past journal entri...more
I plucked this neat looking book from the stacks while I was browsing the library shelves. Initially the book offered some solid guidance and advice on journal writing. I like how she used excerpts from her journals and respected authors like Sylvia Plath to demonstrate her points and put the reader at ease about their own writing and life. But as the book progressed, her excerpts grew more and more tiresome and I found it difficult to continue reading (the book is less 200 pages); her journal e...more
O’Shea takes the topic of journaling and creates a hybrid memoir/textbook-ish book. The essential thesis is that journaling honestly can be a kind of self-therapy. It can help you learn from your mistakes, to set goals, and to evaluate where you are now. The book is divided topically into sections like “Romance on Record,” “Hearts that Hurt,” “While You Were Sleeping,” and “A Day in the Life.” There’s even a section on blogging as journaling - “All the News that’s Fit to Blog.” In each section,...more
I have seen many reviews on this book floating around out there. Some of them are great, and some less so. But for me, this book was one that falls in the “LOVE” category. I love the voice the author uses, and how she peppers everything with blog entries, both of her own and others. She adds lots of anecdotes, both the good and the bad. She made some points which made me think, not just about journaling but about things in general. I like books that make me think, and more than that, decide WHAT...more
I was wandering around the "how to write good" section of the library and picked up this book, hoping that it would re-energize my own journal writing. It did, and I've been journaling much more happily in the past few days. The author recommends using your journal to describe your feelings about what's happening in your life, and very bravely and generously illustrates her ideas with entries from her own past journals, as well as the published journals of famous authors.
I was hoping to find renewed inspiration in this book, but it didn't really do the trick. O' Shea's advice was very basic, and I didn't care for the tone either. The excerpts from famous journals were the best part, and I also appreciated the reminder to be honest when writing. I would recommend Kim Addonizio's _Ordinary Genius_ over this book because, although Addonizio's book is about poetry, it contains fresher ideas for self-expression.
I loved this book! I've kept journals on and off during my life since high school (mostly off). Reading this inspired me to pick up my journal again and to be totally open and honest in it - not ignore the ugly parts. I loved how the book was written, her suggestions and the fact that she shared bits and pieces from her journals, including the not so pretty parts. I felt like it gave me permission to include these pieces too.
I LOVED this book, right down to its adorable book sleeve. The subtitle explains the premise quite clearly. Samara's personal journal entries, commentaries, and historical journal/diary/"notebook" references, have actually inspired me to (gulp!) begin (and stick with) the craft, yet again. The most important lesson I learned from this book is to be COMPLETELY open, honest, and free in what you write. It was a great inspiration!
Definitely a good book to encourage one to get into journaling in many different ways and for various reasons. Lots of personal journal entries from the author - too much information for me at times about her steamy personal life. But if you've been putting off writing for a while (as I have) this may just give you the kick you need.
Love this writers reflections of seeing herself through her past writing, and trying to figure out some things by her current writing. A great read for anyone who loves or wants to love recording their thoughts or feelings in a journal.
Quick read about journaling, something I've tried to do from time to time over the years. Gave me some ideas of what to write about, since I usually only write a log of events, not anything too deep.
I enjoyed her book on letters better. I skipped a lot of her diary entries because they just weren't interesting to me, but I did like her take on what journaling can do for a person.
There were too many journal entries from the author -- I really didn't care about her constant boyfriend angst -- and not enough actual information on how, or why, to keep a journal.
I liked this so much I bought it and earmarked several pages, the plan was to use it to expand my journaling experience, but I kind of lost momentum, hopefully I'll get back to it!
It wasn't super terribly awful, just kind of lame, and also not what I was expecting. The cover - it was so pretty. The inside, it lacked just about everything I had hoped for.
Absolutely loved this book. Many examples of journal entries, including several historic ones. Gives a multitude of ideas for topics to write about in a journal.
I'm in the process of trying to write again and I'm starting with a journal. I kept a journal for years and I picked this book up for any hints/suggestions.
I loved this. I like most books on writing, but this is the first one I've read on journal writing. I'm going to put some of these tips into practice.
slightly self-indulgent, but I liked reading the author's journal entries. There are some good quotes scattered throughout.
Some good ideas for journaling, but many of the examples from her personal journals were reeeeaaally boring.
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updated Jul 05, 2011 12:45pm