Why I Journal

I used to think journaling was stupid and overrated. I even bashed journaling on this blog in a post about why you should start a bullet journal: I wrote, "I don't know about you, but I always felt it was a struggle to keep a journal with daily 2-page-long entries because it just took so long." And that used to be true until I realized that I didn't have to write a detailed description of everything that happened during my day. I could just write whatever thoughts popped into my head as I was writing. So here's what made me pick up a journal and keep writing in it after not journaling for three years. 

I can write anything in it
One of the reasons I chose to keep a paper journal instead of an online journal was simply that a paper journal is more private as long as nobody reads it. I can write down anything without feeling like I'm being judged or having to worry about what others will think of my thoughts.

It lets me see my thoughts on paper
When I write what I'm thinking down, I can see what it is I'm thinking. I can actually remember it too! And in the future, it will be fun to see what I was thinking and doing now, because I'll end up forgetting the little things. 

Notebooks!
I have a notebook problem. I have about five unused notebooks that I'll probably never end up using, but every time I'm in a store with a stationery section it takes all of my self-control not to buy a new one. I can never figure out what to put in them, and so when I keep a journal, I can actually use one of the many notebooks that I own. Or I just have an excuse to buy another one.

I can write out my feelings
When I'm feeling angry or sad or confused, I can write about it in my journal. This is especially helpful if I don't want to talk about it but I can write about it. Sometimes if I write a rant about something when I'm angry, it makes me less angry and it also feels good to get it off my chest.

It's a keepsake
I touched upon this earlier, but in a few years, it's nice to be able to read the journal you kept and look back on what you were thinking and doing and see how you've changed. It's also really entertaining to read journals you kept when you were young (at least for me) because of how different I was then from who I am now.

It can help with goals
It's scientifically proven that you're more likely to accomplish a goal if you write it down. More than once in my journal I have written down that I wanted to accomplish something and putting it in writing makes me feel like I have to do it, which makes me actually do it. In addition, sometimes I'll write down goals that I have for myself in the front cover of the journal so that I can look at them easily.

You start to notice the little things
Not every day has huge events that you can write about. Sometimes I'll just write about little things from my day or little observations I made or something inconsequential. By doing this, I can remember the smaller parts of my day that I probably wouldn't otherwise. And if I do forget, rereading my journal reminds me again!

Journaling has now become a part of my everyday routine, and I'm very glad that it has. I didn't really expect to like it as much as I do, and the fact that I filled up my first notebook ever because of journaling makes me really happy. Do you journal? Why?

The Priory of the Orange Tree Review

The Priory of the Orange Tree

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Synopsis:

In a world where travel between East and West is forbidden and punishable by death, the dragons stir from their thousand-year-old slumber, endangering all of humanity should they wake. The only hope lies with the line of Berethnet queens, who much each conceive a daughter to carry on the line. However, Queen Sabran has not done so yet, and the entire kingdom of Inys is growing anxious. Meanwhile, Ead Duryan, a lady-in-waiting loyal to the Priory of the Orange Tree protects Sabran with her forbidden magic. 

In the East, Tané trains to become a dragonrider, a dream that she has held since childhood. However, a decision made within a few minutes may change the course of her life and the others around it. She must make a choice as to what to do, and soon.

My Thoughts:

First of all, this book seems like a mix between Eragon, Seraphina, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Throne of Glass. Those are some of my favorite books/series, so I had high expectations for The Priory of the Orange Tree. However, it didn't exactly live up to my expectations. It wasn't as good as the other series that it seemed to resemble, but I did still enjoy it.

In the beginning, it was a little slow before the action began, but after that, I didn't think that it was boring or slow at all. It was also a little confusing at the very beginning of the story, because there were so many different names and histories and religions and places but it did get a little bit better after a while (although by the end of the book I was still a little bit confused about some things). 

I enjoyed the worldbuilding (although, as I said above, it was a little bit confusing) and I especially liked how there were so many different cultures and religions in the story, which made it more exciting and interesting. The cultures and religions were really well developed so I liked that as well. I also liked the different personalities of the characters, and how there were a number of gay relationships and it was just a casual thing instead of a big deal.

One of the things I didn't like was that there seemed to be several "main conflicts" within the book and a lot of them seemed built up to be this big climax and a big deal and then it was resolved really easily and I just kind of felt like I had been let down by the conflicts being resolved much too simply.

Overall though, I did really enjoy this book. I think that it's a great read for teens, but it is long (over 800 pages) so you should only pick it up if you enjoy reading longer books. I don't know if I would reread it, but I certainly liked the time I spent reading it.

My rating: 3.5/5 stars