How to write a reading log

A reading log is not a book review, so you should not have a long paragraph solely devoted to
retelling the plot. A reading log is about discussing your reading experience and your thoughts
about the book using quotes. If you think that there is a need to include a summary you are of
course allowed to do so; however, it should not be longer than 4-5 sentences.

When writing the assignment it is easiest to divide the text into four parts and then write the
discussion under each part. This will structure your text and leave no room for
misunderstandings.

Part 1: The main character

Part 2: The highpoint of the novel

Part 3: The author’s language

Part 4: My own choices

Writing process

Step 1 – Read the book you have chosen

Step 2 – While reading, take notes and mark particularly interesting quotes that you think
relates to the categories stated in the instructions, the author’s language, the highpoint of the
novel and the main character and two additional quotes that you find interesting.

Step 3 – Choose five of these quotes that you want to discuss in your assignment

Step 4 – Write your assignment and remember that the chosen quote should be what comes
first, from which your discussion is derived. You have to clarify in your discussion why you
chose these particular quotes and how you interpret them and why they are important.
This is an example of how you can structure your assignment

Title: The sky is the limit (book titles should always be written in italics)
Author: Anna Anderson
Publisher: Anderson Publishing
Place of publication: London
Year of publication: 1997

Part 1: The main character

The main character of this novel is…..and he is deeply affected by the circumstances of his
birth. The book show how he….and when he expresses this we can really see his struggle.
“This is a quote that illustrates the main character” (page number). The interesting thing is not
that he says it, but when he says it, because it really makes him…and I find this very
interesting since it shows that he is…

Part 2: The highpoint of the novel

For me the highpoint of the novel was when….this is illustrated in the following quote where
the character is trying to….

This is quote number 3 illustrating the highpoint of the novel. (page number)

I chose this quote because this event has a tremendous effect on all of the characters and it is
what eventually leads them to….

Part 3: The author’s language

This is quote number 1 and this quote illustrates the author’s language. (page number)

I think that this quote illustrates the author’s language and I chose it because you can really
see how this way of writing affects the dialog between the characters….She frequently uses
this style of writing, another example is when….The author also uses a dark sense of humor
that is illustrated in the way she uses sarcasm to describe the perspective of the different
characters. This creates an interesting uncertainty, as you never really know if the characters
are serious or not.
Part 4: My own quotes

This is quote number four and is a quote chosen by me (page number).

I chose this quote because it shows how…..and to me this is a very interesting development in
the story itself. Had this never happened, then the main character and his character
development would not have been possible…

This is the fifth quote used and the second quote I have chosen (page number).

This quote is about one of the minor characters in the book, but even though he does not have
a prominent part, I found this character really interesting. I chose this quote in where he
says…..since it in my opinion shows how he more important to the main character than you
might think. I had to read this page several times before I realized what….and that is why he
fascinate me so.

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So, what do you need to do? Well, you probably need to rearrange your text and rewrite parts
of your discussion, and make it clear when you discuss what. Do not forget that you should
use five quotes or examples. Quotes that you write as stand-alone should be written in a size
smaller and indented, while quotes written directly into your text should be written using
quotation marks. Do not forget to add page references!