HowTos Index

How To Keep a Reading Log or Book Journal
A reading log or book journal is a great place to react to what you read. You can find out exactly how you feel about the characters; you may gain insight about the theme and plot; and you can expand your overall enjoyment of the literature. Here are a few idea starters. Feel free to build your own list of questions as you start your life-long habit of keeping a reading log or book journal. Read on.

How To Write a Literary Book Review
If you plan to study literature, there is a good chance that you will be asked to write a literary book review in one of your classes. A book review is not simply a plot summary or an unsupported opinion of how well the reader did or did not like the book. A book review includes information about the key elements of the book (plot, character, setting, theme, etc.) and the reviewer's opinion of how well the author has succeeded in using those elements to write an effective story. Read on.

How To Become a Critical Reader
Whether you are reading for pleasure or academia, it's important to understand basic structural and content elements about the text you are studying. These questions and idea generators should help you to become a more critical reader. Understand and retain what you read! Read on.

How To Evaluate Sources
Sources offer important credibility to your paper about literature, but what if the source isn't trustworthy? These few steps will give you some ideas about how to make sure your sources give your paper a level of credibility.