September 22nd is Dear Diary Day!! Diaries can be best friends and secret keepers; hope holders and dream dwellers; and of course, a place to store those memories and anecdotes from our everyday lives! We write in our diaries in so many ways, addressing our diary as simply Dear Diary or giving it a name; or making it our place to journal mindfully; or using it on and off when our fancy strikes.
Keeping a journal or maintaining a diary is something we keep reading about. So many articles tout the positive impacts of keeping one. So are you a keeper of a journal or a diary? Do you end your day with writing ‘Dear Diary, today…..’? Or maybe keep a journal full of prompts? Whatever you do (or don’t), today’s list of books is sure to entertain and occupy you; you can choose to pick the ones you can read, or the ones you write in (that is all up to you). So here is a list of books that say
Dear Diary in One Way or the Other
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Dear Diary: Books to Read
The Mutts Spring Diaries
The Mutts Spring Diaries written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell (Children’s Fiction/Graphic Novels | for 7 – 12 years, and up | Andrews McMeel Publishing (January 16, 2018))
Yesh! Mooch, Earl, and all their endearing Mutts friends return in this fourth Mutts collection for kids!
My Thoughts
I love reading this comic strip in the newspaper. I don’t know which of the characters I find more adorable – Earl or Mooch. This book is a collection of Earl and Mooch enjoying the shmells and sights of spring. Yesh!!! They are loving it, and so will the readers in the target audience age group!
Sweet messages of spring, friendship, and kindness are scattered like flowers throughout the book; and bonuses too – on how you can watch their feathered friends out in nature; and cool bird facts, and more
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital RC of this book
The Lost Wonderland Diaries
The Lost Wonderland Diaries by Scott Savage (Children’s Fiction/Fantasy & Magic Adventure | for 8 – 11 years, and up | Shadow Mountain (September 8, 2020))
Something monstrous has been found in the magic world of Wonderland and it wants to get out.
Lewis Carroll created a curious and fantastical world in his classic book Alice in Wonderland, but he secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world…until now.
My Thoughts
If you love Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, then this book is for you (or even if you haven’t read the original)! It is a magical middle grade read. Some of the reasons I loved this and also why I am now reading Book 2 of the series(titled Secrets of the Looking Glass) are:
- clever twists on the original (starting with the name of the book and protagonist)
- a homage to Carroll with word play and puzzle solving throughout the book, and
- portrayal of teamwork and friendship
- and of course, all the adventure and magic sprinkled along the pages!
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital RC of this book
The Happiness Journal
The Happiness Journal: Your daily inspirational sips toward reaching happiness by Viet Hung (Self-help | BooksGoSocial – 28 Nov 2019)
This self-help book is a daily guide to happiness. Author Viet Hung shares life experiences with suggestions to thrive and to be happy.
What is the meaning of life? Are we living, or just existing? Are we living for ourselves or only for others? What would make you happy?
Each day, choose a short inspirational piece to read from this journal to improve positive thinking, mindfulness, and your own future outcomes to thrive in life.
My Thoughts
A much needed book that is perfect for picking up for a read anytime you are in read for inspiration, for joy, or that pinch of happiness to keep you going forward!
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital RC of this book (I now have my own copy as well as this is a book you need to dip into every once in a while)
A few others
Flowers for Algernon, The Diary of a Young Girl first come to mind among the books I have read; along with these series: Bridget Jones’ Diary, The Princess Diaries, The Dork Diaries, Dear Dumb Diary, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Dear Diary: Books to Write In
The Happiness Diary: Practice Living Joyfully
The Happiness Diary: Practice Living Joyfully by Barbara Ann Kipfer (Journal Writing Self-Help | Fair Winds Press – March 12, 2019)
The Happiness Diary offers practical advice and exercises for cultivating a happiness practice from the author of the million-copy bestseller 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, Barbara Ann Kipfer. Through stories, lists, thought-provoking questions, and whimsical illustrations, you will learn tangible ways to capture and record happy moments based on your own style.
My Thoughts
I love the prompts in this book, and after trying to navigate them in the digital copy a couple of years ago (when this review was first due), I decided to get a physical copy for myself. And it is worth it. With mind-mapping exercises, thoughtful and playful prompts, association activities, happiness lists of various types, and more, Barbara Ann Kipfer’s The Happiness Diary is bound to make you smile and leave you happier as you complete these pages at your own pace.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital RC of this book
The Super-Deluxe, Epic Journal of Awesomeness
The Super-Deluxe, Epic Journal of Awesomeness by Hourglass Press, Saul Sauza (Children’s Daily Activities Books | 6 – 12 years, and up | Dover Publications – April 15, 2015)
Express yourself with this dynamic diary! Draw pictures of your buttons, illustrate your favorite songs, and design your personal superhero – and that’s just for starters! This book is bursting with suggestions for using your imagination, from things to do (“Use this paper to make something”) to things to think about (“List ten things that made you happy today”). Loaded with borders, fill-in blanks, and thought-provoking captions, this book will help you draw on your own creativity.
My Thoughts
Fun prompts that will delight young ones; might even tempt older ones (like me) to fill in the pages of this journal! This book has things to:
- do (like origami)
- ponder upon
- draw and write, and
- simply have fun with
All of these are scattered all along allowing you to pick and choose what you want to do. And when young ones finish it, it is a great keepsake for years to come!
Overall, this is more of an arts and crafts journal but it is so fun and does have just enough writing for me to include it in this list.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital RC of this book. I got a physical copy for myself, and to gift as well. On that note, this is a wonderful gift idea for vacations and year-round for young ones.
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And Now, the End of this Post
Dear reader, which of these books have you read/written in? Which ones would you pick for yourself or for a loved one to gift? And once again, do you write ‘Dear diary’ every so often? What is your favorite ‘Dear diary’ book or journal?
I have never had a diary. But, I like diary books. The one that I can think of is Bridget Jones’s Diary.
An interesting article and a take on journals. I haven’t read any of these books but will take this as a suggestion.
I am going to give the happiness journal a try soon.
Interesting books to check on. I still do diary or journal up until now to write my day and I find it somehow helpful to express myself more through writing.
Totally right as I, myself also keeping my daily journal since I was young. It really helps to release my stress or emotion from life. After writing down my days with my personal thoughts & emotions, I’m feeling more free & comfy after. It definitely a good mental healthy me time whenever I write my daily journal. Ohh yes, high 5 as I’m also reading the newspaper comics of The Mutts Spring Diaries too, loving it. Cheers Siennylovesdrawing
My daughter loves Dear Diary books, she flies through them.
Journaling is very therapeutic, I enjoy it a lot. It helps to calm nerves and make things better
I loved keeping diary when I was younger, I wish I continued that practice sometimes.
Keeping diaries is one of the things I wanted to do since I was young. The thing is, I can’t seem to keep the discipline to keep writing on a regular basis. I would love to keep my memories written though.