Keep a useful reading journal
Published
A reading journal needs enough context to remain understandable later. A location, a short observation, and a next question are a workable start.
Make the entry findable
Record the title and a location that fits the text: page, chapter, heading, or opening words. Page numbers may change between editions, so a heading can help. The aim is to return to the passage without repeating a long search.
Keep summary and response distinct
The narrator misses the train summarizes an event. I expected the narrator to leave earlier records your response. Both can belong in the journal, but label them clearly. This helps prevent your expectation from turning into a remembered fact about the text when you review the entry weeks later.
End with a useful next move
Choose one question to carry forward, or write that none is needed. You might check whether a later scene explains a decision or compare two uses of an image. A journal does not require a judgement on every chapter.
A compact practice entry
Location: chapter two, station scene. Summary: the narrator arrives after the train leaves. Response: I expected an earlier departure from home. Next question: does the next scene explain the delay? The labels keep the text's event separate from the reader's expectation.
Try it
In that entry, which statement reports the story, and which records the reader's expectation?
Compare your answer
Arriving after the train leaves reports the story. Expecting an earlier departure records the reader's response. The entry does not yet establish why the narrator was delayed.