Versatile & Very Cute!

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Blogging for Books.)

-- 4.5 stars --

If I had to choose just one word to describe Extraordinary Ordinary Moments: A Journal, it would be "adorable." Jorey Hurley's artwork is simple and understated - yet cute as all get out. Her previous titles include four picture books for kids - Nest, Fetch, Hop, and Ribbit - and the illustrations in Extraordinary Ordinary Moments are similar in style to what you see on the covers. (Of course I can't speak to the interior artwork, seeing as I don't own any of the books!)

Each page in this thick, 368-page journal features a different image or scene, along with a prompt. The general theme is "extraordinary ordinary moments": an event, chore, object, person, or experience that's so mundane that maybe you often take it for granted, or don't even register it at all.



Some of my favorite examples include:
- something nerdy
- comfort food
- something with nice curves
- something that puts you in a good mood (yeah, because there's an illustration of a dog! you got me!)
- something silly (^ditto!)
- a good walk (definitely should include a dog, okay.)
- something eternal
- something you carry with you
- a good excuse to order a pizza



You can take the prompts literally, interpret them loosely, or ignore them altogether; that's what makes this journal so versatile. The prompts are written in a smallish font and are rather unobtrusive so, if you're not especially partial to one (or all), just use that page for regular journaling. I guess the lack of lines might make this difficult, though all the white space is conducive to drawing, sketching, or scrapbooking, so there's a tradeoff.



The pages are made of a thick paper stock, and the book has a pliable but bendy cover; it's softcover, but not quite paperback. There's an image of an orange peel embossed on the cover, which might sound a little boring, except you can actually feel the texture of the peel when you run your fingers across it.



Many of Potter Style's journals are tiny, about the size of a mass market paperback; the small size of the paper, coupled with the thickness of the book, makes them very difficult to write in. Extraordinary Ordinary Moments is a little more generously sized, at six by eight inches. New rule: all journals should be these dimensions at the very least!

Though I enjoyed most of the artwork, there are a few pictures of animal-based foods that didn't come as a surprise, but turned me off just the same. I can pretend that the sizzling bacon strips are Lightlife Smart Bacon (delish!), but the whole roasted turkey is a little harder to rationalize away. I know not everyone's a vegan like me - I'm not delusional, okay - but it's still tedious to see images of animal suffering everywhere I look. Even in seemingly neutral places, like guided journals. (I guess maybe I can use that page for all my favorite AR quotes?)

I feel a little weird deducting a full star for this, though, so let's call it 4.5 stars, rounded up to five where necessary.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/10/08/extraordinary-ordinary-moments-a-journal-by... ( )