Journal entries are the last resort for entering transactions. They let you move money between accounts and force your books to balance in specific ways. Use them only if you understand accounting or you're following the advice of your accountant. You should also have a good understanding of debits and credits.

You can write journal entries as you are reading books or after you finish them. They can be about any topic related to the book. Maybe the book made you wonder something, or you made a connection to something in your life or to another book, or whatever.

A journal entry records a business transaction in the accounting system for an organization. Journal entries form the building blocks of the double-entry accounting method that has been used for centuries to keep financial records.