How to Annotate Books When You&039re Reading For Fun – the wordy habitat

I love annotating books.

The habit started with highlighting and taking notes in e-books. I wasn’t ready to write in physical books. But after a while, I just couldn’t hold back. I had to highlight and comment on things, so I grabbed a pencil and started jotting down children of blood and bone.

You are reading: How to annotate books

That was like breaking a dam. Since then, my annotation methods have evolved, but my love for annotation has only grown.

I really want to encourage more people to get into the annotation habit, even when you’re reading for fun.

If you want to know how to start annotating books, this is the only guide you need. and no one may have asked me how I annotate my books, but I’ll share it further down in this post anyway. let’s go!

why should i annotate books?

annotations have several benefits. but to name some of the most important..

• It helps you to read actively. Active reading is when you engage with the text instead of just passively reading the story. it also cuts down on cursory reading, if you have that habit.
• you will remember more. this is a byproduct of active reading. you remember more details of the book and also your reactions to it.
• you will understand the book better. annotations help especially with books dealing with heavy or complicated topics. or just books you can learn from. Annotations help you really absorb the book and understand the characters, underlying layers, etc.
• In case you ever want to revise something or reread a favorite part, annotations are great for future reference. They are also useful if you are an online book content creator.

Many people associate annotating with studying and therefore don’t want to when reading for fun. Personally, I didn’t always annotate for studying because somehow it wasn’t explicitly encouraged in my studies academics. , but I understand the sentiment.

You have to separate the act of writing down from the act of studying. its benefits are the reason why it is encouraged in the academic world. But scoring can be fun too!

writing comments, including drawings or illustrations, and conversing with the text makes the reading experience much more fun. Annotating isn’t just for critical thinking, quotes, or discussions. it can also be a commentary on funny dialogue, shocking twists, or rants about annoying characters.

Authors spend years working on their books. Please take a few extra minutes to write down and fully experience the books.

If you still need convincing, read Mortimer J’s bookmarking essay. adler found this essay through naya and loved it. It reinforced my love of annotations and assured me that despite many people in the book community saying “it’s a sin”, it’s actually a good habit. I also took a print of the essay as naya because it’s so good.

tools to annotate books

there are several ways to annotate. I will list and suggest different methods later in this post. but there are some basic tools you need to get started.

Depending on the annotation method you choose, you can use one or more of these tools.

sticky tabs/notes

sticky tabs are the small tabs used to point to a specific line on the page. Various types are available, such as arrow tiles, rectangular tiles, and different colored tiles.

sticky notes can be used when you want to write a lot of content.

highlighters

There are different types of highlighters you can use. regular highlighters work well, but if you don’t like neon colors, you can use soft eyeliner. highlighting with markers is also very good.

I prefer tombow pens because they provide more control when highlighting due to the thickness of the brush tips.

pen/pencil

These are classic tools used for annotating. If you want to start underlining and writing in the margins, but don’t want to commit to permanent annotation, you can use pencils. blunt pencils work best for erasing later.

if you are using pens, you can also use different colors of pens for different types of annotations.

laptop/phone/other device

You may not want to mark the books for whatever reason. At such times, you can have a notebook with you to write. if you have an ipad with a good note-taking app, that helps too. I personally like to make notes in goodnotes.

taking notes on your phone works too, but in general, phones tend to take our attention away from whatever we’re doing, so I don’t suggest this unless there’s no other way. if you use your phone, keep it on “do not disturb” mode so you can read without distractions.

before you start annotating

don’t assume you’ll annotate the book. go in without that idea. otherwise, you’ll spend time looking for lines to underline or thinking about what to comment for each paragraph.

To maintain authenticity, only annotate when you really feel like it. you’re reading for fun! don’t make writing down a task. let it come naturally.

Mark sentences by underlining only if they stand out to you or feel important to the story. write comments if you have something to say or if the passage made you feel something.

If you have a pen or pencil in your hand, ready to mark something important, it will take you away from the story. don’t look for reasons to use your tools. let them be a little far. pick them up when you have a reaction to something in the book.

Noting will feel strange at first, but the habit will grow over time. Don’t expect yourself to do it all the first time you start.

how to annotate books

There are several ways to annotate books. you can choose one beforehand or decide later based on what you want to mark in the book.

don’t get attached to one system right away. try different methods. be open to explore and change. Annotation is supposed to enhance your reading experience, not to put your thoughts in a box.

underline/highlight

These are two of the most basic ways to annotate.

See Also: P.D. James, Nữ hoàng của truyện hình sự — Diễn Đàn Forum

When you read a powerful or lyrical line, mark it. If a dialogue made you laugh, mark it. if you want to highlight multiple lines or entire paragraphs, go for it!

You can use different colors for underlining and highlighting. colors can have different meanings like yellow for important facts and green for good writing.

Different colors can also mean different readings. for the poppy war, i used one color to highlight during my first read and another color during my second read.

For single words or short phrases, surrounding them with a pen also works. to mark multiple lines or passages, you can draw a parenthesis to mark those sections.

write

another classic annotation method. this is a little deeper because it involves you writing your thoughts and conversing with the text.

annotating with writing does not mean you have to write a lot. comments can also be short forms or small sentences. you can place smaller comments just after the ends of paragraphs or in the margins.

longer comments take up more space. When I was reading the fiery god, I took up almost half of the empty space on the page once because I had so much to say on a certain topic.

Writing comments can change depending on genre and subject. For example, I hardly ever write on romance books. the scope of my annotations is generally “this is so cute!” and “omg” unless you’re ranting about something.

but when i was reading the correct swipe, i added longer comments to highlight how cte was being talked about, jot down my thoughts on the dating industry, etc.

Tip: If you’re prone to rephrasing a lot or aren’t good at space planning (like me), try writing with a pencil instead of a pen. that way you can erase and write again if necessary. the downside is that pencil marks can fade over time.

Annotating with writing is so much fun because you’re almost conversing with the book. It’s also fun because you can see your old notes during rereads and have conversations with your older self through new notes.

pages with dog ears

folding page corners or folding page corners is useful because you can easily find your favorite parts of the book later. or you can refer to important parts you have marked.

This is probably the most discussed method of bookmarking in the book community. but it’s very easy to do and requires no additional tools.

You can bookmark your favorite scenes, important parts, or heavily annotated pages by browsing those sections. I would especially recommend this method for the latter reason. if you’ve annotated a lot of typing or highlighting on a page, you might want to refer back to it later, so give it a try.

draw/scribble

This is not a method I personally use a lot, but I’ve seen other people use it.

One way is to scribble little symbols to represent specific topics and keep a key to these topics at the beginning or end of the book. you can also just draw hearts or stars to mark the parts you like.

If you’re reading non-fiction books that explain topics, you can draw mini mind maps to help you remember things better (I did this because of the power of habit).

If you found this post helpful, please consider treating me to coffee as a token of appreciation! ☕️

how to annotate a book without writing on it

If you want to start annotating and aren’t comfortable bookmarking yet, this is for you. there are ways to annotate without writing in the book. you can use these methods to get into the habit of annotating, and you’ll probably work to write in books later.

These methods are also useful if you don’t have the book you’re reading or if you plan to sell it later.

use sticky tabs

whoever invented sticky tabs is a genius because it’s so useful.

There are so many ways to annotate using sticky tabs. Since they are available in different colors, you can theme the colors and add a key at the beginning like myonna. some readers use the same key in all their books and others change every time they do.

You can also use tabs to mark quotes, favorite lines and passages, or parts of the book that made you feel something.

or you can just use page tabs anywhere without worrying about color. Since I don’t assign colors to themes and usually only use one color per book, I choose a color that matches the book cover.

use sticky notes

Annotating with sticky notes is useful when you have a lot to say about something, as they provide more space. you can use sticky notes instead of writing in the margins.

some readers paste the notes in the middle of the page, others paste them near the part they are commenting on. You can also tape the notes sideways so that a bit of the paper sticks out of the notebook similar to page tabs, making it easier to find later.

The only downside to this is that it covers part of the page. therefore, you must write and paste after you have finished reading. and when you reference later, you won’t be able to read the page you wrote about without removing the sticky note.

There is a way to make sure they don’t cover the page. paste the notes at the bottom of the page, so that the sticky parts are in the empty space, and fold them into the book. this way you can open them to read your notes and they don’t cover the page too.

read journal/take notes

If you want to jot down but don’t want to do anything to the book, you can keep a notebook as a reading journal to write down your thoughts. this also works for audiobooks as bookmarks in the audiobooks themselves can be tricky.

for non-fiction books that provide a lot of information or books you’re learning a lot from, taking proper notes works well. reading the content correctly, like you can write Remembering the most important points greatly increases comprehension.

See Also: The Best Books on Neuroscience – Five Books Expert Recommendations

You can also take notes in an app on your phone, since you’ll have it with you most of the time. this can be distracting as you can fall into the phone’s black hole through notifications and messages.

both methods can be tedious compared to other annotation methods because they take your attention away from the book. if you can write the notes and not fall for social networks, they are great.

Leonie uses these annotation methods, so you can watch her video to learn more about how to use them.

things to write down in a book

If you’re new to annotating and don’t know what to annotate, I’ve got you covered.

These are some ideas to try but know that annotations are very personal and what works for others may not work for you. different people write down different things. try a few of these and your specific annotation method will develop once you get the hang of it.

• quotes. any lines that are very well written or strike a chord with you. if you’re a critic, you can mention them in your book reviews.
• Write your thoughts in the margins or on sticky notes if something shocking, exciting, upsetting, or sad happens . or if you just have something to say about what’s going on.
• scribble emojis to indicate how you’re feeling during a scene.
• summarize your thoughts at the end of each chapter. this is a good way to see how much you have retained about the chapter and also to note down any opinions or criticisms. chapter endings are good as there will probably be more room to write and you’ll have more to say.
• mark text that relates to the main plot. this will be good with books that have a lot of plot (such as fantasy, mystery) or that discuss topics in depth.
• note new words that you find along with their meaning. you can do this on the page or at the end of the book on a blank page.
• question actions of characters or subjects portrayed. If there is a representation of a marginalized group that you are part of, you can write down your thoughts about it.
• Theorize where the plot is going in the margins as you jot down foreshadowing* in the book.
• mark references to look them up later. I do this with books that involve history or mythologies that I’m not familiar with.

This is not an exhaustive list. I’ll probably come back and update whenever I think of something else. but this should be enough to get you started!

*foreshadows are basically clues dropped by the author that subtly lead to the future plot.

best books to annotate

technically, any book can be annotated. you have a habit of jotting down your thoughts using any method instead of keeping your opinions in mind as you read.

but there are books that will make it easier for you to start annotating.

• write down their favorite books. because you love them, you will have many opinions about those books. check them out and write them down! bookmark your favorite passages and things you love about the book. underline the lines that struck you. scribble/write your emotions in the margins.
• write down the books you don’t like. if you’re reading a book you don’t like, write down why you don’t enjoy it. Is it the characters or the plot? don’t you like writing? did you find any plot holes? Expand on your opinions during annotation.
• Annotate nonfiction. Whether you read nonfiction often or not, it can be a lot of fun to annotate. mark important points, do chapter summaries, and mark which parts of the book make sense to you. here are some nonfiction recommendations to get you started:
  • maybe you should talk to someone by lori gottlieb.
  • why i don’t talk to white people about race anymore by reni edoo -lodge.
  • atomic habits by james clear.
  • see like a feminist by nivedita menon.
  • how to be perfect by michael schur.
  • lightning bearer by jordan ifueko.
  • an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir.
  • the poppy war by r. F. kuang.
  • the city of bronze by the s. a. chakraborty.
  how do I annotate books

  No one has asked me how I score, but I’m jealous of creators being asked to share their systems, so I’ll share mine anyway.

  While my annotating habit started with e-books, I annotate more when reading paperbacks. There’s something about holding the book and using a pen or brush that makes it more appealing.

  I don’t write down every paperback I read, but I usually can’t help myself if I have comments. my habit is fully developed, so I get a pen in the middle of a chapter if I don’t have one because I need to annotate.

  My system used to be mostly sticky tabs and a few sticky notes. but now I barely use anything sticky and annotate directly on the page.

  My books contain salient lines that are shocking and full of meaning or lines that evoke emotions in me. I use tombow dual brush pens in pastel shades for this.

  note: these images contain spoilers for the war of the poppies!!

  I love writing comments and my reactions on the margins more than highlighting. My comments range from intellectual opinions to “OMG” and “are you serious?????” depending on my mood.

  It’s fun to read my previous entries and see how I notice different things as I’ve grown as a person. I especially noticed the difference during my rereading of The Poppy War. I chose different themes as “main” in both of my readings and it’s interesting to see the difference because it was influenced in part by events in my life.

  After scoring the first two books in the series, I went to town with the fiery god. I completely marked the book and made it my own. It was a lot of fun and I really feel like I gave the book the attention it deserves.

  Another book I noted down recently was The Palace of Illusions. While I was writing down my reactions, I commented a lot on the subjects represented and the style of writing. my review came out pretty sophisticated (if I may say so myself), but my annotations are much deeper and worthy of discussion.

  note: these images contain spoilers of the palace of illusions.

  Annotating non-fiction books is a completely different type of joy. When I read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone recently, I used THREE forms of annotation. I highlighted lines that resonated with me, tabbed the highlighted lines which I want to come back to, and wrote chapter summaries at the end of each chapter with sticky notes.

  Another nonfiction book that pushed my annotation limits was Atomic Habits. While I was highlighting lines in the book with two colors, I was also taking notes on my iPad using GoodNotes. this was my first time taking proper notes and it was great.

  Because I made notes while reading the previous two books, my reading comprehension and memory retention improved. I remember a lot about them although my memory is usually not very good.

  endnotes

  There is no right way to score. and there is no best way to score. this is a deeply personal habit that is different for each person.

  when we read a book without annotating or annotating anything, we are mostly just absorbing what the authors present to us. Bookmarking a book when you read it is a way to make it your own. You take the story and give it a twist through your opinions and the parts you choose as “main”.

  I think the best way to tell if someone has loved a book is to see the status of that book. keeping it neat on a shelf without even breaking your back is a form of love, yes. but the people I relate to are the ones who have worn copies of his books with annotations, showing how much they have read and loved him.

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  let’s chat!

  Do you make notes in your books? what are your favorite annotation methods?

  if not, are you here to start scoring? Did you find this post useful? if you have any more questions feel free to leave them in the comments or send me a private message on twitter or instagram.

  If you found this post helpful, please consider treating me to coffee as a token of appreciation! ☕️

  See Also: Readers’ 10 best books of 2014 | Books | The Guardian