Is there anything more juicy than knowing how other people Go About It :-D I make notes too. Sometimes underlined in pencil (I actually never use pen, but then I don't add appointments and sessions to my diary in pen either - there could be something here for me to analyse around non commitment haha) but often these days with sticky tabs which mark out a page and then I tend to line it up in the area of the line/paragraph I liked. As you say, books are a conversation and a learning place - I feel no qualms with adding notations. On kindle I highlight so much too. The I have physical notebooks, Evernote...god, note management is an ongoing trial.
“The retention of the WOW” is a great line. And I totally agree: scribbling, highlighting, aggressively underlining are all little signs that I’m loving what the writer is doing.
I USED to think it was the ultimate betrayal and sacrilege to deface a book. Even 17 year old me squealed and cringed when a friend turned a page corner. Now as MECFS steals my cognitive abilities and there are days I simple cannot read I relish the slow conversation I have with a book. The option to mark up and savour sections. Give me the highlighters, the pencil marks, the turned corners. Let me partake and imbue rather than passively linger on the edges.
This is fascinating - I could never write in a book that meant something to me! I got sent a box of Book of Witty Women branded highlighters with my author copies, and I thought it was a bizarre and random gift but maybe not, maybe there are loads of highlighters of meaningful passages out there :-)
I love that idea of someone knowing you through the books you have read, of leaving that list behind and it being some kind of map of your soul for them to explore. Hmm, I'm going to ponder that for a while.
I also have books that I would never highlight - my Hilary Mantels probably will never see the felt side of a highlighter. But there is something that happens when I annotate a memoir, for example, that helps cement that communion between author and reader.
Very interesting! I was brought up to never mark or deface books, my grandmother will be turning in her grave! However, you are right! I had never considered doing this but so often I wish to go back to a phrase or piece and I struggle to find it easily. Active reading is my way forward.
Active reading - yes. I always felt like I had to keep my books pristine. I grew up in a household where we borrowed from the library rather than owning many books. Now I feel like so much of my life is entwined in books, I want to really capture the essence of the reading experience. Who the hell am I keeping the books pristine for?
Interesting. I have only just taken up the habit of marking books, for similar reasons to yours. It felt wicked at first, and book collecting friends were shocked. But I like your conversation idea - and the concept of active reading.
Is there anything more juicy than knowing how other people Go About It :-D I make notes too. Sometimes underlined in pencil (I actually never use pen, but then I don't add appointments and sessions to my diary in pen either - there could be something here for me to analyse around non commitment haha) but often these days with sticky tabs which mark out a page and then I tend to line it up in the area of the line/paragraph I liked. As you say, books are a conversation and a learning place - I feel no qualms with adding notations. On kindle I highlight so much too. The I have physical notebooks, Evernote...god, note management is an ongoing trial.
I feel like l=my note taking and actually active reading process is constantly evolving.
Buy my books and deface them? No, never! But I do use post-its to mark text for reference.
“The retention of the WOW” is a great line. And I totally agree: scribbling, highlighting, aggressively underlining are all little signs that I’m loving what the writer is doing.
‘aggressively underlining’ YES
I. Like. This. So. Much. I’ll. Tear. Right. Through. The. Page.
🤣
I USED to think it was the ultimate betrayal and sacrilege to deface a book. Even 17 year old me squealed and cringed when a friend turned a page corner. Now as MECFS steals my cognitive abilities and there are days I simple cannot read I relish the slow conversation I have with a book. The option to mark up and savour sections. Give me the highlighters, the pencil marks, the turned corners. Let me partake and imbue rather than passively linger on the edges.
Yes! I'm done passively lingering.
I've already annotated Lily Dunn's new book about memoir so heavily I might need a second copy to actually read it!
This is fascinating - I could never write in a book that meant something to me! I got sent a box of Book of Witty Women branded highlighters with my author copies, and I thought it was a bizarre and random gift but maybe not, maybe there are loads of highlighters of meaningful passages out there :-)
I love that idea of someone knowing you through the books you have read, of leaving that list behind and it being some kind of map of your soul for them to explore. Hmm, I'm going to ponder that for a while.
I also have books that I would never highlight - my Hilary Mantels probably will never see the felt side of a highlighter. But there is something that happens when I annotate a memoir, for example, that helps cement that communion between author and reader.
I also love finding the marks left by others - I mostly buy second hand books and it feels like a wave from the people who have read it before me.
Yes! Me too!
Very interesting! I was brought up to never mark or deface books, my grandmother will be turning in her grave! However, you are right! I had never considered doing this but so often I wish to go back to a phrase or piece and I struggle to find it easily. Active reading is my way forward.
Active reading - yes. I always felt like I had to keep my books pristine. I grew up in a household where we borrowed from the library rather than owning many books. Now I feel like so much of my life is entwined in books, I want to really capture the essence of the reading experience. Who the hell am I keeping the books pristine for?
Interesting. I have only just taken up the habit of marking books, for similar reasons to yours. It felt wicked at first, and book collecting friends were shocked. But I like your conversation idea - and the concept of active reading.