How To Annotate A Book For A Friend

I would like to start by linking the video that inspired me to start annotating my books:

Annotating Your Books – Ariel Bissett

Also cheque out NayaReadsandSmiles' video on book annotations – it'south super fun!:

How I Annotate Books

You lot know that feeling when yous're just and so overwhelmed but y'all can't rant it out to anyone so you write down your thoughts instead? That'south what annotating is all about. Information technology's similar writing in your personal diary, except there's a story and characters in your diary and you're conversing with them.

For the longest time, I've stuck to the ideology that writing in books = blasphemy. Back then, to me, information technology would make sense, because I pay a hefty price for a single physical book and I wouldn't want any scratches or creases on something that means a lot to me. But for the longest time I've been seeing a agglomeration of people who reads books as if they've TRULY been read. With creases all over them. Scribbles. Dog ears. Tabs. And I recollect to myself; my, how gorgeous do they look! Information technology's obvious the person who's read it must take obviously enjoyed it! While on the other hand, books that are plastic-wrapped with nilch creases and scratches but seem like captives to me, as if they're trapped. Evidence the earth only how much you honey a book! Looking back at your thoughts and feelings on a scene of a book is seriously the Best thing ever. You can meet how much your thinking and understanding has changed and developed. And sharing a madly tabbed book with someone else who decides to pick information technology out of your shelf? I tin guarantee you that you 2 would be all-time friends at the end of the mean solar day.

Books without annotations simply feels really sad and bleak. It'south similar reading with opened eyes and a closed mind. It refrains you from achieving the maximum potential reading experience. Anyone would want the ride to be worth information technology and enjoyable! If you're an avid reader and yous recommend a book you loved and annotated to a friend who's a non-reader, you would want their reading feel to exist fifty-fifty more enjoyable by giving them a glimpse of your thoughts! It could even be a petty within joke between the two of you lot 😆 Pour out your thoughts and feelings on the pages of your volume! Just imagine how much more interesting it is when you get to read someone else's thoughts on a specific phrase or quote. It just makes the reading experience the merrier 😀

It doesn't thing where you start, really! If you're still feeling a little wary, it's fine to become about a cautious approach! I recommend using a pencil, an erasable pen, tabs and sticky notepads!

The three ways I would annotate a book are:

• Highlights/underlines

Whenever I come across a funny scene or a memorable quote in a book, I normally like to marker them in some way.if it'southward a paragraph or a long judgement, I'd prefer to underline or utilize an open bracket;

If it were relatively short, I would highlight instead. They both mean the same thing to me. It's merely a matter of saving time and ink xD

I also like to add comments! Lots and lots of them! It feels like I'm interacting with the characters that way.

(^ i swear i'grand not a sociopath! >_<)

Other times, it may come from feeling too overwhelmed (please excuse my vulgar language >_<)

• Tabs

If a page consists of an abundance of underlines/comments/highlights, i'll choose to tab the page. It doesn't matter what size or color (though i usually like to match he colour to the book just cause xD ). If the page has only a few annotations and then i'll dog ear it. I have to conserve my tabs because I only have a express amount xD Tabs are super useful because then you lot'll know where and what your annotations are.  It's likewise much easier for you to get dorsum to your favorite quotes in the hereafter and remember all the fun and lamentable late night reading sessions you lot spent together with the story and its characters. :') It's simply the best matter to re-live the angst and fun banters all over again :). Like flipping through an quondam photograph album! Bittersweet, nostalgic and heartwarming ❤

• Post-its

Post-its are a rare occasion mostly because I use them only when I want to write a proper review of a book. I tend to write down my thoughts at that moment and so I won't forget information technology when I actually write the review. Only these mail-its aren't e'er meant for critical reading – I employ them when I don't have enough space to go almost writing my thoughts. The spaces in the books aren't really meant for long rants and demanding questions, so e'er take a stack of these next to you while you read!

• BONUS: MY ANNOTATING ESSENTIALS

> Story fourth dimension! <

I retrieve lending out my very first annotated book to my cousin. The book was Made You Up past Francesca Zappia, and information technology'south filled with silly remarks and tons of tabs. I got super emotional while reading the story and I couldn't believe that i was actually writing on my book, but I couldn't stop myself. My thoughts just felt like they were so bottled upwardly I had to let it out somehow. I felt free and somewhat mettlesome 😮 . It was amazing. By the stop of the book, I was at ease. And I did not regret scribbling permanent ink on what became my favorite gimmicky novel. Not 1 chip. Within two days of lending out the book, I received a bulletin from my cousin along with a picture show of one of my annotations. The photograph of the page she sent was talking about Miles (the male protagonist in the book) and his looks – something most him being lanky and tall, if O recollect correctly. And I wrote downward a comment maxim something along the lines of "my favorite traits! 😮 ❤ " and the message that my cousin sent to me was: "hah! at present i know your kink. 😉 " and honestly that took me completely off guard! My laugh came out unexpectedly loud and embarrassing! xD I was walking down the lift in a mall and i swear anybody'due south optics were on me 😮 . I hadn't await her to comment on my annotations, but how fun is that?! How great is it to be able to connect better with someone who's reading a book you lot love that's filled with your thoughts?

Looking dorsum now, I have no idea how I always read without annotating my books once. My reading experience must have been pretty bleak! But now, writing in books is the best office of my reading experience. You're giving the book and so much more than value and sentiment. You're showing people how well you lived in that book and how much yous got out of it. There'southward really no harm washed when it comes to annotating books. Y'all're getting more than from writing in your pages and risking dilapidated copies of books rather than keeping them make clean and pretty. Besides, I've always preferred rustic, hectic looking bookshelves over ones that are organised and neat xD

There'southward nothing wrong with not wanting to annotate your books – it's completely your pick. What i'm reinforcing hither is not the fact that everyone should have to annotate books. I'1000 here to just try to encourage the lot of you out at that place who wants to starting time annotating books in general or is wary of doing and then because it is disfavoured amongst the majority of the book community.

Well, I'm here to tell you that y'all have admittedly naught to be agape of (to any not-readers out there reading this mail, exercise understand that writing in our books is a huge step for most of united states of america readers). Change can be scary, only this might possibly be the only modify yous'll demand in your whole reading life.

So come join us in the dark side 👿 We accept tea, cupcakes, and a whole bunch of pens you tin can choose from to start annotating your books with.

On that note, I exercise genuinely hope that this post has been somewhat helpful!

>UPDATE: Click hither for Part 2!<

twenty

Cath

Source: https://cupsandthoughts.com/2017/09/03/annotating-books/

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