Have you have read a book and when someone asks you about it weeks later, you can’t really summarize it well or you’ve forgotten key points?
Are you a book blogger, Bookstagrammer, BookToker, BookTuber, who wastes valuable time flipping through pages, trying to remember that memorable line or scene?
Or are you someone who is just looking for a new reading experience? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you’re in the right place. Let’s discuss how to annotate books.
WHAT DOES ANNOTATING A BOOK MEAN?
The definition of annotating is to add notes (a text or diagram) giving explanation or comment. When I think of annotating, I think of writing or underlining important points of a story that I can refer to later to refresh my memory later on.
WHY DO PEOPLE ANNOTATE BOOKS?
If you’ve never annotated before, you may say to yourself, “what is the point of annotating books?” Here’s a few reasons people chose to annotate in books:
- TO REFER BACK POINTS OF A STORY: Annotating books can be a fun and engaging way to interact with the text, allowing readers to highlight favorite passages, note their thoughts, and refer to key points with ease. If you are a book club member, book blogger, or book social media influencer, being prepared to discuss a book’s plot is essential. Book annotations can help you there.
- TO TIME CAPSULE THEIR READING EXPERIENCE: As we get older our tastes and personalities change. Therefore, it could be fun to see what you thought of a book when you were in high-school vs now as an adult. It’s like the experience you have when reading a diary entry of when you were younger.
- TO HAVE AN ENGAGING SOCIAL MEDIA POST: A highlighted and underlined passage on a post can not only be aesthetically pleasing, but if a particular line is intriguing, readers may want to snag the book. I love seeing these types of photos on Bookstagram and Pinterest.
- TO ANNOTATE BOOKS FOR FUN: I can be a relaxing and fun experience to mark up your favorite books with comments and doodles.
THINGS TO ANNOTATE IN A BOOK
- Favorite quotes
- Your emotional reaction
- Things you dislike
- Things that confused you
- Your random thoughts on a particular scene or line
- Summarize a scene or chapter at the bottom of a page
- A major plot point you want to reference later
- Doodles (i.e., hearts, stars, flowers, etc.)
HOW TO ANNOTATE BOOKS
There’s no right or wrong way to annotate books, so don’t get caught up worrying about the proper way to annotate. Just have fun, and most importantly enjoy the reading experience. However, I’d like to give my two cents for tips on annotating books. But first, let’s talk about supplies.
ANNOTATING SUPPLIES
THE BASIC ANNOTATING KIT
- Your Book
- Book Tabs
- Pencil or Pen
The standard annotating kit
- Everything in Basic
- Highlighters
- Sticky Notes
- Pencil Case
THE unmarked books annotating kit
- Everything in Standard
- Transparent Sticky Notes
- Highlighter Tape
- Notecards
- Paper clips
A FEW EXTRAS
- Book Journal
- A Book Sleeve
- Annotation Bookmark
BOOK ANNOTATING FOR BEGINNERS
If you’re not sure and you’re still asking yourself, “should I annotate my book?” I recommend starting off with the basics. I love these multi-colored ballpoint pens by BiC because they write smooth and don’t bleed through the page. I also love these erasable colored pencils by Crayola because they are mistake proof and affordable.
Use a straight edge like a ruler or notecard to make straight lines for underlining and highligting important passages. You can also circle a word or phrase that you want to emphasize.
In the margins, you can write important notes or simply express your emotional reactions like “OMG!,” “LOL!,” “HAHA,” or “HOT!” You have endless possibilities.
Finally, use book tabs to mark places that had important plot points, a scene you had a strong reaction to, or a favorite quote.
ANNOTATING USING STICKY NOTES
If you find you need more room for jotting down ideas, you can incorporate sticky notes. These are great if you want to avoid writing in your beloved book altogether (more on this later). You can use both the standard and mini sized sticky notes.
ANNOTATING USING A COLOR CODE
To create a little more organization for your annotations, consider color-coding your tabs, pen marks, highlighters, or your sticky notes. By sticking to a consistent color-coding key, you can create a visually intuitive system that makes reviewing your notes a breeze.
Consider this example:
ANNOTATION BOOKMARKS
To streamline this process, consider grabbing pre-made annotation bookmarks from the Etsy shop HeyHelloBookish. This is a great timesaver plus they’re super cute and come in a variety of themes and colors. You can snag yours by clicking here.
HOW TO ANNOTATE A BOOK WITHOUT WRITING IN THEM
If you want to get into the annotation of books, but hesitant to mark up your books there are some options available.
transparent STICKY NOTES
As mentioned before, you can attach your sticky note to a page you want to make notes on. If you want to still read the text beneath, opt for transparent sticky notes. You can also place these on the page to underline a passage. The best pen for this is usually a ball-point pen as gel pens take longer to dry. My favorite are the BiC Cristal Xtra Bold Ballpoint Pens in assorted colors, find them by clicking here.
NOTECARDS AND PAPERCLIPS
Jot down your notes and attach the card on that specific page, securing it in place with a few paper clips.
HIGHLIGHTING
If you use sticky notes most highlighters will smear easily. I have yet to find a highlighter that doesn’t smear on the transparent paper. Let me know in the comments if you know a good brand that doesn’t smear. I like to use highlighter tape to mark a passage or just use a ball-point pen to underline a passage.
BOOK JOURNALING
If you want to document your reading experience off the page, consider grabbing a journal. I like this one by Lamare. It allows you to jot down notes, quotes, and tidbits about the book. In addition, you can keep track of your book lists and reading habits. Check it out by clicking here.
PENCIL CASE AND BOOK SLEEVE
By now you’re probably thinking, “this is a lot, where do I store all of this?” You’ll want to get a pencil case and/or book sleeve to store your annotating kit. That way you can enjoy annotating anywhere you go.
HOW TO DIGITALLY ANNOTATE BOOKS
For you Kindle or Audible readers who want to get into the book annotating fun, don’t worry. On your Kindle, you simply drag you finger along the passage you want to highlight and you will be able to do so. Plus, you have the option to write a note about the text.
Additionally, by tapping the upper right-hand corner you can bookmark the page. When you’ve finished, you’ll be able to tap the notebook icon to refer to all your notes, and the tab icon to refer to all the pages you’ve bookmarked.
I’m using the Kindle Paperwhite and I love how organized it keeps my highlighted quotes and notes. Always refer to the manufacturer’s specs on your particular Kindle model.
If you have a Goodreads account, you can sink your account with kindle. Click here to find out more about how to do that.
It works similarly for audiobooks. In the audible app, simply hit “clip” and you will be able to bookmark the section and leave a comment.
When you’re done with your audiobook, hit the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, then go to “Clips & bookmarks” and you get a complete list of all your bookmarks and notes.
Cool, right?!
Conclusion
In conclusion, once again, there’s no rule book on annotating books. These are simply some tips and tricks I’ve learned to help you on your way.
Remember, annotating books is supposed to be fun, so get creative, experiment, and find the method that suits you best. If you annotate your books, comment below of your favorite methods. Thanks for reading!