How to Annotate a Book

In my recent trip to Booknet Fest, I was presented with a question on my panel that took me by surprise. "How do you annotate your books?" It was such a great question that I made a video about it. It's something that I think is great to show visually, but I also want to talk about annotating in more depth in this article as well. But before we get into the how, let's talk a little bit about the why...

Why to Annotate Books

I totally get the desire to keep your books pristine and beautiful. I love the beauty of books as much as I love reading them. The ever-growing list of bookstagram accounts that I follow is testament to that. ?? These photos are just amazing! On the other hand, I do see great value in taking notes on what you read. Yes, even for that plot-driven, romantic, beach read. Authors put a lot of effort into crafting the story. Even if it's not the deepest literature, there's still something to be gained from taking the time to observe what's happening in the book.

Writing down your thoughts in notes solidifies an idea that might otherwise be half-formed and forgotten. I certainly find my notes useful upon re-reading as well. The type of notes I take when I don't know what's going to happen in a book are different from what I am able to observe knowing the outcome. Notes of discovery are equally as important as being able to view how the narrative is constructed after having read it before.

Perhaps most practical of all, notes are way for me to check in with myself to make sure that I'm really understanding the words on the page, rather than letting the words wash over me while my focus drifts. We have all been in those moments where we have to re-read a paragraph several times. Sometimes it's because it's legitimately difficult to understand. Sometimes it's because it's kind of boring and I'm not paying attention. In the first case, that usually means I don't have the outside information I might need to understand it (say specialized vocabulary or historical context). In the first case, it's because I need to take the time to jot down the thesis of the paragraph. I have to pay attention to what I'm reading to be able to extract that information.

I find that the minute I have a pen in hand, I am immediately paying more attention because I'm looking for opportunities to use it. Suddenly, ideas that would have flitted in the back of my mind, come to the fore as I jot them down. Description that would have certainly added to my enjoyment of the story, suddenly seems more interesting as I realize its repeated imagery or relates in to other ideas in the book... which I've already taken notes on.

How to Annotate Books

I have a few recommendations and tips and tricks, but how you implement them is really up to you. You know what learning style works best for you and if some of these tools don't work for you, cast them aside. Here are few that work for me.

The Theoretical Part

When I take notes in my books, I am doing three major things: I am asking questions, making observations, and making connections. Sometimes, I notice a tone shift or an extended description or a repeated phrase. There are different ways that an author might highlight something to a reader: HEY PAY ATTENTION TO THIS THING! Giving it a primary spot on the page, say a quote before the novel starts or the very first or last sentence is one way to highlight an idea. Using repetition is another. Much like poetry repeated phrases or concepts serve to reinforce their importance. Taking a long time to talk about something usually means it's important to the author as well. If Tolkein is taking fifteen paragraphs to describe the landscape... it might be for a reason. It's our job to figure out what that reason is. Finally, a shift in tone is another indication that the author is trying to bring attention to an idea. This one is a bit harder to observe because it takes practice. For me, all written word has a music and a cadence to it. In the same way that people might say, "I didn't picture the character like that" when Emma Whatson was way too hot to play Hermione, I often notice when the cadence changes in the words. When I read, I hear the voice in my head as well as imagine the scenes. And when someone reads it aloud "badly" I usually mean it doesn't match the way I hear the music of the narrative. So, when it shifts, I perk up and pay attention.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

When I perk up, I may be able to make an observation right away. Ohhh, Tolkein is taking his time here because the land is representative of the character of the people who embody it. It's tied in with his view of creation. But other times I may not be able to draw a conclusion. I may merely put a question mark there. I may actually articulate a question. Some may be as simple as, "Why is the author making this extended description here when he or she has not done any of that yet?" Some may be, "Wut?" for moments of true enlightenment.

Making observations and asking questions both start with being able to pay attention to what the narrative wants you to pay attention to. But making connections is very different. To be able to make connections you have to have some outside information to make a connection to. The more widely read I become, the more I understand history and philosophy, in short, the better educated I am, the easier this is. Without understanding the historical context or knowing the ideas that were popular at the time or being exposed to the same works of literature and art that influenced the author, it's impossible to make connections to them. But once you do, it brings a MUCH greater depth to your understanding. I honestly wish I could do this more. It's my job to take the time to learn as much as I can in order to do it. And really, that's why I make the videos I do: there's so much information that you just don't even know that you don' know!

The Practical Part

1. Use post-its. Post-its are the best. When I start a new book, I usually pop three in the front cover. One will become my bookmark, because normal bookmarks fall out. (Is this just me? Do I just not know how to use a bookmark properly?) I also like being able to line my post-it up with the paragraph break where I left off. Dog-earing my pages doesn't let me do that. And while I don't care about folding the corners of my books, I am not one of those monsters who like dog ears the whole corner flush with the binding... what is with that?
2. Take notes in your book. If you don't want to defile your beautiful pages like I do, then use post-it notes here as well. I like underlining (or highlighting) important or beautiful sections. Post-it note flags work really well as a dupe for underlining, especially the translucent ones. You can put the flag right over the start of the sentence that you would otherwise underline. As mentioned, the notes are usually questions, observations, or connections. These are great to go on regular post-it notes. A third note I make is circling (or highlighting) a page number, or several in a row. I do this when there is a particularly important scene. If the whole chapter is integral to the meaning of the book, I will circle (or highlight) the chapter header. Post-it note flags work really well as a dupe for this as well.
3. Yes, you can take notes on the side if you want, but it's just not as good. Whether you use your an app or a notebook, that means that you have to continue using that app forever, keep that notebook forever, and also find where the notes are squirreled away when you want to re-read. If you have realllly extensive notes that require that much space, then print them and keep them tucked in the back of your book. I totally do that and yes it will totally start splitting the binding eventually. If you have suggestions for a solution to the problem of extensive notes + my dedication to keeping my notes WITH my book, let me know in the comments. Or you can use an e-reader. You can take as many notes as you want in an e-reader. You could put a whole essay in there. It's great!
4. I use a second post-it in the front or back cover to take notes on new words I'm learning. I generally don't want to take the time to look up a word while I'm reading (besides being able to learn words from context is an important skill), but I also don't want to forget that I came across a new word. So, I just make a list on the post-it in the front or back. Later I make vocabulary flash cards until it becomes part of my vernacular. Writing out words in a notebook with their definitions or using them in sentences are also really great tools for learning new words.

So, those are a few tips for taking great notes in your book. If you have favorite tips and techniques, please share them in the comments section below!