Do you make notes?

[TurquoiseSunset]

Do you make notes while you're reading? If so, what kind of notes do you make? Words to look up, themes, thoughts, etc.? Do you make notes in the book itself, in a journal, ...?

Reading is such a personal experience and I'm always interested in how people do their 'own thing' :)

I guess I'm interested in all little rituals and habits people have when reading, but in this case particulary making notes...

[Jozanny]

I made notes in university, but I only do now if I want to write a critical review, as I am with Lampedusa, although Coletta's thesis is about the Italian historical novel as a revamped genre, and I want to look at why I favor Italian modernism over Eliot or Joyce, for example. But as an intellectual exercise, the good professor has me fascinated with Manzoni, who is considered the father of the historical novel in Italy. Since this is probably a long term project for me, I won't be ready for publication for some time. Notes are thus useful--for book club readings too.

[Frankie Anne]

I make notes quite a lot. It is usually other things I want to look up and/or check certain facts out. I also keep a dictionary nearby to look up words I'm not familiar with. I recently read a book on Abraham Lincoln and was constantly writing down names, places mentioned, speeches made, etc. and then looking them up. Nearly used a whole notepad up on that book. :)

[LitNetIsGreat]

I do, but not as often as I feel I should, though naturally I do when there is an essay involved.

At the moment I have the opportunity to be able to spend two years on a dissertation (on Paradise Lost) so I have a clean copy of Milton's works and a working copy of PL which I write all over.

Really, note taking though, and more importantly recapping, is important to be able to fix what one has read into the long-term memory. There is little point in reading something, outside of the pleasure it gives at the time, if you can't recall most of what you have read a year or two down the line. It doesn't matter if you read solely for pleasure, but for those who demand more from literature they should really take some form of notes, it depends on what you want from it I suppose? I certainly don't have a perfect memory that I can take it all in in one sitting.

Having said that taking notes all the time is such a bore, which is why I don't often do it as much as I feel I should.

[Tyth]

I feel reverence for my own paper books, though it has no concern to univercity textbooks. But I often make notes and bookmarks in PDA when reading serious (for me) literature .

[Dark Muse]

I make notes for things I do not know and want to look up later. Particuarly since I love historical fiction, I will make notes on names, events, etc.. that I am not familair with so I can later research them.

I also make notes of words I do not know to look up.

And sometimes I will make notes on allusions to artwork, people, lietature to research.

I also will copy a quote or passage that I just really like.

Many of my books will have little post-it notes in the front of them with varrious things jotted down that caught my eye within the book or peeked my interest.

[grace86]

I never used to take notes or highlight my textbooks, but I found that this past quarter it was highly effective for me. I would write notes and questions and boredom remarks in the margins...helped me interact with what I was reading.

When I read novels or memoirs or biographies I have a piece of paper I write down quotations I like. There have been a couple times I've underlined something to look up later. More so with textbooks do I have a dictionary handy though.

[Dark Lady]

I never use to make any kind of notes but then at uni it was helpful when coming back to a text if I had already made some notes and underlined important passages. There's nothing more frustrating than writing an essay and knowing there's a perfect quote to back up your point but not being able to find it.

Now that I don't need to write essays any more I don't note so much. I sometimes underline passages I like, often with the thought that I could use them in something I write at some point, but don't tend to write much.

[kelby_lake]

I don't like writing in books. It feels like sacrilege!

[Takeahnase]

I can't bring myself to deliberately mark any of my books in any form! It makes me a little sad when I accidentally even crease a page or the front cover of one of my 'newish' looking books (I mostly buy second hand), so I can't ever imagine writing in them. When I've been forced to make notes in my books for college, however, once I start I can't stop. I almost obscured whole pages of text with my excessive notes last year which made reading the actual text rather difficult in the open-book exam. Not to mention the fact that I had so many notes written alongside virtually every line that they were too overwhelming to actually help me with my essay. Oops.

[The Comedian]

I write and underline in my books. I comment on the phrasing and chat with the author in the margins. I like my books, especially my favorite books, to resemble my favorite pair of boots: well-worn.

[Helga]

I never write in my books but I sometimes make notes, mainly because books and poems inspire me to write and an idea often comes while reading, I usually have a notebook nearby...

[Dark Lady]

I can't bring myself to deliberately mark any of my books in any form! It makes me a little sad when I accidentally even crease a page or the front cover of one of my 'newish' looking books (I mostly buy second hand), so I can't ever imagine writing in them.

I used to be like that. I was so careful when I read my books I would only open them as far as I had to to be able to read the text. I would try not to ever break the spine or crease any of the pages.

Nowadays I'd have to agree with The Comedian. 'Well-worn' books make me feel like I've really appreciated them and give me a strange sense of ownership.

[grace86]

Nowadays I'd have to agree with The Comedian. 'Well-worn' books make me feel like I've really appreciated them and give me a strange sense of ownership.

I agree. I used to hate messing them up in the slightest, but I guess they signify a kind of partnership...my books travelling all over with me. When I go back over them and see them worn, I kind of feel like I had a really good time with it. Kind of a pride I guess...like..."I remember reading that! It was a good time then...!"

[LitNetIsGreat]

I used to be like that. I was so careful when I read my books I would only open them as far as I had to to be able to read the text. I would try not to ever break the spine or crease any of the pages.

Nowadays I'd have to agree with The Comedian. 'Well-worn' books make me feel like I've really appreciated them and give me a strange sense of ownership.

Yes I would second that actually. I think the thing is to see the difference between appreciating the book and appreciating the words in the book. A book after all is just a collection of paper and nothing special, it is the words upon them and the world which they create that is the really important thing.

Still, there is part of me that feels some degree of repulsion at writing all over a book, which is why I sometimes have two versions.

I don't know, we book readers are funny people sometimes. :)

[jinjang]

Neely, I like your signature! I hopped in here because of your signature.


Still, there is part of me that feels some degree of repulsion at writing all over a book, which is why I sometimes have two versions.

I second that. I butchered my textbooks by writing and doodling all over, while pretending to pay attention to teachers, when I was forced to sit and read the books. That was when I was 10 years old. Now I love books. If I do not have time to read, I touch and feel them as if they are my beloved pets.

I do take notes, though, on notebooks while reading because I collect impressive passages. I also write down references, unknown places and historical facts, to research on them later.

But, I understand, if your book is a field guide to nature which you carry around in mud or near water, you may well write on them, I guess. I am not sure what outdoor reading entails. I read books usually indoors, being a city person in a warm climate. Outdoors, there is nothing but mosquitoes to hunt. Maybe I can classify different mosquitoes if I get hold of them at all.:D

[TurquoiseSunset]

Well, I love the idea of a well-worn book, but I just can't make notes in my books. I like reading other people's note ridden books though...it's always interesting to see what they thought of something. I will go as far as underlining a passage, but that's it, and I don't even do it that often. I use a notebook, so I can scribble all I want. Usually I make notes for research later, or words to look up. I'm usually too lazy to make more notes than that, and it always feel like I'm interrupting the book by stopping every now and then to write stuff down. :p

[LitNetIsGreat]

Neely, I like your signature! I hopped in here because of your signature.


Yes it is good, but to be honest I could have chosen any passage from Paradise Lost it is that impressive, I can't speak highly enough of this poem.

[Dark Lady]

I don't know, we book readers are funny people sometimes. :)

:lol: We are that!


I like reading other people's note ridden books though...it's always interesting to see what they thought of something.

That's one of the few things I liked about reading books from my university's library. People write some strange things in books.

(On a side note, I just figured out how to 'multi-quote' posts. Whoo!)

[jinjang]

Yes it is good, but to be honest I could have chosen any passage from Paradise Lost it is that impressive, I can't speak highly enough of this poem.

Do you know I read Paradise Lost in Korean during a summer break as an undergraduate? I knew it was not a good translation. Even so, it was fascinating enough for me to start enjoying books. I posted somewhere here that Paradise Lost got me back to love literature after horrible high school years. Since I read it in Korean, I have always been wondering how much was lost in translation. Paradise Lost is next in line after my current book The Maine Woods. In fact, it is sitting on my night table waiting for me to pick it up. It is such a pleasure to meet someone who favors the same books over others!