Did you go back and reread + annotate books you read before you made the decision to annotate?
I’ve just decided to start “harmless” annotating (aka not writing in the actual book, just using tabs & transparent sticky notes), but I have a small stack of finished books that I read before I knew I could annotate without “ruining” my book. No shade to those of you who write in your books btw, it’s just a hang-up I have in my own head lmao. Anyway, I know as my bookshelf fills, those books will bother me being the only “bare” ones. So I was curious if anyone else has faced this issue & how you addressed it.
by meganv21
6 Comments
When I am my most discipled self I go back and copy the annotations and highlights into a separate document. It’s much easier to do on kindle because you can just export, but it’s not as fruitful.
Depends on the book.
If I’m reading purely for pleasure, I rarely annotate at all.
If I’m ransacking a book to prepare a class or lecture or because I’m trying to get to the bottom of an idea, I’ll massacre the margins as soon as a thought occurs to me.
only if it’s a book i read when i was too young to get it. i thought i was so smart for reading chuck pahalniuk at 13, everything passed over my head.
I annotate in Kindle only since it is searchable.
I mark them as I’m reading if I’m going to mark them at all (depends on the book). I usually get books from the library. If I feel strongly that I want to highlight it, I’ll buy it so that I can.
I stop reading the library book and buy the book. I don’t have time to read books twice.
I have a complete hang up about this too! I found I never went back and reread ever. The annotations were a way of helping me remember in the moment only, or helping me relive that moment, or savor it.
If it’s a textbook or journal article then it can be exceptionally helpful and I consider my annotations as part of the structure.