as a literature student, i cannot imagine not annotating my books... i don't write in my books, i just underline things, but often the pages are filled with post it notes! i love it so much, and like you said, it makes the reading experience a lot more enhanced!
I have this HUGE crush on a girl and we often fangirl together about different things. And she told me about her favorite fan fics. So, I wanted to print out and bind the fan fic to turn it into a PHYSICAL book, and annotate it so we could still fan girl together despite reading at different times. I’ll give her the book along with a journal I write in every time I miss her. Please wish me luck!
THATS SO WHOLESOME AND SO ROMANTIC! like as someone who really loves to read and treats her books as her most prized possessions, IF someone did this for me i’d literally ask for their hand in marriage right then n there! Good Luck btw! im sure she’d appreciate this sweet gesture a lot🤍
I annotate but it's always on a reread. The first time through I just read it for what it is. For me it makes choosing categories easier and I pick up on things better the second time through. I've learned recently that my retention on first read is major plot points only. I was reading fan theories about Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and had no idea what people were talking about. Doing the annotation on the reread helps me retain stuff so much better one cause I'm rereading it and two because I know what's important to connect things to. I also have this thing where I try to get everything perfect on the first try so it takes the pressure off making annotation categories perfect.
I love the idea of annotating on the second read through, as I often donate books if I'm not going to return to them, but a re read means it's a keeper. Thank you for inspiring me 🙂
I did this for my rereads of Fourth Wing and Crescent City 1 and I loooooved it 😍 though I can’t borrow anyone my books because now they’re filled with spoilers and thoughts on characters and their development
Do you not get bored on the second read? Also, do you reread it right after finishing it? I wanna delve deeper into it but i get sleepy the second time
as someone who is prone to royally messing up my books by running out of space or smudging when im annotating, i keep a separate journal where i reference the page or paragraph i want to annotate and just write as much as i want about it in the journal. its also just super handy and nostalgic to flip through all ur fav parts of multiple books from just one journal :)
I used to do that but I wrote what I was actually annotating about, and ended up getting impatient to look at the book, then write, look at the book again, write again etc. Now I realize I should've just written the page number
Your tabs are really satisfying. My biggest tips for annotating beginners is to use just a regular pen and a favourite book you already read. Reason being is you already know that you like it, so you probably won't regret writing in it since you're keeping it. Just underline and circle important parts and write comments in the margins if you're not sure where to start!
i remember like 2020-2021 booktok where people would have like 6-7 different colour tabs in a book for romance, sad parts, funny parts etc and I tried annotating like that but omg it was actually the worst 😭😭 it always pulled me out the moment - reading a sad chapter and having to dig around for my blue tabs and highlighter instead of keep reading knowing that I'm never gonna reread it. now I only have 3 - quotes I love, a general one for anything, and *sometimes* lore/worldbuilding if I'm reading a big fantasy or smth. it just makes the process so much more fun and not like ur continuously analysing every time a character makes a joke so u can put down a yellow tab.
Oh I recently started annotations! I have started with the trilogy of the folk of the Air, i had like 5 tabs, i would remove the 1st one because it was for like a remembrance or something confusing after the book is completed I would take it out, so I had 4 tabs for moments (happy, sad or funny), favourite (scene or dialogue), cardan and romantic scenes. Honestly this helped me a lot for a first time annotation! I used the book tabs with a similar colour of my book cover, it looked pretty🎀
I'm going to annotate my friends favorite book for her birthday, (so she can read all my thoughts, and see all my drawings, as so goes through her fav book.) I've never annotated a book before, so this video helped a lot, thank you so much!
This video changed my perspective a lot. I thought about how I read with the intent of rushing through it to understand the story, but it really is about the journey. I feel like I’m getting so much more life out of it, and by thinking of little things and making connections, I get a lot more mileage out of the journey.
I’m teaching my child how to annotate as an accompanying lesson to go along with teaching story elements and came looking for different ideas to suggest to her. Thanks so much for this informative and useful video! She will develop her own style, but this is great advice!!! The way I was taught to annotate was boring and tedious. This makes it fun again! Just started annotating my copy of Caesar’s Women using your tips. I’m having fun. 😊 thanks again.
I annotate the most with my kindle because it feels the most simplest while reading my book. If it is a physical copy I usually just underline conversation blurbs or thoughts. I have been doing that with The Infernal Devices series and found a quote I am going to use for my February journal cover that I loved a lot. Such a great series.
i agree and i do love highlighting things when i read on my kindle, i just normally reach for physical books myself! also so glad you're loving tid🥺 can i ask what quote??
I used to use the solid color tabs and re-reading those books is such a pain in the butt. Buying my first pack of clear tabs was life changing and I will never look back
i've been an avid reader since i was a little kid, and my parents taught me not to write, doddle or paint on a book. this xmas i treated myself and got 19 books i've wanted for sooo long, and read seven of them just using the tabs to annotate; but i felt like i needed something more and this vid has given me the inspiration to go back and do this differently. i'm still not sure if i wanna do everything permanent on the actual books but i will try with the clear stick notes. thank you so much for this amazing vid!
i've never annotated a book before but now that i've started writing myself i think i will for dialogue or important character development moments. Even environmental descriptions or something unique. I find that stuff really inspiring. It would be cool to pick up a book and let it inspire me from annotations i did previously before starting a writing session.
i'm so obsessed with your annotations! and your little doodles ugh, such perfection. tbh i've tried annotating with highlighters and tabs, but i have adhd so whenever i stopped reading, it was really hard to get back into the book. now i just use a pencil or a single black pen to underline or write things in the margins.
I love the doodling you do in your books, especially on the title pages. It's what inspired me to dip my toes into annotating recently...unfortunately my pens bled like crazy🥴, so the timing of this video is impeccable! lol 😋📚✨
I started annotating last year and have come to absolutely love it - and whenever I am reading a borrowed book or listening to an audio book I find myself missing it SO MUCH. It really does help my brain engage!
I’ve been so intrigued about annotating books and am hoping to find a way to engage with my reading more and help better remember the plots so I’m going to try annotating! This is so helpful. Thank you!
This was a fun video. I thought I annotated well. I often use planner stickers because I have so many. I might use leftover Chinese New Year stickers in a Lisa See book, or something like that. It's not enough stickers but it's a way to use up my stash. I also date my margin notes in case I ever come back to that book.
Katie, you are so inspiring. I'm going to think about doing this in my books. One thing I do annotate is the definition of words that are new to me. I think it is cool that you love to read, and you love your books. Something that really irritates me is when I loan my book to a friend, and she annotates in my book. I value my books and have become selfish about loaning them.
I love annotating so much!! I rewatch your video periodically just because I love hearing ppl talk about their annotations too!! You just mentioned something about matching tabs to the cover and I do that with every book. One thing I did when reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was to use pastel tabs that matched the cover... up until things start to go sideways. That's when I matched the pastels to neon tabs and finished tabbing that way. See you on my next rewatch🫶
i only annotate classics and adult fantasy now, i used to do it with all my books but i realised that there are just some books and genres that i dont benefit from annotating. it actually puts me more in a reading slump when i do, especially on YA novels because there are just some books meant to be enjoyed and not overanalysed.
During our reread of Fourth Wing, my friend and I annotated the same book. A red tab was definitely used to mark when Dain was a read flag.. might have to reread acotar to do the same for Tamlin 😂
I usually stick to one color for a book and either freehand underline or use a highlighter. Just everything I find funny, shocking etc, I don't put any effort into analyzing, just reading for the enjoyment.
I don't like annotating my novels, but I like to annotate my textbooks, and language learning books. I do like to listen about how people annotate just in case I plan to annotate in the future. I am reading a book that I am struggling a bit with, and am considering annotating it so I can understand the story better. Previously when I annotated a book, I would use a notebook, and write down things I can recall, like facts, characters, and their roles in it, etc. It was the easiest way for me to remember a book when I was younger.
The first book I annotated for fun was the phantom of the opera and one of my tabs was for Raoul being dramatic and it was so much fun I love annotating classics
I just recently started annotating my books and the difference I’ve noticed in how I’m retaining the plot and details of the book is crazy! I read a decent amount but have the worst memory with books (honestly probably because I read the same book in different fonts lol) but this really helps if you have that issue!
Great video on annotating. I annotate books differently based on genre. For mystery and thriller physical books, I use clear post-it notes to write my thoughts in the book and use color highlighter tape to highlight specific quotes and sentences. It's likely I won't reread a mystery or thriller because I know what's going to happen. This way, I can lend out these books or haul them after removing the sticky notes and such.
I just started annotating this past month when I read My Last Innocent Year. I underlined and tabbed all of the writing advice the MC received. I have those same tabs from Amazon. I trim the ends so that the tabs don't cover the words or stick out too far. I love the built-in ruler! I use it when I underline to keep it neat. I plan to get into annotation more heavily in 2024. I'm learning how much more I get out of my reading experience (and retain) when I annotate.
I don't annotate my books, I only ever tab things. I feel like it would hurt my soul too much to write in my books haha but I do always always always take notes on my current reads on my phone and save those in Notion later on. I do love looking back on the notes I took for some of my reads. Some of the books I've read have Notion pages assigned to them with whole essays worth of thoughts. Some of them cohesive, some of them very much not 😂 Usually when I tab a book I choose one single tab colour (that fits the cover of the book) and then I just tab things by gut feeling. For most books I don't use more than 20 or so tabs (sometimes only 5) so it's not really worth it to set up a whole tab-key. I just tab everything my gut tells me "oh I wanna tab that", no matter for what reason, with the same tab colour. I only have five books so far for which I actually set up a tab key. The first four books in the Veronica Speedwell series and The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab. Especially the latter is FULL of tabs, easily my most tabbed book of all time, by FAR, and I knew it would be so it was worth setting up a tab key.
I have read 17 books in the past year and didnt do any of that. But i think the same as you!!. I could never write on them and if i tab them it would be with one color. And just a few. Cause now that i think about it, i would have liked to remember some quotes i liked or important parts.. but i never did it🥺
the spiky tabs are such a good idea and i love the look of them in your books! definitely going to be trying a few of your methods when i annotate next 😌
i just stared annotating my book midway, i never manage to get into reading and just recently found my own way, I've been marking a line in pencil, of things that make me laugh, or feel some sort of emotion, and I think ill go back and annotate the rest of the book after I'm done and I'm already planing on buying semi transparent colored tabs :> I'm really enjoying myself and I'm almost done with the book too :>
I love annotating my books. I mainly highlight and tab, but I have started underlining things I want to stand out in the highlights, usually single words or phrases that have a lot of significance. I like to match the highlights to the book whenever possible. Also with fantasy series I have a color coded system for tabs whereas standalone books, contemporary, classics etc I will just pick one color tab.
I decided to start annotating this week bc i saw some people doing it and thought abt how this should be really helpful while experiencing a book. I started yesterday with Alice through the looking glass (one of my fave books ever) and i'm enjoying so far. I still a bit insecure bc i want things to look cohesive and aesthetic but i'm not very good at it lol ur video gave me some more motivation so thanks :)
This couldn't have come at a better time :D Im going to annotate my first reread of a heart as red as paint soon and I can't wait, so thank you for this video
i loveeee annotating, i don’t to anything to fancy because im not very good at doodling and drawing and im scared to mess the book up 🥲 but doing little collages is such a good idea, maybe i should try that!! i love your annotated books, they’re so beautiful!!
I don't annotate most books, but I sometimes don't really know what to exactly annotate I guess. Your annotated books behind you are so aesthetically pleasing. Have a happy new year everyone.
when i highlight i use the edge of my plastic tabholder to make my highlight lines its the perfect length for books when u turn it sideways that way i dont have to get out a ruler bc i always have my tabholder with me because thats what i use for bookmarks
I saw warbreaker in there!! Just read it this last week and I loved it so much, I wanted to get into Brandon Sanderson’s the way of kings. It’s such a big series, I had the idea to buy and annotate the books as I read them. It’ll by my first time annotating a fiction book. Thank you for the tips!
If you feeling unsure of annotating in book, you can also get transparent post-it notes that are 100% removable if you change your mind or looking to unhaul it etc.
hi, thanks for very usefull video. I think about annotation books a lot, but I was scared. I have many people around me witch don't like write into books and now I know I'm free witch means I can do anything what I want to. So thank you soooo much for this feeling. I really like your way how to do it.
To be honest I don't even know how to read a book without annotating it :D. Another reason may be English is not my native language and annotation helps me learn the language when I was little, and that became a habit that hard to shake off. I mainly use some cheap, single-colored washi tape that I can stick on the edge when I am reading a paperback, so I can put my book back on the shelf without worrying flattening the tabs. And I LOVE to write down my thoughts about certain section of the book/ character when they are still fresh and...raw, always fun to look back :)
I love reading someone else's annotations when reading a book, but I can't bring myself to annotate my own books. Mind, I tend to read via audiobook lately. Lovely video. Thank you for sharing. :)
I have been interested in annotating so I’m taking tips on how to now. I honestly just want to highlight beautiful thoughts and ideas so I can go back and look at them. I’m getting over my fear of ruining my books lol
I've been cutting down my opaque tabs so they can fit on the edge of the page without covering up the writing. It's definitely annoying, but I already have them because they came in the pack with my others and I don't want to buy more while I still have these!
i love annotating!! nowadays my annotations consist of me saying "slay" or "girlboss behavior" or "so true bestie" which is great in and of itself, but one of the first books i ever annotated was the fault in our stars :,) i read it like four times in middle school, each time with a new pen/highlighter color, and you can imagine the cringe of tHOSe annotations hehehe
I underlined my first two books last year, and i am atrocious at underlining straight, so it semi makes me cringe every time i open them now. Definitely want to try annotating in a similar style to you! Also the tabs indicating the POVs would be extremely helpful with the I am Number Four series by Pitacus Lore, because i genuinely had to guess whose character was speaking until i ended up cutting tiny strips of a post it note to stick in. So now i can do an updated version and make it cuter!
I wish I could buy hand annotated books before reading them. I absolutely love to hear other peoples opinions on things, especially while reading/watching something new. I try to do it myself but I always forget to bc I get "lost in my own world" when reading good books and completely forget about whatever is happening around me and what time it is lol
I'm aspiring to be a published writer one day, now after watching this video I have concluded that annotation is a mandatory process. reading passively without interacting with the book & not making tabs that concerns with excellently written areas is a waste of time & won't build knowledge about how other great authors are doing their craft.
I take a picture on my phone of the page I want to annotate, mark what part and maybe why it stood out to me. Then I annotate the book after I've finished it. This means I spend less time interrupting the reading so it doesn't really take me out of the story
i don't annotate often tho i might change that but the books i do find wanting to annotate are murder mysteries, but i do need new tabs i'm literally putting off books specifically to get matching tabs for it.
This is so irrelevant, but I also LOVE the infernal devices!! One of the best series I've ever read and it's the only love triangle I actually got invested in!!
Ive only ever annotated 3 books and I mostly only do it w one tab color that matches the cover and a pencil so I can under line and write stuff in the book I tried to do a multicolor tab system but for me personally it didn’t work and I was getting confused which tab to put where but tbh I wanne try again because when I see books with multicolored tab systems it just looks so satisfying
I am so excited to read you’ve reached Sam and it’s my first book and I wanna annotate it I’ve already made a bookmark like blue and pink to match the cover
I annotate in the most basic way possible, i just pick one highlighter or pen colour and underline and tab parts that stand out to me. Sometimes I’ll comment on things but that really depends
I just started annotating! I accidentally bought opaque tabs at first, but have since bought the proper kind 😅 I’m actually excited to go back through & do them by color/theme so I can relive the story without reading the whole thing. I love marking up books but my only qualm with that is thinking what if I don’t want to keep this/want to sell it? Lol. Also I feel weirder marking up hardcovers vs paperbacks. I love me a good floppy paperback but hardcovers just seem fancier? Idk lol.
I love to annotate, i started doing drawings in the front covers of my books.. my drawings are not as good but they are my drawings and that is what counts.
fr I don’t actually annotate at school, haha. I just love to annotate my books even though it makes me read slowly. Well, it’s not that slow to read if we don’t annotate or cherish the book, I guess. 😊
I have thought of annotated book, but it will be kind of hard for me as I mostly read library book so, I can permanently change book. Mostly because I am making a podcast where I use my knowledge in behaviorism to explain the action of character or the reason why the write in a certain way. So, I just write out my thought on my typewriter.
For starters - girl you're amazing, I watch your videos all the time, and your vids have helped me get back into reading which is super exciting!! I love your annotations, I love your doodles, they're so perfect!! I was also wondering where you get all of your cute dangly earrings!! Is it Etsy?? A cute shop in your area?? I would love a link to them!! -xoxo Chris
I started reading more last year. 17 books so far. And i haven't done this😱I know i should have for some quotes i like only.. but i dont like to write in my books. I just protect the covers with contact paper and on my phone notes i put the dates i read them..But i just ordered a reading journal. To write it there.. but since i haven't done this.. idk if i should reread them all🥴 or see if i find the quotes online😅 with the page # to write on the journal.
I have a question for everybody who all goes to thrift stores like St Vincent de Paul or Goodwill? Did you know that people give away writing stuff like cool writing paper to write on or journals that are partially used or sometimes even journals that are really not used with all blank pages and people also donate pens and other writing paper and notebooks and journals? So what do you guys think about using journals and notebooks and other line paper and other writing material from a thrift store? It's not that expensive so that's one way to save money and save the writing stuff from going to the dump because I know that dumpst are starting to run out of room so I guess it's a way of like recycling if you think about it that way. The thing is if you get journals and notebooks from thrift stores you should at least take out the pages that are used and recycle those so that way you could fill it up with all your own things. It is fine going to thrift stores and hunting for writing things and sometimes you may find some other cool things to that you want to buy and thrift stores also have other things that you might like to add to a journal too. I love going to thrift stores and hunting for journaling things are things that are just writing related also if you check out the book section you may find some different books on different types of journals that you can use and these ones are like guided journals in a way so they give you ideas on what to do in those books and it's fun. So I would like to know how many people would use writing material from a thrift store? I don't see nothing wrong with using things that you find in a thrift store have fun craft things to do. Have fun searching for your writing things at thrift stores because when I go I have fun finding different items for writing and I see nothing wrong with it. What do you guys all think about getting writing materials and any kind of crafts items at a thrift store? Going to thrift stores what's saving money and you'll have fun hunting for those things. I really recommend that a lot of people do this to save the planet and so we don't have so much waste in the landfills. Also I think it's a good way of recycling if more people could look at it like that it's perfect for everyone. I suggest that people do a lot more shopping at thrift stores to find things to use for crafts are no books and journals. The Hunt is fun in a thrift store for all these different things.
that stack of annotated books reminds me of fruity pebbles 😩
i can't unsee it👀
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Name hazrulnaimjd
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as a literature student, i cannot imagine not annotating my books... i don't write in my books, i just underline things, but often the pages are filled with post it notes! i love it so much, and like you said, it makes the reading experience a lot more enhanced!
I have this HUGE crush on a girl and we often fangirl together about different things.
And she told me about her favorite fan fics.
So, I wanted to print out and bind the fan fic to turn it into a PHYSICAL book, and annotate it so we could still fan girl together despite reading at different times.
I’ll give her the book along with a journal I write in every time I miss her.
Please wish me luck!
omg that is actually so cute. your so sweet and thoughtful. if only someone would do that for me😭
THATS SO WHOLESOME AND SO ROMANTIC! like as someone who really loves to read and treats her books as her most prized possessions, IF someone did this for me i’d literally ask for their hand in marriage right then n there!
Good Luck btw! im sure she’d appreciate this sweet gesture a lot🤍
@@Gyuphoriaaaa AWWW Thank you so much! And I hope she'll think the same as you and wanna marry me! I love her so much!!
@@saraabib5424 Awwww thank you! Im sure the right person will do the same (If not better) for you 😌
That's one of the best gift ideas I have heard, so thoughtful and sweet ❤
I annotate but it's always on a reread. The first time through I just read it for what it is. For me it makes choosing categories easier and I pick up on things better the second time through. I've learned recently that my retention on first read is major plot points only. I was reading fan theories about Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and had no idea what people were talking about. Doing the annotation on the reread helps me retain stuff so much better one cause I'm rereading it and two because I know what's important to connect things to. I also have this thing where I try to get everything perfect on the first try so it takes the pressure off making annotation categories perfect.
I love the idea of annotating on the second read through, as I often donate books if I'm not going to return to them, but a re read means it's a keeper. Thank you for inspiring me 🙂
that's a great way to do it!! i do love annotating on a reread and being able to better pin point what exactly i want to annotate for!
@@kezla I also donate a lot of books so if it's something I'm willing to keep, it needs to be something I'm willing to read again.
I did this for my rereads of Fourth Wing and Crescent City 1 and I loooooved it 😍 though I can’t borrow anyone my books because now they’re filled with spoilers and thoughts on characters and their development
Do you not get bored on the second read? Also, do you reread it right after finishing it? I wanna delve deeper into it but i get sleepy the second time
as someone who is prone to royally messing up my books by running out of space or smudging when im annotating, i keep a separate journal where i reference the page or paragraph i want to annotate and just write as much as i want about it in the journal. its also just super handy and nostalgic to flip through all ur fav parts of multiple books from just one journal :)
that’s exactly what i do. i also just use the library so i can’t annotate anyway
I used to do that but I wrote what I was actually annotating about, and ended up getting impatient to look at the book, then write, look at the book again, write again etc. Now I realize I should've just written the page number
Your tabs are really satisfying. My biggest tips for annotating beginners is to use just a regular pen and a favourite book you already read. Reason being is you already know that you like it, so you probably won't regret writing in it since you're keeping it. Just underline and circle important parts and write comments in the margins if you're not sure where to start!
absolutely agree on this!!
i remember like 2020-2021 booktok where people would have like 6-7 different colour tabs in a book for romance, sad parts, funny parts etc and I tried annotating like that but omg it was actually the worst 😭😭 it always pulled me out the moment - reading a sad chapter and having to dig around for my blue tabs and highlighter instead of keep reading knowing that I'm never gonna reread it. now I only have 3 - quotes I love, a general one for anything, and *sometimes* lore/worldbuilding if I'm reading a big fantasy or smth. it just makes the process so much more fun and not like ur continuously analysing every time a character makes a joke so u can put down a yellow tab.
I just started and was super turned off by the idea of having tabs for all these different emotions. I have one for moments I love and one for quotes
Oh I recently started annotations! I have started with the trilogy of the folk of the Air, i had like 5 tabs, i would remove the 1st one because it was for like a remembrance or something confusing after the book is completed I would take it out, so I had 4 tabs for moments (happy, sad or funny), favourite (scene or dialogue), cardan and romantic scenes. Honestly this helped me a lot for a first time annotation! I used the book tabs with a similar colour of my book cover, it looked pretty🎀
I'm going to annotate my friends favorite book for her birthday, (so she can read all my thoughts, and see all my drawings, as so goes through her fav book.) I've never annotated a book before, so this video helped a lot, thank you so much!
This video changed my perspective a lot. I thought about how I read with the intent of rushing through it to understand the story, but it really is about the journey. I feel like I’m getting so much more life out of it, and by thinking of little things and making connections, I get a lot more mileage out of the journey.
I’m teaching my child how to annotate as an accompanying lesson to go along with teaching story elements and came looking for different ideas to suggest to her. Thanks so much for this informative and useful video! She will develop her own style, but this is great advice!!! The way I was taught to annotate was boring and tedious. This makes it fun again! Just started annotating my copy of Caesar’s Women using your tips. I’m having fun. 😊 thanks again.
I annotate the most with my kindle because it feels the most simplest while reading my book. If it is a physical copy I usually just underline conversation blurbs or thoughts. I have been doing that with The Infernal Devices series and found a quote I am going to use for my February journal cover that I loved a lot. Such a great series.
I totally agree! Annotating on my kindle is the least disruptive to my reading experience
i agree and i do love highlighting things when i read on my kindle, i just normally reach for physical books myself! also so glad you're loving tid🥺 can i ask what quote??
@@katieisreading In all the world, you are what I love the most. Finished Clockwork Princess two days ago and it was soo good.
I used to use the solid color tabs and re-reading those books is such a pain in the butt. Buying my first pack of clear tabs was life changing and I will never look back
i'm glad i wasn't the only one👀 literally no clue what i was thinking😭
Wow that tower of annotated books looks BEAUTIFUL 😍
i've been an avid reader since i was a little kid, and my parents taught me not to write, doddle or paint on a book. this xmas i treated myself and got 19 books i've wanted for sooo long, and read seven of them just using the tabs to annotate; but i felt like i needed something more and this vid has given me the inspiration to go back and do this differently. i'm still not sure if i wanna do everything permanent on the actual books but i will try with the clear stick notes.
thank you so much for this amazing vid!
i've never annotated a book before but now that i've started writing myself i think i will for dialogue or important character development moments. Even environmental descriptions or something unique. I find that stuff really inspiring. It would be cool to pick up a book and let it inspire me from annotations i did previously before starting a writing session.
i'm so obsessed with your annotations! and your little doodles ugh, such perfection.
tbh i've tried annotating with highlighters and tabs, but i have adhd so whenever i stopped reading, it was really hard to get back into the book. now i just use a pencil or a single black pen to underline or write things in the margins.
ah thank you!!!🥰 and i'm so glad you found a way to annotate that works better for you!!
You make me want to annotate and get organized and start a reading journal and I love it. Always inspiring
You sold me when you mentioned the Infernal Devices. I have a hard time finding others who love the shadow hunters series. ❤😊
I love the doodling you do in your books, especially on the title pages. It's what inspired me to dip my toes into annotating recently...unfortunately my pens bled like crazy🥴, so the timing of this video is impeccable! lol 😋📚✨
thank you!! they're so fun to do! also so sorry to hear your pen bled😭 i hope you found one that works better for you!! happy annotating!!🫶🏻
I started annotating last year and have come to absolutely love it - and whenever I am reading a borrowed book or listening to an audio book I find myself missing it SO MUCH. It really does help my brain engage!
I’ve been so intrigued about annotating books and am hoping to find a way to engage with my reading more and help better remember the plots so I’m going to try annotating! This is so helpful. Thank you!
This was a fun video. I thought I annotated well. I often use planner stickers because I have so many. I might use leftover Chinese New Year stickers in a Lisa See book, or something like that. It's not enough stickers but it's a way to use up my stash. I also date my margin notes in case I ever come back to that book.
Katie, you are so inspiring. I'm going to think about doing this in my books. One thing I do annotate is the definition of words that are new to me. I think it is cool that you love to read, and you love your books. Something that really irritates me is when I loan my book to a friend, and she annotates in my book. I value my books and have become selfish about loaning them.
I love annotating so much!! I rewatch your video periodically just because I love hearing ppl talk about their annotations too!!
You just mentioned something about matching tabs to the cover and I do that with every book. One thing I did when reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was to use pastel tabs that matched the cover... up until things start to go sideways. That's when I matched the pastels to neon tabs and finished tabbing that way.
See you on my next rewatch🫶
i loveeee annotating! since i read so many library books when i actually buy a book and annotate it i get so happy
i only annotate classics and adult fantasy now, i used to do it with all my books but i realised that there are just some books and genres that i dont benefit from annotating. it actually puts me more in a reading slump when i do, especially on YA novels because there are just some books meant to be enjoyed and not overanalysed.
During our reread of Fourth Wing, my friend and I annotated the same book. A red tab was definitely used to mark when Dain was a read flag.. might have to reread acotar to do the same for Tamlin 😂
Annotating and tabbing books is kind of my therapy.. It makes me happy, screw what people say about it❤😅
I usually stick to one color for a book and either freehand underline or use a highlighter. Just everything I find funny, shocking etc, I don't put any effort into analyzing, just reading for the enjoyment.
Annotating books is a beautiful experiencie, cause for me it makes the books completely yours
I don't like annotating my novels, but I like to annotate my textbooks, and language learning books. I do like to listen about how people annotate just in case I plan to annotate in the future. I am reading a book that I am struggling a bit with, and am considering annotating it so I can understand the story better. Previously when I annotated a book, I would use a notebook, and write down things I can recall, like facts, characters, and their roles in it, etc. It was the easiest way for me to remember a book when I was younger.
i LOVE annotating in my books! it’s always so fun to see other people’s styles and what they annotate and stuff 🥰
absolutely agree!! it's so fun to see all of the different methods!!💜
It’s starts at 10:37
The first book I annotated for fun was the phantom of the opera and one of my tabs was for Raoul being dramatic and it was so much fun I love annotating classics
I just recently started annotating my books and the difference I’ve noticed in how I’m retaining the plot and details of the book is crazy! I read a decent amount but have the worst memory with books (honestly probably because I read the same book in different fonts lol) but this really helps if you have that issue!
Great video on annotating. I annotate books differently based on genre. For mystery and thriller physical books, I use clear post-it notes to write my thoughts in the book and use color highlighter tape to highlight specific quotes and sentences. It's likely I won't reread a mystery or thriller because I know what's going to happen. This way, I can lend out these books or haul them after removing the sticky notes and such.
I just started annotating this past month when I read My Last Innocent Year. I underlined and tabbed all of the writing advice the MC received. I have those same tabs from Amazon. I trim the ends so that the tabs don't cover the words or stick out too far. I love the built-in ruler! I use it when I underline to keep it neat. I plan to get into annotation more heavily in 2024. I'm learning how much more I get out of my reading experience (and retain) when I annotate.
I loved how you personalized the front pages with the titles of the books, soo pretty 😍😍 I'd definitely want to try it!!!!
I don't annotate my books, I only ever tab things. I feel like it would hurt my soul too much to write in my books haha but I do always always always take notes on my current reads on my phone and save those in Notion later on. I do love looking back on the notes I took for some of my reads. Some of the books I've read have Notion pages assigned to them with whole essays worth of thoughts. Some of them cohesive, some of them very much not 😂
Usually when I tab a book I choose one single tab colour (that fits the cover of the book) and then I just tab things by gut feeling. For most books I don't use more than 20 or so tabs (sometimes only 5) so it's not really worth it to set up a whole tab-key. I just tab everything my gut tells me "oh I wanna tab that", no matter for what reason, with the same tab colour. I only have five books so far for which I actually set up a tab key. The first four books in the Veronica Speedwell series and The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab. Especially the latter is FULL of tabs, easily my most tabbed book of all time, by FAR, and I knew it would be so it was worth setting up a tab key.
I have read 17 books in the past year and didnt do any of that. But i think the same as you!!. I could never write on them and if i tab them it would be with one color. And just a few. Cause now that i think about it, i would have liked to remember some quotes i liked or important parts.. but i never did it🥺
Can we talk about how stunning Katie is in every video?! 🥹❤️ like seriously she gets more and more beautiful every time she uploads! 💕📚
oh my gosh thank you🥺😭
the spiky tabs are such a good idea and i love the look of them in your books! definitely going to be trying a few of your methods when i annotate next 😌
Being sick and watching Katie’s new video>>>>>>>
hope you feel better soon!🫶🏻
Great Video! Levenger carries a metal tab for single pages also called Page Nibs because they sorta look like Fountain Pen Nibs. Thanx for sharing!
i just stared annotating my book midway, i never manage to get into reading and just recently found my own way, I've been marking a line in pencil, of things that make me laugh, or feel some sort of emotion, and I think ill go back and annotate the rest of the book after I'm done and I'm already planing on buying semi transparent colored tabs :>
I'm really enjoying myself and I'm almost done with the book too :>
I love annotating my books. I mainly highlight and tab, but I have started underlining things I want to stand out in the highlights, usually single words or phrases that have a lot of significance. I like to match the highlights to the book whenever possible. Also with fantasy series I have a color coded system for tabs whereas standalone books, contemporary, classics etc I will just pick one color tab.
I decided to start annotating this week bc i saw some people doing it and thought abt how this should be really helpful while experiencing a book. I started yesterday with Alice through the looking glass (one of my fave books ever) and i'm enjoying so far. I still a bit insecure bc i want things to look cohesive and aesthetic but i'm not very good at it lol ur video gave me some more motivation so thanks :)
This couldn't have come at a better time :D Im going to annotate my first reread of a heart as red as paint soon and I can't wait, so thank you for this video
Your annotations always look amazing!❤
i loveeee annotating, i don’t to anything to fancy because im not very good at doodling and drawing and im scared to mess the book up 🥲
but doing little collages is such a good idea, maybe i should try that!!
i love your annotated books, they’re so beautiful!!
Thank you so much for this video! I have been wanting to annotate my books but I didn’t know where to start!
I don't annotate most books, but I sometimes don't really know what to exactly annotate I guess. Your annotated books behind you are so aesthetically pleasing. Have a happy new year everyone.
I haven't annotate any of my books.. 17 so far, cause same... i know maybe a few quotes. But now i don't remember in what page they are🥴
I wanted to start annotating my poetry books and short story collection books of my favorites in the future when i start reading them.📚☕🎄⛄
that sounds like a great idea!!
I splurged on the achievers must bookmate for my bible, non-fiction for annotation great when not at a desk
I really want to tab my books and annotate because i feel like it would b good for my english skills, but i also like reading as well
My trusty pen is a Parker Jotter. I love the sound of the bouncy ball point!
when i highlight i use the edge of my plastic tabholder to make my highlight lines its the perfect length for books when u turn it sideways that way i dont have to get out a ruler bc i always have my tabholder with me because thats what i use for bookmarks
I saw warbreaker in there!! Just read it this last week and I loved it so much, I wanted to get into Brandon Sanderson’s the way of kings. It’s such a big series, I had the idea to buy and annotate the books as I read them. It’ll by my first time annotating a fiction book. Thank you for the tips!
You inspired me to start drawing on my books , decorate the margins and generally make it my individual copy of the book 😊
I was just thinking the other day of trying this and looking into the purpose and meaning and figuring out how to try doing it. Thank you!
If you feeling unsure of annotating in book, you can also get transparent post-it notes that are 100% removable if you change your mind or looking to unhaul it etc.
I wanna start annotating and even brought the supplies. I also the books picked out as well but I’m not ready to take the plunge yet lol
hi, thanks for very usefull video. I think about annotation books a lot, but I was scared. I have many people around me witch don't like write into books and now I know I'm free witch means I can do anything what I want to. So thank you soooo much for this feeling. I really like your way how to do it.
To be honest I don't even know how to read a book without annotating it :D. Another reason may be English is not my native language and annotation helps me learn the language when I was little, and that became a habit that hard to shake off.
I mainly use some cheap, single-colored washi tape that I can stick on the edge when I am reading a paperback, so I can put my book back on the shelf without worrying flattening the tabs. And I LOVE to write down my thoughts about certain section of the book/ character when they are still fresh and...raw, always fun to look back :)
I love reading someone else's annotations when reading a book, but I can't bring myself to annotate my own books. Mind, I tend to read via audiobook lately.
Lovely video. Thank you for sharing. :)
I have been interested in annotating so I’m taking tips on how to now. I honestly just want to highlight beautiful thoughts and ideas so I can go back and look at them. I’m getting over my fear of ruining my books lol
I've been cutting down my opaque tabs so they can fit on the edge of the page without covering up the writing. It's definitely annoying, but I already have them because they came in the pack with my others and I don't want to buy more while I still have these!
Timestamps for future reference
00:00 Intro
01:21 Why annotate
04:08 Supplies
09:14 Sponsor
10:35 Process of tabbing
15:24 Extra personalisation
15:41 Doodling
15:55 Spotify
16:22 Front page deco
i love annotating!! nowadays my annotations consist of me saying "slay" or "girlboss behavior" or "so true bestie" which is great in and of itself, but one of the first books i ever annotated was the fault in our stars :,) i read it like four times in middle school, each time with a new pen/highlighter color, and you can imagine the cringe of tHOSe annotations hehehe
I underlined my first two books last year, and i am atrocious at underlining straight, so it semi makes me cringe every time i open them now. Definitely want to try annotating in a similar style to you!
Also the tabs indicating the POVs would be extremely helpful with the I am Number Four series by Pitacus Lore, because i genuinely had to guess whose character was speaking until i ended up cutting tiny strips of a post it note to stick in. So now i can do an updated version and make it cuter!
Best annotation guide video
I wish I could buy hand annotated books before reading them. I absolutely love to hear other peoples opinions on things, especially while reading/watching something new. I try to do it myself but I always forget to bc I get "lost in my own world" when reading good books and completely forget about whatever is happening around me and what time it is lol
Frixion erasable highlighter might be helpful to you if you do wanna highlight- I love them so much
❤ these!
I'm aspiring to be a published writer one day,
now after watching this video I have concluded that annotation is a mandatory process.
reading passively without interacting with the book & not making tabs that concerns with excellently written areas is a waste of time & won't build knowledge about how other great authors are doing their craft.
Thank you for sharing your creativity
I take a picture on my phone of the page I want to annotate, mark what part and maybe why it stood out to me. Then I annotate the book after I've finished it. This means I spend less time interrupting the reading so it doesn't really take me out of the story
i don't annotate often tho i might change that but the books i do find wanting to annotate are murder mysteries, but i do need new tabs i'm literally putting off books specifically to get matching tabs for it.
I aspire to create annotations as pretty as yours one day!
I was just looking for videos about annotating books and you uploaded one❤
I only annotate on a re-read of a fav... except for Count of Monte Cristo I annotated as I went... Soooooooo goood
This is so irrelevant, but I also LOVE the infernal devices!! One of the best series I've ever read and it's the only love triangle I actually got invested in!!
Ive only ever annotated 3 books and I mostly only do it w one tab color that matches the cover and a pencil so I can under line and write stuff in the book I tried to do a multicolor tab system but for me personally it didn’t work and I was getting confused which tab to put where but tbh I wanne try again because when I see books with multicolored tab systems it just looks so satisfying
I am so excited to read you’ve reached Sam and it’s my first book and I wanna annotate it I’ve already made a bookmark like blue and pink to match the cover
I annotate in the most basic way possible, i just pick one highlighter or pen colour and underline and tab parts that stand out to me. Sometimes I’ll comment on things but that really depends
I just started annotating! I accidentally bought opaque tabs at first, but have since bought the proper kind 😅 I’m actually excited to go back through & do them by color/theme so I can relive the story without reading the whole thing. I love marking up books but my only qualm with that is thinking what if I don’t want to keep this/want to sell it? Lol. Also I feel weirder marking up hardcovers vs paperbacks. I love me a good floppy paperback but hardcovers just seem fancier? Idk lol.
Hahaah I've never been this early. 😅 I need to sleep but... Katie uploaded who sleeps?
日本人です。
本に書き込みをするのはあまり馴染みがないですが、とても魅力的だと思いました😊
I love to annotate, i started doing drawings in the front covers of my books.. my drawings are not as good but they are my drawings and that is what counts.
I. Have. Been. waiting. for. this. video! Ty tytytytyty
I needed thissssssss yay
fr I don’t actually annotate at school, haha. I just love to annotate my books even though it makes me read slowly. Well, it’s not that slow to read if we don’t annotate or cherish the book, I guess. 😊
I have thought of annotated book, but it will be kind of hard for me as I mostly read library book so, I can permanently change book. Mostly because I am making a podcast where I use my knowledge in behaviorism to explain the action of character or the reason why the write in a certain way. So, I just write out my thought on my typewriter.
I may be very boring but I use only clear tabs for annotations :D I really love your collage first pages, they're so pleasing to the eye
hey as long as it works well for you then that's great!! and thank you!!
I have been waiting for this video thank you katie love how you annotate just beautifull❤❤❤
Christmas has come 16 days early 🙌🏼👏🏼
For starters - girl you're amazing, I watch your videos all the time, and your vids have helped me get back into reading which is super exciting!! I love your annotations, I love your doodles, they're so perfect!! I was also wondering where you get all of your cute dangly earrings!! Is it Etsy?? A cute shop in your area?? I would love a link to them!! -xoxo Chris
I started reading more last year. 17 books so far. And i haven't done this😱I know i should have for some quotes i like only.. but i dont like to write in my books. I just protect the covers with contact paper and on my phone notes i put the dates i read them..But i just ordered a reading journal. To write it there.. but since i haven't done this.. idk if i should reread them all🥴 or see if i find the quotes online😅 with the page # to write on the journal.
love your annotations and doodles! I love annotating but it takes me FOREVER to get through a book when I do
thank you!! and i agree it definitely takes up a lo of time!! i think it's so worth it though
@@katieisreading SO true
Oh my. You look like you came straight out of a book. You’re gorgeous! You look like what I think Feyre would look like.
I have a question for everybody who all goes to thrift stores like St Vincent de Paul or Goodwill? Did you know that people give away writing stuff like cool writing paper to write on or journals that are partially used or sometimes even journals that are really not used with all blank pages and people also donate pens and other writing paper and notebooks and journals? So what do you guys think about using journals and notebooks and other line paper and other writing material from a thrift store? It's not that expensive so that's one way to save money and save the writing stuff from going to the dump because I know that dumpst are starting to run out of room so I guess it's a way of like recycling if you think about it that way. The thing is if you get journals and notebooks from thrift stores you should at least take out the pages that are used and recycle those so that way you could fill it up with all your own things. It is fine going to thrift stores and hunting for writing things and sometimes you may find some other cool things to that you want to buy and thrift stores also have other things that you might like to add to a journal too. I love going to thrift stores and hunting for journaling things are things that are just writing related also if you check out the book section you may find some different books on different types of journals that you can use and these ones are like guided journals in a way so they give you ideas on what to do in those books and it's fun. So I would like to know how many people would use writing material from a thrift store? I don't see nothing wrong with using things that you find in a thrift store have fun craft things to do. Have fun searching for your writing things at thrift stores because when I go I have fun finding different items for writing and I see nothing wrong with it. What do you guys all think about getting writing materials and any kind of crafts items at a thrift store? Going to thrift stores what's saving money and you'll have fun hunting for those things. I really recommend that a lot of people do this to save the planet and so we don't have so much waste in the landfills. Also I think it's a good way of recycling if more people could look at it like that it's perfect for everyone. I suggest that people do a lot more shopping at thrift stores to find things to use for crafts are no books and journals. The Hunt is fun in a thrift store for all these different things.
Girl I love your videos 😭❤️