I've been doing this for about 20 years now, and I have filled some very nice leather journals with words and quotes. It's like a book of magic spells as every time I open one and read a quote I've written down, I fall under its spell again. I've also found it a great source of inspiration for my own writing.
It was a harder day's journey than yesterday's, for there were long and weary hills to climb; and in journeys, as in life, it is a great deal easier to go down hill than up. However, they kept on, with unabated perseverance, and the hill has not yet lifted its face to heaven that perseverance will not gain the summit of at last. Charles Dickens... Nicholas Nickleby. I really love this passage❤️
“The self-operating elevator was carpeted in red plush. It had an elderly perfume in it, like three widows drinking tea. “ ― Raymond Chandler, The Lady in the Lake, p 166
Recently, Whitman's Song of Myself made me realize that I read way faster than I should. I've always wanted to be "a citizen of pages" as you beautifully call it, but I've never been able to fully embrace the books I read. But watching your channel helps me a ton, these tips are amazing! Thanks to your video, today I decided I want to put my old notebooks to good use and start writing down quotes as you suggested. Thank you so much for your work, your channel truly has an impact on my reading. Greetings from Poland!
Great advice! I do this too *grabs notebook*…Excerpts from my favorite book: “For love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” And “Only don’t go to the other extreme and delve like slaves. Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful success, in spite of poverty.” Both from Little Women 😊
Your videos always inspire me. I can’t wait to start annotating on my next book (The Woman in White) . I already talk to my husband about my books and watch RUclips summaries afterward and this measures have already paid off.
I keep my impressions, criticisms, and quotes electronically but use a notebook to keep lists of characters and their relationships, because I find it quicker to record, organize and draw arrows between characters by hand. Both records help me to share and recall books I’ve read.
I was already thinking of starting to do this for my reading but hadn't committed to it yet, this video has given me more solid reasons to finally start doing it. Thank you! :)
This is great! I always underline sentences that stick out to me, but I've never written them down in a book. Now I don't know why I never have, but I will do now!
I remember in University, literature professors would assign 700 pages of reading week. That doesn't include the reading from other professors. How can they expect students to be well read and truly understand the reading they assign when they expect them to read so fast?
Oh, wow! No wonder I have heard so many people say they got burned out on reading in college. It sometimes takes years for them to enjoy reading again.
I’ve also heard of university graduates who have struggled to pick up a book for years after finishing their English degree. It’s crazy how much pressure is CNN put on students and not surprising that many drop out or worse.
The last uni class I took had us reading not only several hundred pages, but from all across different eras and topics. I received absolutely no value from doing that. In fact, it only succeeded in making me frustrated and doubt my ability to absorb the meaning of the texts.
Hi Tristan! Where have you been all my life! First time watching your channel and I am so thrilled I've found you on RUclips. In the short time I've been watching your channel I' am becoming a better reader by focusing on and observing the characters in the story.. It makes a world of difference, it is magical. There is a lot to learn but I am so proud of myself for following your channel to become a better reader. Thank you so very much Tristan..
i love those quotes from your notes. I read just to read and enjoy. To read purposefully is a step beyond. I want to go back and take some literature classes, so a notebook and quotes would go a long way in better understanding and comprehension and enjoyment. There is a lot of French in some classics. Maria Edgeworth uses a lot of French quotes in her novels. If they are footnoted, it is good. But many times it is not.
The funny thing is, I have just started reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and I thought of writing down some of the wonderfully humorous quotes in the novel. Your reasons for doing so make perfect sense.
As an aspiring writer, you have motivated me to write a book for people like you. It is every writer's dream to have readers who will deeply explore their art and treasure its significance. The goal of this video is to help people be better readers, but in the process you have inspired this writer to be a better writer worthy of my readers' attention and time. 👍👍👍
I agree. I've been doing that for years. I transfer all my notes to a file on my laptop, I have separate tabs for words, quotes (thoughtful) and phrases (well said, beautifully or uniquely descriptive.) How about this phrasing; “Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.” ― Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, p 1 What I love about that one is that I find Murakami, in _1Q84_ uses a similar phrasing of a centipede in a sugar bowl (and later in yogurt). It makes me wonder if he 'stole' this from Chandler.
It has taken a while to listen to 3 of your videos BECAUSE I have taken notes-4 pages of them! (Pause the video-turn back on, pause the video and turn on again…) THANK YOU! Now, I want to listen to MORE of your posts! AND-I want to implement your advice bc I am a ‘SLOW READER’. Thank you again!❤
My first read is just to read the book. The second read is my enjoyment read, I keep notes in the margins and annotate quotes and passages in the empty pages of the book. These remind me why i adored the book and enjoyed it when I read it again. I started this journey 35 years ago. I LOVE ur channel and u can tell me what to read anytime. Love ur content and ur sweet smile. You are probably younger than my daughters.😊❤❤❤
Although I do write out some quotes of books I've read for a review digitally(writing the review on my phone) I never keep the review scripts that I use for video or audio reviews. I mainly mention the quote and the page I found it in the version of the book I'm reading. Maybe I could keep a digital journal of all the quotes or moments that popped out to me as I read them. Since my handwriting is really shaky. However, it is important to document moments from books whether it's for study,analysis or enjoyment. I can still vividly remember my absolute enjoyment when I read Bram Stokers Dracula. Such a beautifully written story. In my opinion. 🙂❤📚
This is fascinating to me because I’ve always made notes & marked quotes in non-fiction just for my own edification and later perusal, but never ever did this with fiction. I hesitated because I felt it would take me out of the story rather than deeper into the world. But now I’m curious…
another good vid thank you and thanks for the hard work. really good idea keeping a notebook I'm absolutely gunna do this like ive said before I'm just getting back into reading and I'm trying my hand with the classics what ive been doing is keeping my phone handy when I'm reading and any word I'm not sure off i Google the definition and or pronunciation I love the idea off keeping a notebook words, quotes and characters
Yes, yes, yes! Journaling & reading goes hand in hand 🤎 I have a special notebook for writing down quotes and I often reread them. I just made a video on this, too! Great topic.
You are a delight to follow. I listen to audiobooks a lot and wish I could 'carvre' my favourite lines into my brain. Any suggestions? Time to sharpen the memory and upgrade it with some extra gigabytes, ✅️ right?🤣🤣🤣
I do this with non-fiction, but hadnt thought of applying this practice with fiction! I read a book this weekend that opened with a beautiful passage and will go back and write it in my notebook. Brilliant. Thank you! 😊
17:35 it’s interesting that you bring up this point about whether we are swayed by all these factors in life, I just heard the same concept today when someone was talking about Sapolsky’s Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will
I’m so glad I found your channel. I have a hefty reading schedule with a book club and am reading 6 books concurrently. I have been putting off journaling for several months but your video has inspired me to start. The stumbling block for me is wanting my journal to look immaculate but my writing is dreadful. I’m tempted to type my notes and print them off but that feels like cheating.
I don't see why that would be a problem. (Unless it becomes distracting from the actual reading/enjoying of the book.) I used to have good handwriting. But it's gone to crap since I rarely need to write anything anymore. Plus, I've become so used to typing my thoughts that my brain goes WAY too fast to be able to capture it in writing. I know the point of writing IS to slow down. But I don't think I can do that anymore. My mind races all the time anyway. If I don't get down my thoughts as I'm having them, through typing, they will go WHOOSH! right out of my head.
That Moby Dick quote is one of my favorites, I am shocked to see someone else appreciates it! The Mill on the Floss or Silas Marner? Which do you prefer?
The intro of this video has so many beautiful and precise metaphors about the benefit of refined reading what really convinces me to try your tip. Thank you! Could you make a video about how to go about the new vocabularies one encounters while reading, if the goal is to become a better reader in general? There must be a different approach to when you have just one new word every few pages vs. 5-6 on each page (depending on your level of English, the book itself and the part of the book)
Dear Tristan, Thank you so much for all your videos, which I find really enriching. I am writing from France, where I teach English. I find the idea of a notebook a most useful tip. Could you tell us how you arrange your books and notebooks on your shelves? I do prefer keeping a paper notebook to a digital one. Hoping you will see my question, I look forward to reading your answer. Best regards
Glad I discovered your channel as I am reading more classics now. Do you have a preferred translator for the Russians? Does Constance Garnett still hold up? Thank you for your channel!
This was great and now I am interested again in reading a classic from one of my shelves right now. You mentioned that you can use these ideas (quotes and definitions) for non-fiction too. Is it the same idea? What is beautiful and potent or is it more what is interesting, intriguing? I am a new subscriber, and I find that I need to binge your videos. Thank you!
How would you recommend implementing this advice for someone who is in the midst of reading multiple books, and who doesn't want to waste space in the notebook, but does want to keep quotes from each book grouped together?
Maybe have a section for each book? Or maybe get one of those ring binders (either the large ones or the smaller sized ones) with loose paper? Then you can put in dividers for each book and you can use however many pages you need.
I use a 'Happy Planner' Classic notebook (about 7 x 9 inches), which has a disc binder system, so you can add and remove pages when you want, multiple times. You could have several dividers, one for each book you're currently reading, and then collate all the notes for one book to a 'completed' section later.
I'm afraid I read WAR AND PEACE just to see if it was good and yes, to say that I read it. I did indeed read it. But I'm not sure I'm the better for it. There were some beautiful passages in it, however.
"Some months elapsed before the brilliant vision faded from their imagination; and when it did, like that of Micyllus, it left honey on the eye-lids of the dreamer." Melmoth the wanderer Charles Maturin
Dear Sir, I humbly advise you to read a victorian novel "The Gadfly" by E.L. Voinich- an English wrighter and then share your opinion with us. To my mind it is a worthy novel.
"Becoming a citizen of its pages." Love that statement.
"I left her laughing. The sound was like a hen having hiccups" ― Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely 94
Love that 😅
I've been doing this for about 20 years now, and I have filled some very nice leather journals with words and quotes. It's like a book of magic spells as every time I open one and read a quote I've written down, I fall under its spell again. I've also found it a great source of inspiration for my own writing.
It was a harder day's journey than yesterday's, for there were long and weary hills to climb; and in journeys, as in life, it is a great deal easier to go down hill than up. However, they kept on, with unabated perseverance, and the hill has not yet lifted its face to heaven that perseverance will not gain the summit of at last. Charles Dickens... Nicholas Nickleby. I really love this passage❤️
Now there's a passage to savour! That was delectable. ❤️
“The self-operating elevator was carpeted in red plush. It had an elderly perfume in it, like three widows drinking tea. “ ― Raymond Chandler, The Lady in the Lake, p 166
Recently, Whitman's Song of Myself made me realize that I read way faster than I should. I've always wanted to be "a citizen of pages" as you beautifully call it, but I've never been able to fully embrace the books I read. But watching your channel helps me a ton, these tips are amazing! Thanks to your video, today I decided I want to put my old notebooks to good use and start writing down quotes as you suggested. Thank you so much for your work, your channel truly has an impact on my reading. Greetings from Poland!
Great advice! I do this too *grabs notebook*…Excerpts from my favorite book: “For love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” And “Only don’t go to the other extreme and delve like slaves. Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful success, in spite of poverty.” Both from Little Women 😊
Your videos always inspire me.
I can’t wait to start annotating on my next book (The Woman in White) .
I already talk to my husband about my books and watch RUclips summaries afterward and this measures have already paid off.
Ohhhh you are SO going to love the Woman in White! SUCH a page turner!!!
I keep my impressions, criticisms, and quotes electronically but use a notebook to keep lists of characters and their relationships, because I find it quicker to record, organize and draw arrows between characters by hand. Both records help me to share and recall books I’ve read.
That's perfect. Annotating doesn't have to be in the physical book.
I was already thinking of starting to do this for my reading but hadn't committed to it yet, this video has given me more solid reasons to finally start doing it. Thank you! :)
I'm so pleased that you are going to start doing it. It is a very rewarding exercise 😀
This is great! I always underline sentences that stick out to me, but I've never written them down in a book. Now I don't know why I never have, but I will do now!
I remember in University, literature professors would assign 700 pages of reading week. That doesn't include the reading from other professors. How can they expect students to be well read and truly understand the reading they assign when they expect them to read so fast?
Oh, wow! No wonder I have heard so many people say they got burned out on reading in college. It sometimes takes years for them to enjoy reading again.
I’ve also heard of university graduates who have struggled to pick up a book for years after finishing their English degree. It’s crazy how much pressure is CNN put on students and not surprising that many drop out or worse.
The last uni class I took had us reading not only several hundred pages, but from all across different eras and topics. I received absolutely no value from doing that. In fact, it only succeeded in making me frustrated and doubt my ability to absorb the meaning of the texts.
Hi Tristan! Where have you been all my life! First time watching your channel and I am so thrilled I've found you on RUclips. In the short time I've been watching your channel I' am becoming a better reader by focusing on and observing the characters in the story.. It makes a world of difference, it is magical. There is a lot to learn but I am so proud of myself for following your channel to become a better reader. Thank you so very much Tristan..
i love those quotes from your notes. I read just to read and enjoy. To read purposefully is a step beyond. I want to go back and take some literature classes, so a notebook and quotes would go a long way in better understanding and comprehension and enjoyment. There is a lot of French in some classics. Maria Edgeworth uses a lot of French quotes in her novels. If they are footnoted, it is good. But many times it is not.
The funny thing is, I have just started reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and I thought of writing down some of the wonderfully humorous quotes in the novel. Your reasons for doing so make perfect sense.
I'm so pleased 😀 I hope you find the process rewarding and that it leads you to continuing in it.
As an aspiring writer, you have motivated me to write a book for people like you. It is every writer's dream to have readers who will deeply explore their art and treasure its significance. The goal of this video is to help people be better readers, but in the process you have inspired this writer to be a better writer worthy of my readers' attention and time. 👍👍👍
I agree. I've been doing that for years. I transfer all my notes to a file on my laptop, I have separate tabs for words, quotes (thoughtful) and phrases (well said, beautifully or uniquely descriptive.)
How about this phrasing;
“Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.” ― Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, p 1
What I love about that one is that I find Murakami, in _1Q84_ uses a similar phrasing of a centipede in a sugar bowl (and later in yogurt). It makes me wonder if he 'stole' this from Chandler.
Splendid! It's so enjoyable going back over them isn't it?
I absolutely love how much you love words! Your enthusiasm for words and ability to use them well is refreshing. Thank you!
It has taken a while to listen to 3 of your videos BECAUSE I have taken notes-4 pages of them! (Pause the video-turn back on, pause the video and turn on again…) THANK YOU! Now, I want to listen to MORE of your posts! AND-I want to implement your advice bc I am a ‘SLOW READER’. Thank you again!❤
Magnificent suggestion! Time no purchase a notebook.
great video, man, thanks a lot.
have this notebook in 'google keep' on the phone, re-read almost every day, add more quotes as we read more and more
My first read is just to read the book. The second read is my enjoyment read, I keep notes in the margins and annotate quotes and passages in the empty pages of the book. These remind me why i adored the book and enjoyed it when I read it again. I started this journey 35 years ago. I LOVE ur channel and u can tell me what to read anytime. Love ur content and ur sweet smile. You are probably younger than my daughters.😊❤❤❤
Although I do write out some quotes of books I've read for a review digitally(writing the review on my phone) I never keep the review scripts that I use for video or audio reviews. I mainly mention the quote and the page I found it in the version of the book I'm reading. Maybe I could keep a digital journal of all the quotes or moments that popped out to me as I read them. Since my handwriting is really shaky. However, it is important to document moments from books whether it's for study,analysis or enjoyment. I can still vividly remember my absolute enjoyment when I read Bram Stokers Dracula. Such a beautifully written story. In my opinion. 🙂❤📚
I think that with your appreciation of reading, keeping a digital journal will be extremely rewarding 😀
This is fascinating to me because I’ve always made notes & marked quotes in non-fiction just for my own edification and later perusal, but never ever did this with fiction. I hesitated because I felt it would take me out of the story rather than deeper into the world. But now I’m curious…
I wish I'd seen this video before I read Middlemarch!
13:49 I also noted this passage about water in Moby Dick! Melville wrote some beautiful turns of phrases.
another good vid thank you and thanks for the hard work.
really good idea keeping a notebook I'm absolutely gunna do this like ive said before I'm just getting back into reading and I'm trying my hand with the classics
what ive been doing is keeping my phone handy when I'm reading and any word I'm not sure off i Google the definition and or pronunciation
I love the idea off keeping a notebook words, quotes and characters
Yes, yes, yes! Journaling & reading goes hand in hand 🤎 I have a special notebook for writing down quotes and I often reread them. I just made a video on this, too! Great topic.
Oh, fabulous. I will have to check it out. 😀❤️
@@tristanandtheclassics6538 That would be an honor, sir!
You are a delight to follow. I listen to audiobooks a lot and wish I could 'carvre' my favourite lines into my brain. Any suggestions? Time to sharpen the memory and upgrade it with some extra gigabytes, ✅️ right?🤣🤣🤣
I first leant about a pock marked mirror at age 15 in the novel; "Wake in fright"-Kenneth Cook.
I do this with non-fiction, but hadnt thought of applying this practice with fiction! I read a book this weekend that opened with a beautiful passage and will go back and write it in my notebook. Brilliant. Thank you! 😊
I am so happy your channel came up for me! I never wanted this video to end- you are so inspiring!
17:35 it’s interesting that you bring up this point about whether we are swayed by all these factors in life, I just heard the same concept today when someone was talking about Sapolsky’s Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will
Wonderful reading advice! Thanks. 😊
I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Adrienne. I hope you get to try it out.😀
Thank you for this idea.
You are welcome 😊 I sincerely hope that you get into the habit of keeping a quotation book and inherit immense treasure from it.😀❤️
Thank you ✨📖📒
You are welcome 😊 Pleased you enjoyed it.
Wonderful advice as always 💗
Thank you, Christina. So pleased you enjoyed it ☺️
I’m so glad I found your channel. I have a hefty reading schedule with a book club and am reading 6 books concurrently. I have been putting off journaling for several months but your video has inspired me to start. The stumbling block for me is wanting my journal to look immaculate but my writing is dreadful. I’m tempted to type my notes and print them off but that feels like cheating.
I don't see why that would be a problem. (Unless it becomes distracting from the actual reading/enjoying of the book.) I used to have good handwriting. But it's gone to crap since I rarely need to write anything anymore. Plus, I've become so used to typing my thoughts that my brain goes WAY too fast to be able to capture it in writing. I know the point of writing IS to slow down. But I don't think I can do that anymore. My mind races all the time anyway. If I don't get down my thoughts as I'm having them, through typing, they will go WHOOSH! right out of my head.
Make your journals YOU. They don’t have to be works of art. Use them to relax into beautiful quotations.
Epic
Thanks! 😊
That Moby Dick quote is one of my favorites, I am shocked to see someone else appreciates it! The Mill on the Floss or Silas Marner? Which do you prefer?
The intro of this video has so many beautiful and precise metaphors about the benefit of refined reading what really convinces me to try your tip. Thank you!
Could you make a video about how to go about the new vocabularies one encounters while reading, if the goal is to become a better reader in general? There must be a different approach to when you have just one new word every few pages vs. 5-6 on each page (depending on your level of English, the book itself and the part of the book)
Such great tips, I loved this video. Thank you for sharing!
Always helpful and motivational.
Thank you, Ralph 😀
Thank you so much. You are very inspiring.
Thank you, Natalie, you are very kind. 😀❤️
I love this video! great suggestions!
Thank you so much.
Dear Tristan,
Thank you so much for all your videos, which I find really enriching. I am writing from France, where I teach English.
I find the idea of a notebook a most useful tip. Could you tell us how you arrange your books and notebooks on your shelves?
I do prefer keeping a paper notebook to a digital one.
Hoping you will see my question, I look forward to reading your answer.
Best regards
Glad I discovered your channel as I am reading more classics now. Do you have a preferred translator for the Russians? Does Constance Garnett still hold up? Thank you for your channel!
Excellent ♡♡ and the comments also.
This was great and now I am interested again in reading a classic from one of my shelves right now. You mentioned that you can use these ideas (quotes and definitions) for non-fiction too. Is it the same idea? What is beautiful and potent or is it more what is interesting, intriguing? I am a new subscriber, and I find that I need to binge your videos. Thank you!
I’m going to do that!
Brilliant!👏👏👏
🥰Thank you so much for the notebook suggestion. All the points are so good! Do you organically reflect on it's contents or set a time to do so?
How would you recommend implementing this advice for someone who is in the midst of reading multiple books, and who doesn't want to waste space in the notebook, but does want to keep quotes from each book grouped together?
Maybe he would say… read one book at a time. I believe that’s the point of the video. Read less. Be more involved with it
Maybe have a section for each book? Or maybe get one of those ring binders (either the large ones or the smaller sized ones) with loose paper? Then you can put in dividers for each book and you can use however many pages you need.
I use a 'Happy Planner' Classic notebook (about 7 x 9 inches), which has a disc binder system, so you can add and remove pages when you want, multiple times. You could have several dividers, one for each book you're currently reading, and then collate all the notes for one book to a 'completed' section later.
I'm afraid I read WAR AND PEACE just to see if it was good and yes, to say that I read it. I did indeed read it. But I'm not sure I'm the better for it. There were some beautiful passages in it, however.
Have you read John steinbecks the Pearl?
hey Tristan do you rate Audiobooks? sometimes i feel like cheating if i listen to a book instead of reading...
"Some months elapsed before the brilliant vision faded from their imagination; and when it did, like that of Micyllus, it left honey on the eye-lids of the dreamer."
Melmoth the wanderer
Charles Maturin
Dear Sir, I humbly advise you to read a victorian novel "The Gadfly" by E.L. Voinich- an English wrighter and then share your opinion with us. To my mind it is a worthy novel.
Meant carve