How I Use Book Annotation to be a More Engaged Reader

How simple book annotation changed my reading habits.

Fresh out of college I spent a week house sitting for my aunt & uncle and keeping my younger cousin company. Out of boredom one night, I asked my cousin for a book to read, and she handed me Twilight. I proceeded to power through the first few books in record speed. A few weeks later, during an in-depth discussion of the series, one of my friends mentioned something about Jacob being of Native American descent — to which I replied, “Really?”. I had imagined him (and all the other characters) as nondescript beings moving throughout the story. She scoffed and said “Seriously?! Don’t you remember how the character was described in the book?” Nope. I didn’t.

In fact, I probably didn’t read the descriptions at all. I had a bad habit of glazing over important facts in an effort to speed read, get to the good part or discover the big twist. I am the person who reads a Wikipedia summary while I’m watching a movie and Google’s “which couples are still together” before I’ve watched the finale of a reality dating competition. I’m not proud of it, but it’s a cycle I’ve continued until nearly present day.

As I’ve recently discovered the fantasy genre, in which it is imperative to recall world building details in addition to character descriptions and plot development, I decided it was time to pay more attention when reading. Serendipitously, a few months ago I happened upon a slew of book annotation posts in the social media app Lemon8. And so, I delved into the annotation space.

It’s worth noting that I am not a good “active” reader. Meaning, I’m usually laying down on the couch or in bed with my cat Poppy sitting on my chest. This makes annotation challenging, particularly to highlight or write things down. As such, I’ve adopted a Lazy Girl method of annotation in which I simply flag important concepts and events within a story.

The first book I annotated was House of Marionne. Keep reading for my (simple) process, tips and suggested annotation tools.


my process

  1. Select a book!

  2. Add book details to your tracker. I used Milanote (see image above).

    • Choose which categories to track. I chose to focus on a few general categories to keep the process simple: world, characters + plot. I also made a category for favorite quotes + words.

    • Select a color template. Amazon offers several options to buy sticky tabs in bulk. Typically you’ll receive multiple “sheets” of tabs in curated color schemes. Pick one sheet for ease, or multiple if you have an annotation kit that you keep nearby when reading.

    • Assign a color to each category that correlates with the options on the tab sheet you selected.

  3. Create a reference key (or two)

    • Put one piece of each colored tab on the inner cover of your book + notate with the assigned category

    • Label the “in use” colors on your tab sheet with the initial of each category (see the 2nd image below). For example, I put P, W, Q + C next to the 4 colors I selected to quickly know which tab to use for Plot, World, Quotes and Characters.

  4. Prepare a spot to take notes

    • A few translucent sticky notes on the map at the beginning of the book to jot notes while reading.

  5. Start reading

    • Flag content as you go. In my lazy version, I casually placed a tab near the sentence, word or paragraph I wanted to remember. More in-depth annotation might include highlighting, noting commentary or precisely aligning the new tab with prior tabs.

      This part is fully up to your discretion — flag anything that you find relevant, interesting or meaningful

    • Refer back to flagged items as needed to remember key points, descriptions, etc.


the results

  • Overall I enjoyed the activity, felt it made reading more of a hobby than a task (which I loved) and believe it did keep me more engaged in learning and remembering story details. I’m confident that the fundamental information I annotated in this first book will come in handy for book #2.

  • I didn’t use the favorite quotes and words tab very often but this is an area in which I want to improve in my next book.

  • I didn’t write anything on the translucent notes. Thats not to say I didn’t have notes worth documenting — but rather, I was lazy. I will still include this prep step moving forward in case I’m inspired to use it :)

  • I had a hard time remembering to use the tabs. A few times I forced myself to go back and tab something noteworthy that I was too lazy to tab in real time (or forgot). I imagine this will become more second nature the more I practice this process.

    I found there to be more flagging upfront as the story and characters were being established - so my challenge will be in maintaining engagement & flagging content later in the book.


supplies

For the Lazy Girl method

Annotation workbook: a simple physical location to document your categories, colors and general commentary
Sticky tabs: an array of beautiful colored tabs to choose from

For the full annotation method

Annotation kit: everything you need t get started
Highlighter tape: an interesting solution that mitigates ink bleeding and uneven lines
Translucent sticky notes: maintain a clean aesthetic while adding pertinent annotation
Pens: one of my favorite pens for all life activities
Highlighters: a curated set of muted and beautiful colors


tips

  • Use a wide range of colors if you want to easily identify your flagged content. When a tab is on it’s own in a book (i.e., not bolstered by the 100 other tabs stacked below it), the color becomes muted and it can be difficult to differentiate similar tones.

  • Use your sticky tab sheet as a bookmark. The tabs will always be near-by and includes your reference key.

  • Don’t get too lazy. Take the time to flag things that are noteworthy — this is one of the primary objectives of annotation so lean into the process.

  • Match your colored tabs to the book cover or book theme. Or choose your colors based on the season in which you’re reading the book (i.e., red, green and gold for a Christmas break read).

  • Make a hobby of it

    • Incorporate more colors and categories (I’ve seen annotation examples with 15+ unique categories)

    • Track predictions to assess your intuition and ability to spot foreshadowing. Give yourself a rating after each book to analyze trends & improvement.

    • Note your interpretation of nebulous events to discuss with friends, at a book club — or to refer back to before or after a re-read.

    • Write fan fiction! This can be a fun way to continue enjoying the world while waiting for the next book, or once a series is complete.

Happy reading!

 
 

freebie, Click to download

A printed workbook to document your annotation key and capture thoughts + ideas throughout your reading journey.

Save this workbook as a keepsake to remember your favorite reading experiences.

Buy on Amazon

 

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

 
 
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