My mom used to write little notes at the beginning of her favorite books; she passed away 13 years ago and i love that I can connect with her through those notes!
This was so interesting! This also convinces me that we should „normalize“ scribbling into books. That used up and messy look makes them a lot more charming!
I had an English teacher who once told us that if you haven't scribbled in your books then he believes you didn't really LOVE that book. He told us books are meant to be read, scribbled in, bent, folded and if you don't do those things you're doing a disservice to the book 😂 loved that teacher he was seriously my favorite teacher ever.
@@wellesradio I think they know that but a lot of people don’t do those things because they think it “ruins” the book somehow, when, in fact, it just makes the book seem well loved and engaged in.
'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.” ― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit
For the ones that are into buying and selling second hand books, or just dont like writing on books, you can keep a notebook next to you and do things similarly. Everyone has their style, so don't feel pressured to do it one way just because another person does it that way.
That's actually a good idea. I used to be precious about books, I've become less so over time, but find that I donate books a lot after I read them now so I haven't wanted to pass along my own notes to future readers. Maybe I'll try doing something like that!
The lesson here really is less is more!! Being a literature fan, I did so much annotation in my books and poems during school, in the margins, with sticky notes, pencil, PEN, HIGHLIGHTERS, GLOW IN THE DARK RAINBOW GLITTER MARKER.... Suffice to say that when I went back to it to find a quote, I was OVERWHELMED with notes for whole pages that weren't important at all. But Ariel, you are a pro!! Will think twice about annotating everything, but I definitely need to look for my rainbow pen... Love the video! xx
What I do is I assign different colors to different things. So if there's a line or scene that I found really funny, I'd highlight it in yellow. If it's a detail about the worldbuilding or plot or something that I think is important, green. For something sad, blue. For something that brought out a really strong emotional reaction in me, red. And for a passage that I just thought was really beautiful, or profound, or it just resonated with me in some way - I'd highlight it in purple.
Over the years, you have played a huge part in my “deconstruction” of being so pristine with books. I understand why this approach to reading is controversial - for instance, you could use a post-it that hangs out from the edge of the pages instead of dog-earing, and colored post-it flags can be used instead of markers/pens, and you could just write on a piece of paper and put it in the middle of the book instead of writing on it, but it’s the commitment to actually marking the book that’s so interesting to me now. I love how a book can tell two completely different stories depending on how the owner annotates it, because that experience becomes a story that the book tells too. The older I get, the less I understand the ideas that books should be left as if it has never been read. I mean, whatever floats your boat, but this kind of perfection it’s just not something that appeals to be anymore as a reader.
I don’t like to write or crease my books, so I open up a new google doc for every book I read! I keep track of page number for each note, and it gives me a lot more room to flesh out my thoughts.
I always felt like I didn't do "enough" annotation because all I do is highlight/underline/bracket (I also treat these all the same lol) & every once in a blue moon I'll leave a little note in the book, but mostly if I have questions for the story. But over time I realized I like this, because I really love to reread books & I feel like my small annotations don't end up getting in the way but still gives me a "oh this line was special to me" moment. Which sometimes I question why I liked particular lines in the past (does anyone else do this? You'll love a line & make sure to note it down, then go to reread it later and not really have any particular feelings towards it?). Anyway, my point is a lot of videos I had seen in the past do so much so it's refreshing to see someone else do it a bit more simply like myself
I also do this and fail to remember why I enjoyed a certain line. However, I take that as a sign of emotional growth. I loosely keep track of how old I was when I read a book for the first time and re-reading books that I first read and annotated (the same way you do) at 15-16 just shows how much I have grown as a person. I enjoy it!
Oh I definately read notes later and can't relate to them. It's a weird feeling to not be able to relate to my former self! I agree with another comment that it's a sign of personal growth. It reminds me that my perspective today will change :)
I loooove annotating my books but I NEVER write in them. Not even in pencil. I will use sticky tabs and post it notes galore but writing in them feels so sacrilegious. EDIT: I thought about it and I think I do this because I buy used books a lot and I hate when they've been written in. And I donate 80% of the books I read. Hmm...
I discovered on going through one of my dad's old (hardcover!) books that one of the pages has a huge drawing of a stick figure grinning widely and pushing against a wall, confidently drawn in with thick ballpoint pen. The doodle is COMPLETELY unnecessary lol, but idk, personally, I find seeing weird stuff like that in used books to be kind of charming.
I appreciate the simplicity of your system. Personally, I highlight things I like and bracket/star things important for the story. I also keep a tally in the front of my favorite books of how many times I've read them. I'll consider keeping some sort of notes in the endpapers too.
This reminded me of your old video where you showed a book that was annotated by your friend and how much fun it was to go back to all those notes. I always write in my books, I used to colour code it, but now I just use a black pen for everything; however, I do like to use a lot of symbols and punctuation marks to highlight a certain paragraph.
I’ve always been team “do not mess up a pristine book” but now that I have kids (a toddler and one on the way), I want to annotate books for them. I really want to reread/buy a paperback copy of Station Eleven and annotate it and then give it to my two year old son someday since he was so little during this pandemic.
My dad has some old books he annotated in college and I love going through them. You should definitely do that! Use pencil if you can't bring yourself to do it.
I don't annotate fiction, but i love bookmarking my non-fiction! I have my favourite postit tabs, which are different colours but transparent, so I can flag down sections (and also code the reason why!). Fascinating to see why people annotate fiction though!
The birds in the background... that was so peaceful! Almost made me forget my annotation failures haha! I used to put a large lined post-it every 100 pages to try and note interesting things, but I always got so lost in the book I wouldn't take notes, then got to the post-it and was like... Nah, I'm not stopping, must go on!
Ive been watching annotation videos to fine-tune my annotations, and have learned that many people have a very precise and sophisticated way of annotating. Not that I think you’re not sophisticated, but you and i are much more relaxed in our annotations and I really appreciate and love knowing that someone else is this loose with their annotation style
I loooooove annotating 😊 I use muji pens since they don’t bleed through and then I use the gray zebra mildliner. I usually highlight things that stick out to me the most or make me feel the most feelings, and then I underline things that I like but feel less important. It’s so fun to reread books I’ve annotated
I meet you with your old video of Annotating your books! You were so excited to discover and share the magic of annotating books, that I immediately subscribed to your channel! So today I literally went OHMYGOD when I saw the notification!!
I was never an annotater as a kid, I needed my books to be pristine and in the condition they came in, but your video where you explained how it's so much more interesting to create your own library, not to have a bookshop in your house, but a collection that is completely unique, with your thoughts, so if you want to look back, or someone wants to borrow a book from you, your thoughts are right there on the page. It also amused me in a previous video where you defaced a book (put crosses through the pages you didn't like, and wrote no! in the margins of parts) that you didn't enjoy, making it clear what you thought of the book, as a part of your collection and that we don't always have to get rid of books we didn't enjoy.
I feel like if I were to read, I would annotate to keep myself engaged. I love books, but I can't keep my focus on them in a way that's enjoyable. I might try this, it could be a lot of fun, and I like adding a layer of intimacy to story-consumption.
Seeing your annotations was something I didn't realize I was so badly missing, oh my goodness this was lovely!! If you add to this sort of style I'd love to hear you respond to a piece of writing / go through this process in real time - so cool!
I used to only ever annotate nonfiction books, points I wanted to remember. I never wrote in fiction books. But now with my Kindle I can easily highlight passages I like in fiction and nonfiction and then access them all in the My Clippings file. And I can delete the highlight if I want later. 😀
This is by far The Best annotating books bcuz of how real the annotations are as in they're just brackets and stars instead of fancy tabs and highlighters and done in the moment
Best descriptive purpose I've heard thus far behind your ‘Why’. Annotating is the conversational aspect of thoughts :) I now was able to articulate my own reason to start a rotating my books. I also want to able to share those points back to my community and have thoughts around that insight the author was able to bring out of my thoughts!
i love watching how much you make reading an active thing. i love that you describe reading as conversational. i almost exclusively read library books or books borrowed from friends for similar reasons -- i think reading should be shared, and books should be passed around to spread the love of them. for that reason though, obviously, i've never really annotated, and so hearing you speak about your experiential approach to reading is like stepping into a completely new world. thanks for sharing!
I have only ever annotated with flags and dog ears. I will be adopting some of these techniques particularly the bracket method. Thanks for this! The birds in the background were amazing.
I started annotating my books after watching the first video you did on this topic years ago and I can't imagine reading most books without doing it now. I always differentiate between underlining and highlighting - underlining is for important or interesting stuff, highlighting is for quotes I enjoyed. And I simply love to write my thoughts in the margins. It feels so interactive and always brings back memories when I go back to a book I read a while ago.
Perfect timing! I was literally looking up videos on annotating today. Specifically, videos in which people actually SHOW how they annotate instead of explaining it. Thank you Ariel
I've been in a reading slump for the last year and a half and it's awful tbh... but the way you talk about books; your passion for an authors writing and the story you get to live through books, wow, that really motivates me to pick up a book and just read
I love this!!! I’m a middle school science teacher. Even though you don’t necessarily think of using this in textbooks, I’m always encouraging my students to take notes in the text and highlight. Usually, I will give them prompts of “What is some thing that surprised me in this chapter?“ So as they reading along, they can make their own notes in the book itself. Love love love!!
I use green for definitions. I will underline the word, and write the def on the page. Red is for me your double star. Yellow is my highlighter of choice. I prefer a soft blue pen or pencil. Enjoyed this. I especially like its how you interact.
i’m a huge advocate for annotating, and it was good to hear you takk about it! i personalny really like annotating with frixon pens because they are erasable like a pencil and much more visible ☺️
I don't usually annotate books, but I've been reading a HUGE collection of essays for the last 4 years and sometimes they can get a little dry. I find it easier to stay engaged to reading an essay if I follow with a pencil and underline the main point of each sentence. I end up underlining like 80% of the essay but it works for me!
I am starting reading for a book club and I love the idea of using the front/back as a notepad to keep track of conversation points for when we discus. I usually just dog ear pages. Thank you for this tip!!!
I loved this! I NEVER used to annotate books, partly because I was largely brought up on library books but mostly because it felt sacrilegious 😅 but I've recently started doing it for my uni research and I'm loving it! I really struggle to focus on non-fiction, but highlighting and annotating is helping me to properly focus on the text and retain the info. However, I don't really like it for fiction - I find it pulls me out of the story! I like getting lost in fiction and completely forgetting I'm reading, and annotating forces me to interact with the medium of the paper and remember I'm sat reading a book, instead of living within its pages 📖✨
Like many others, I used to be intensely against annotating, but in recent years I've began doing it and enjoy it a lot. I read my first collection of Mary Oliver's poetry and there were a lot of stanzas that I highlighted, I underlined a ton of lines in 'We Need to Talk about Kevin', and made so many notes in the margins of 'Night' - even bought my own copy just to annotate it! Sometimes when I read I have so many thoughts that I think are important and I write them down to remember.
I love how approachable this method is. I've wanted to start annotating my books, but I always get stuck trying to figure out how I want to do it because I want it to be uniform. So I go and watch videos like this one, but each video inevitably includes a list of things that are necessary to each person's method, and it's all so perfect and uniform that the initial ideal I want feels unattainable. But I love how Ariel has such a practical method, and it can be done with any tool close to hand, consistently, but without the need for a kit of specific supplies whenever I sit down to read. Long story short, I think I"m going to adopt this.
I haven't bought a physical book in ages, but I fondly remember those issues that came with a couple of blank pages at the end of the book. Even though I've never annotated a book (ok, once), I still loved the idea of a free space for any notes and remarks that couldn't find space in-between the text.
I love how simple your annotation style is. Really encourages me to try to keep it simple as well! I always have trouble with annotating because I never feel like I am doing enough. I don't particularly care how pretty or interesting the writing is itself, outside of why some lines work so well at conveying some idea or emotion, but I can still see this working for me.
I LOVE your channel Ariel!!! Have been binge watching it for over a month or two! Seeing that you uploaded today made me SO HAPPY!!! This concept of anointing books actually never crossed my mind and has never been a topic of discussion in my lifetime, so seeing this was very interesting! Would I do it? No Would I judge others who did? No Something that is totally up to the individual! 😊❤👍
I really enjoyed this video! I'm becoming more comfortable annotating books thanks to my kindle/kindle app! I have a sort of colour system there and it's made me more confident in my thought process while reading, so I'm hoping to start annotating my physical books! You're such a comforting channel to watch, and seeing how neat yet well-loved your books are through your annotations was really nice!
I'm not against annotating - I think books are meant to be loved, and short of ripping them apart, you're free to mark them up and bend pages. Personally, I'll write review notes on the inside of covers sometimes, and with e-books, I'll highlight and mark comments. Less so with paper books, unless I'm using sticky notes.
I came for the home renos and then just kept watching all your other videos, I didn’t even know I would love this content!! I love writing in books and hearing you be so excited about it too warms my lil heart
I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of this system! I get really overwhelmed by color coding different elements and keeping up with all the different options and tabs and everything! Thank you for sharing!
the first video you posted about annotating books (in 2014?? 2015??) changed the game for me completely, so thank you! this was such a joy to watch! i'm not big on highlighting or using colored pens, besides maybe brown. i'm an avid Pilot gtec c4 in-black-pen-only type of annotator. once on a long bus ride though i annotated with tinted chapstick
I usually use tiny sticky notes or a highlighter to highlight my favorite parts. The sticky notes are more for a bigger scene that I liked, one that moved me, and the highlighter is for just a few sentences. I adore this video by the way. I was fascinated by the way your hands moved the entire time ✨✨
when i recently got back into reading (used to read a ton as a kid and hadn't really picked up a book in years) i discovered the world of annotating and i kinda love it, i got myself some cute pastel highlighters and now my method is colour coding the highlighters (it changes for each book, but general legend is pink for fav quotes, purple for lines that made me laugh, blue for things that made me sad etc) and i write a few occasional comments and i usually underline with black pen for the thing i'm commenting on if i can't fit it right next to it, but it's been really fun to just have a rainbow of highlighted lines in my books!
I annotate in a similar way! I always buy me books secondhand, so marking in them has never felt like a thing I shouldn’t do. I always use pencil though, because if I don’t love a book, I don’t keep it, and I’ll usually re-donate them after I’m done, and then my marks are erasable. On an unrelated topic, you looks so pretty in this video! I love those glasses!
It was a long hard road for me until I accepted it was ok to annotate and mark books. But once I got there, I'm in heaven! hehehe After years, I've found that I prefer using a black gel pen. I underline whatever I want, I can also use it to write whatever I want and it really stands out! So, whenever I'm reading, I always have it around ^.^
I use those colored pens! For Christmas last year I annotated and noted all over Frankenstein for my boyfriend to read. It's my favorite and I wanted it to be like we were reading it together. My favorite way to annotate depends on the book. If I want to do a deep reread/annotate, I use different pen colors to mean different things. Like character descriptions will be red underlined and big moments with a relationship will be highlighted pink.. etc. I also really like these translucent postits I found at daiso which let me scribble notes. I love doing arrows and writing feelings on things.
I think it was you who initially convinced me I should annotate books with one of your past videos because you were SO passionate about it. I don't really write in my books because I'm incapable of writing in tiny print. 😅 But I definitely highlight when the mood strikes me, I don't have any rhyme or reason to it though.
I use a multi color pen that's all in one pen. I don't usually enjoy writing with a wide pen but for the steady hand of in a book, I enjoy it. I have one in my book beau for when I'm out and one by my spot on the couch. Usually that's enough. I also like to have a certain color for each book, matching the cover when possible
i loved seeing your annotation process! i only annotate my favorite favorite books, usually on the 2nd or 3rd reread, and use color-coded tabs to keep track of different aspects of the story i’m loving like characters/plot/foreshadowing/writing style & worldbuilding
- My version of “checkmark” is a Star. - I use W with a box around it in the margins when I read a new to me word. - I’ll bracket the text and then add a quote mark “ with a box around it for a quotable quote that is so delicious - being a mostly non-fiction reader when I’m introduced to a new person I want to learn about I’ll underline the name but then also do an icon of a “person in the margin so head and shoulders kinda thing with a box around it. This sounds so complicated typing it but it’s become my shorthand
i love this so much! for me, the main factor in deciding what to use to annotate/write in a book is whether or not you can see the pen from the back, i hate it so much when a pen is too dark or a highlighter too bright and you can see it on the other side of the page
I just annotated with a pen for the first time a few days ago, thanks to that video you made years ago encouraging annotations on books. Thanks for that, it felt great! I am so excited to continue doing it :D I know for sure I wanna start drawing stars like you do, and I wanna write a bit more, and aaaaah it’ll be great.
Oddly, I annotate the exact same way. I even noticed you do what I do re: brackets, which is I'll close off the bracket and then realize the next paragraph or sentence should also be included and I just add it on to the bracket. I do like to use colored pencils for underlining. They are thick enough to bring out the passage and the "led" is soft enough that it doesn't dig into the paper. This was a fun video. Would love to see a video of your favorite writing utensils.
I haven't written in my books in so long! I have always felt nervous about writing in them because I worry that whatever I write will be too unintelligent and if/when I reread the book I will regret having annotated it. However this really inspired me! I think I will be comfortable highlighting sentences that I find particularly meaningful, as you showed in this video! I always love the look of a well-loved, annotated book.
I tend to annotate my nonfiction much more - it helps keep me engaged with the material! I'll star, block, underline, write comments, etc. Usually in pencil :) I don't often annotate fiction, but I'm finding I regret that choice (usually laziness) because there's so many wonderful quotes/scenes I know I've loved. But I don't often re-read, and thus don't create opportunities for myself to annotate previously read/loved books...
My mom used to write little notes at the beginning of her favorite books; she passed away 13 years ago and i love that I can connect with her through those notes!
🥰 that’s beautiful
That's beautiful!
I love this!
Thanks for sharing that with us. It's so heart warming to know. 🤍
This was so interesting! This also convinces me that we should „normalize“ scribbling into books. That used up and messy look makes them a lot more charming!
It’s about more than just being “charming”. It’s about engaging with the book itself.
@@wellesradio agreed!
I had an English teacher who once told us that if you haven't scribbled in your books then he believes you didn't really LOVE that book. He told us books are meant to be read, scribbled in, bent, folded and if you don't do those things you're doing a disservice to the book 😂 loved that teacher he was seriously my favorite teacher ever.
@@wellesradio I think they know that but a lot of people don’t do those things because they think it “ruins” the book somehow, when, in fact, it just makes the book seem well loved and engaged in.
What’s most pleasing is that Ariels nails are painted in highlighter colours 🌈
Yes! I am always obsessed with Ariel’s nails.
I kind of wanted her left pink to be seafoam like her right hand outer fingers... just as further asymmetry, lol
The birds chirping in the background is so soothing 🥺🤍
Thanks, Olivia ♥️ I thought it was so pretty 🕊
i love nothing more than the sight of a clearly well-loved book, annotated to hell and back and falling apart
Exactly
'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit
For the ones that are into buying and selling second hand books, or just dont like writing on books, you can keep a notebook next to you and do things similarly. Everyone has their style, so don't feel pressured to do it one way just because another person does it that way.
That's actually a good idea. I used to be precious about books, I've become less so over time, but find that I donate books a lot after I read them now so I haven't wanted to pass along my own notes to future readers. Maybe I'll try doing something like that!
Great! Thanks :) can't really scribble all over other people's book/library property
The lesson here really is less is more!! Being a literature fan, I did so much annotation in my books and poems during school, in the margins, with sticky notes, pencil, PEN, HIGHLIGHTERS, GLOW IN THE DARK RAINBOW GLITTER MARKER.... Suffice to say that when I went back to it to find a quote, I was OVERWHELMED with notes for whole pages that weren't important at all. But Ariel, you are a pro!! Will think twice about annotating everything, but I definitely need to look for my rainbow pen... Love the video! xx
Hahahahahaha I think a glow in the dark rainbow glitter marker could be pretty cool too, haha
Exactly. My mom always says that annotating is important, but if you annotate too much, it’s the same as not annotating at all.
What I do is I assign different colors to different things. So if there's a line or scene that I found really funny, I'd highlight it in yellow. If it's a detail about the worldbuilding or plot or something that I think is important, green. For something sad, blue. For something that brought out a really strong emotional reaction in me, red. And for a passage that I just thought was really beautiful, or profound, or it just resonated with me in some way - I'd highlight it in purple.
Over the years, you have played a huge part in my “deconstruction” of being so pristine with books. I understand why this approach to reading is controversial - for instance, you could use a post-it that hangs out from the edge of the pages instead of dog-earing, and colored post-it flags can be used instead of markers/pens, and you could just write on a piece of paper and put it in the middle of the book instead of writing on it, but it’s the commitment to actually marking the book that’s so interesting to me now. I love how a book can tell two completely different stories depending on how the owner annotates it, because that experience becomes a story that the book tells too. The older I get, the less I understand the ideas that books should be left as if it has never been read. I mean, whatever floats your boat, but this kind of perfection it’s just not something that appeals to be anymore as a reader.
I don’t like to write or crease my books, so I open up a new google doc for every book I read! I keep track of page number for each note, and it gives me a lot more room to flesh out my thoughts.
This is the kind of chaotic technique I’ve been looking for!
I always felt like I didn't do "enough" annotation because all I do is highlight/underline/bracket (I also treat these all the same lol) & every once in a blue moon I'll leave a little note in the book, but mostly if I have questions for the story. But over time I realized I like this, because I really love to reread books & I feel like my small annotations don't end up getting in the way but still gives me a "oh this line was special to me" moment. Which sometimes I question why I liked particular lines in the past (does anyone else do this? You'll love a line & make sure to note it down, then go to reread it later and not really have any particular feelings towards it?). Anyway, my point is a lot of videos I had seen in the past do so much so it's refreshing to see someone else do it a bit more simply like myself
I definitely do the thing we’re I can’t figure out exactly why I connected with a line or phrase earlier on
@@ToriKo_ okay I'm glad I'm not the only one! lol
I also do this and fail to remember why I enjoyed a certain line. However, I take that as a sign of emotional growth. I loosely keep track of how old I was when I read a book for the first time and re-reading books that I first read and annotated (the same way you do) at 15-16 just shows how much I have grown as a person. I enjoy it!
Oh I definately read notes later and can't relate to them. It's a weird feeling to not be able to relate to my former self! I agree with another comment that it's a sign of personal growth. It reminds me that my perspective today will change :)
So simple and easy!🌟
I loooove annotating my books but I NEVER write in them. Not even in pencil. I will use sticky tabs and post it notes galore but writing in them feels so sacrilegious.
EDIT: I thought about it and I think I do this because I buy used books a lot and I hate when they've been written in. And I donate 80% of the books I read. Hmm...
See I love finding books with notes in, I find it fascinating
I like getting used books with annotations in them. It is proof the last owner read it.
I love finding a book with notes in. Whether it’s annotation or an inscription. It gives you some insight into who owned it before you. Love it!
I usually use sticky tabs too. After reading a book and deciding it is my favorite on reread I write in it
I discovered on going through one of my dad's old (hardcover!) books that one of the pages has a huge drawing of a stick figure grinning widely and pushing against a wall, confidently drawn in with thick ballpoint pen. The doodle is COMPLETELY unnecessary lol, but idk, personally, I find seeing weird stuff like that in used books to be kind of charming.
SO off topic but you literally have a glimmer in your eye at all times, you are so beautiful :')
I appreciate the simplicity of your system.
Personally, I highlight things I like and bracket/star things important for the story.
I also keep a tally in the front of my favorite books of how many times I've read them.
I'll consider keeping some sort of notes in the endpapers too.
I've ALWAYS wanted to watch a video like this
This reminded me of your old video where you showed a book that was annotated by your friend and how much fun it was to go back to all those notes. I always write in my books, I used to colour code it, but now I just use a black pen for everything; however, I do like to use a lot of symbols and punctuation marks to highlight a certain paragraph.
Your last annotation video convinced me to finally 'own' my books and abandon the idea that books must be pristine!! Sooo glad you've made another
I’ve always been team “do not mess up a pristine book” but now that I have kids (a toddler and one on the way), I want to annotate books for them. I really want to reread/buy a paperback copy of Station Eleven and annotate it and then give it to my two year old son someday since he was so little during this pandemic.
My dad has some old books he annotated in college and I love going through them. You should definitely do that! Use pencil if you can't bring yourself to do it.
I'm yet to read Station Eleven but really want to!
I don't annotate fiction, but i love bookmarking my non-fiction! I have my favourite postit tabs, which are different colours but transparent, so I can flag down sections (and also code the reason why!). Fascinating to see why people annotate fiction though!
ok but can we take a time to admire that gorgeous Van Gogh pad 😍
This is my comfort video, I come here every once in a while and it feels like it’s a spring day, it makes me relaxed and hopeful.
I’ve never heard anyone describe her passion for reading so eloquently. Your enthusiasm is infectious!
The birds in the background... that was so peaceful! Almost made me forget my annotation failures haha! I used to put a large lined post-it every 100 pages to try and note interesting things, but I always got so lost in the book I wouldn't take notes, then got to the post-it and was like... Nah, I'm not stopping, must go on!
Ive been watching annotation videos to fine-tune my annotations, and have learned that many people have a very precise and sophisticated way of annotating. Not that I think you’re not sophisticated, but you and i are much more relaxed in our annotations and I really appreciate and love knowing that someone else is this loose with their annotation style
Obsessed!!
I loooooove annotating 😊 I use muji pens since they don’t bleed through and then I use the gray zebra mildliner. I usually highlight things that stick out to me the most or make me feel the most feelings, and then I underline things that I like but feel less important. It’s so fun to reread books I’ve annotated
I had no clue this video was coming, yet it’s the video I’ve been waiting for!
I meet you with your old video of Annotating your books! You were so excited to discover and share the magic of annotating books, that I immediately subscribed to your channel! So today I literally went OHMYGOD when I saw the notification!!
I was never an annotater as a kid, I needed my books to be pristine and in the condition they came in, but your video where you explained how it's so much more interesting to create your own library, not to have a bookshop in your house, but a collection that is completely unique, with your thoughts, so if you want to look back, or someone wants to borrow a book from you, your thoughts are right there on the page. It also amused me in a previous video where you defaced a book (put crosses through the pages you didn't like, and wrote no! in the margins of parts) that you didn't enjoy, making it clear what you thought of the book, as a part of your collection and that we don't always have to get rid of books we didn't enjoy.
The late summer glow in this video is exactly what I need in this terrible Danish rainy August.
I feel like if I were to read, I would annotate to keep myself engaged. I love books, but I can't keep my focus on them in a way that's enjoyable. I might try this, it could be a lot of fun, and I like adding a layer of intimacy to story-consumption.
I got on YT to search up “How to annotate books” and BAM! Ariel posted this on hour ago! Thank you for reading my mind!
Seeing your annotations was something I didn't realize I was so badly missing, oh my goodness this was lovely!! If you add to this sort of style I'd love to hear you respond to a piece of writing / go through this process in real time - so cool!
I used to only ever annotate nonfiction books, points I wanted to remember. I never wrote in fiction books. But now with my Kindle I can easily highlight passages I like in fiction and nonfiction and then access them all in the My Clippings file. And I can delete the highlight if I want later. 😀
This is by far The Best annotating books bcuz of how real the annotations are as in they're just brackets and stars instead of fancy tabs and highlighters and done in the moment
Best descriptive purpose I've heard thus far behind your ‘Why’. Annotating is the conversational aspect of thoughts :) I now was able to articulate my own reason to start a rotating my books. I also want to able to share those points back to my community and have thoughts around that insight the author was able to bring out of my thoughts!
i love watching how much you make reading an active thing. i love that you describe reading as conversational. i almost exclusively read library books or books borrowed from friends for similar reasons -- i think reading should be shared, and books should be passed around to spread the love of them. for that reason though, obviously, i've never really annotated, and so hearing you speak about your experiential approach to reading is like stepping into a completely new world. thanks for sharing!
Love the vibes of the intro and the lighting in your room
I have only ever annotated with flags and dog ears. I will be adopting some of these techniques particularly the bracket method. Thanks for this! The birds in the background were amazing.
I started annotating my books after watching the first video you did on this topic years ago and I can't imagine reading most books without doing it now. I always differentiate between underlining and highlighting - underlining is for important or interesting stuff, highlighting is for quotes I enjoyed. And I simply love to write my thoughts in the margins. It feels so interactive and always brings back memories when I go back to a book I read a while ago.
Did you say "Huzzah!?" LOL. This is so me after Watching The Great series :)
Perfect timing! I was literally looking up videos on annotating today. Specifically, videos in which people actually SHOW how they annotate instead of explaining it. Thank you Ariel
I enjoyed this so much. I love annotations, I don't have any process at all, I just do whatever. And I adore finding notes in second hand books!
I've been in a reading slump for the last year and a half and it's awful tbh... but the way you talk about books; your passion for an authors writing and the story you get to live through books, wow, that really motivates me to pick up a book and just read
I love this!!! I’m a middle school science teacher. Even though you don’t necessarily think of using this in textbooks, I’m always encouraging my students to take notes in the text and highlight. Usually, I will give them prompts of “What is some thing that surprised me in this chapter?“ So as they reading along, they can make their own notes in the book itself. Love love love!!
I use green for definitions. I will underline the word, and write the def on the page. Red is for me your double star. Yellow is my highlighter of choice. I prefer a soft blue pen or pencil.
Enjoyed this. I especially like its how you interact.
i’m a huge advocate for annotating, and it was good to hear you takk about it! i personalny really like annotating with frixon pens because they are erasable like a pencil and much more visible ☺️
I really like using pencils! I enjoy the scribble :)
I don't usually annotate books, but I've been reading a HUGE collection of essays for the last 4 years and sometimes they can get a little dry. I find it easier to stay engaged to reading an essay if I follow with a pencil and underline the main point of each sentence. I end up underlining like 80% of the essay but it works for me!
I was always thought I was annotating “wrong” but I do a lot of the things that you do! Great video :)
I love your videos! I also love seeing you use your colorful office/library/writer’s nook. I am also a big believer in annotating books.
I am starting reading for a book club and I love the idea of using the front/back as a notepad to keep track of conversation points for when we discus. I usually just dog ear pages. Thank you for this tip!!!
I loved this! I NEVER used to annotate books, partly because I was largely brought up on library books but mostly because it felt sacrilegious 😅 but I've recently started doing it for my uni research and I'm loving it! I really struggle to focus on non-fiction, but highlighting and annotating is helping me to properly focus on the text and retain the info.
However, I don't really like it for fiction - I find it pulls me out of the story! I like getting lost in fiction and completely forgetting I'm reading, and annotating forces me to interact with the medium of the paper and remember I'm sat reading a book, instead of living within its pages 📖✨
Like many others, I used to be intensely against annotating, but in recent years I've began doing it and enjoy it a lot. I read my first collection of Mary Oliver's poetry and there were a lot of stanzas that I highlighted, I underlined a ton of lines in 'We Need to Talk about Kevin', and made so many notes in the margins of 'Night' - even bought my own copy just to annotate it! Sometimes when I read I have so many thoughts that I think are important and I write them down to remember.
I love how approachable this method is. I've wanted to start annotating my books, but I always get stuck trying to figure out how I want to do it because I want it to be uniform. So I go and watch videos like this one, but each video inevitably includes a list of things that are necessary to each person's method, and it's all so perfect and uniform that the initial ideal I want feels unattainable. But I love how Ariel has such a practical method, and it can be done with any tool close to hand, consistently, but without the need for a kit of specific supplies whenever I sit down to read. Long story short, I think I"m going to adopt this.
I haven't bought a physical book in ages, but I fondly remember those issues that came with a couple of blank pages at the end of the book. Even though I've never annotated a book (ok, once), I still loved the idea of a free space for any notes and remarks that couldn't find space in-between the text.
I love how simple your annotation style is. Really encourages me to try to keep it simple as well! I always have trouble with annotating because I never feel like I am doing enough. I don't particularly care how pretty or interesting the writing is itself, outside of why some lines work so well at conveying some idea or emotion, but I can still see this working for me.
I LOVE your channel Ariel!!! Have been binge watching it for over a month or two! Seeing that you uploaded today made me SO HAPPY!!!
This concept of anointing books actually never crossed my mind and has never been a topic of discussion in my lifetime, so seeing this was very interesting!
Would I do it? No
Would I judge others who did? No
Something that is totally up to the individual!
😊❤👍
I really enjoyed this video! I'm becoming more comfortable annotating books thanks to my kindle/kindle app! I have a sort of colour system there and it's made me more confident in my thought process while reading, so I'm hoping to start annotating my physical books! You're such a comforting channel to watch, and seeing how neat yet well-loved your books are through your annotations was really nice!
Your enthusiasm is contagious. ♥️🌸
I have never thought to put notes, or highlight in my books. Going to start now, thanks Ariel.
We annotate in almost the exact same way! Highlighting, underlining, stars, brackets, etc… 🎉
I've recently started doing this as well, and it's making my reads more memorable. The front page thing though ☠️ I draw the line there
why?
I'm not against annotating - I think books are meant to be loved, and short of ripping them apart, you're free to mark them up and bend pages. Personally, I'll write review notes on the inside of covers sometimes, and with e-books, I'll highlight and mark comments. Less so with paper books, unless I'm using sticky notes.
I came for the home renos and then just kept watching all your other videos, I didn’t even know I would love this content!! I love writing in books and hearing you be so excited about it too warms my lil heart
I love that you paint your nails 3 or 4 different colors. I do the same! Lol. It's so fun.
I absolutely LOVE the simplicity of this system! I get really overwhelmed by color coding different elements and keeping up with all the different options and tabs and everything! Thank you for sharing!
the first video you posted about annotating books (in 2014?? 2015??) changed the game for me completely, so thank you! this was such a joy to watch! i'm not big on highlighting or using colored pens, besides maybe brown. i'm an avid Pilot gtec c4 in-black-pen-only type of annotator. once on a long bus ride though i annotated with tinted chapstick
This was such a soothing video ☺️ I love hearing the birds in the background!
I love your nails and your voice is so soothing I can listen to you talk literally all day keep up the great work! ❤️
I usually use tiny sticky notes or a highlighter to highlight my favorite parts. The sticky notes are more for a bigger scene that I liked, one that moved me, and the highlighter is for just a few sentences.
I adore this video by the way. I was fascinated by the way your hands moved the entire time ✨✨
I love the thought of doing this as a gift for a friend! It would be like you're reading the book in tandem with them.
when i recently got back into reading (used to read a ton as a kid and hadn't really picked up a book in years) i discovered the world of annotating and i kinda love it, i got myself some cute pastel highlighters and now my method is colour coding the highlighters (it changes for each book, but general legend is pink for fav quotes, purple for lines that made me laugh, blue for things that made me sad etc) and i write a few occasional comments and i usually underline with black pen for the thing i'm commenting on if i can't fit it right next to it, but it's been really fun to just have a rainbow of highlighted lines in my books!
I annotate in a similar way! I always buy me books secondhand, so marking in them has never felt like a thing I shouldn’t do. I always use pencil though, because if I don’t love a book, I don’t keep it, and I’ll usually re-donate them after I’m done, and then my marks are erasable. On an unrelated topic, you looks so pretty in this video! I love those glasses!
It was a long hard road for me until I accepted it was ok to annotate and mark books. But once I got there, I'm in heaven! hehehe After years, I've found that I prefer using a black gel pen. I underline whatever I want, I can also use it to write whatever I want and it really stands out! So, whenever I'm reading, I always have it around ^.^
I use those colored pens!
For Christmas last year I annotated and noted all over Frankenstein for my boyfriend to read. It's my favorite and I wanted it to be like we were reading it together.
My favorite way to annotate depends on the book. If I want to do a deep reread/annotate, I use different pen colors to mean different things. Like character descriptions will be red underlined and big moments with a relationship will be highlighted pink.. etc.
I also really like these translucent postits I found at daiso which let me scribble notes. I love doing arrows and writing feelings on things.
love the front page notes!!
I think it was you who initially convinced me I should annotate books with one of your past videos because you were SO passionate about it. I don't really write in my books because I'm incapable of writing in tiny print. 😅 But I definitely highlight when the mood strikes me, I don't have any rhyme or reason to it though.
I use a multi color pen that's all in one pen. I don't usually enjoy writing with a wide pen but for the steady hand of in a book, I enjoy it. I have one in my book beau for when I'm out and one by my spot on the couch. Usually that's enough. I also like to have a certain color for each book, matching the cover when possible
i loved seeing your annotation process! i only annotate my favorite favorite books, usually on the 2nd or 3rd reread, and use color-coded tabs to keep track of different aspects of the story i’m loving like characters/plot/foreshadowing/writing style & worldbuilding
the way you discuss words just makes me think... wordgasm :)
The lighting and atmosphere of this video are INCREDIBLE
Thank you!!!!!
- My version of “checkmark” is a Star.
- I use W with a box around it in the margins when I read a new to me word.
- I’ll bracket the text and then add a quote mark “ with a box around it for a quotable quote that is so delicious
- being a mostly non-fiction reader when I’m introduced to a new person I want to learn about I’ll underline the name but then also do an icon of a “person in the margin so head and shoulders kinda thing with a box around it.
This sounds so complicated typing it but it’s become my shorthand
I have started annotating my books after your first video about annotating! Love this one too!
i get so happy when you make bookish videos 🥰🥰 also your hair looks GREAT
i love this so much! for me, the main factor in deciding what to use to annotate/write in a book is whether or not you can see the pen from the back, i hate it so much when a pen is too dark or a highlighter too bright and you can see it on the other side of the page
My grandpa was a teacher & author and often annotated book in pencil, so that's what I've always done. It's so nice to have his comments in the books.
okay but can we talk about the nature sounds
I just annotated with a pen for the first time a few days ago, thanks to that video you made years ago encouraging annotations on books. Thanks for that, it felt great! I am so excited to continue doing it :D I know for sure I wanna start drawing stars like you do, and I wanna write a bit more, and aaaaah it’ll be great.
I also match my highlighters/pens with my book!! I love that you do too!
This video was so soothing! Love seeing your process.
Oddly, I annotate the exact same way. I even noticed you do what I do re: brackets, which is I'll close off the bracket and then realize the next paragraph or sentence should also be included and I just add it on to the bracket. I do like to use colored pencils for underlining. They are thick enough to bring out the passage and the "led" is soft enough that it doesn't dig into the paper. This was a fun video. Would love to see a video of your favorite writing utensils.
I love how this video dropped when I finally received my book tabs and supplies to start annotating my babies
I haven't written in my books in so long! I have always felt nervous about writing in them because I worry that whatever I write will be too unintelligent and if/when I reread the book I will regret having annotated it. However this really inspired me! I think I will be comfortable highlighting sentences that I find particularly meaningful, as you showed in this video! I always love the look of a well-loved, annotated book.
A good way is asking the basic questions of Who What Where When Which Why How a keyword outline & all your ways are great ways . Great vid thanks.
This was so relaxing, almost ASMR-like
Talking about annotating in books always reminds me of The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 😊😍
Thank you, Ariel, for the new tips! The only annotating I’ve done is highlighting.
I tend to annotate my nonfiction much more - it helps keep me engaged with the material! I'll star, block, underline, write comments, etc. Usually in pencil :)
I don't often annotate fiction, but I'm finding I regret that choice (usually laziness) because there's so many wonderful quotes/scenes I know I've loved. But I don't often re-read, and thus don't create opportunities for myself to annotate previously read/loved books...