I can't decide how I feel about this. On the one hand, I think it would be nice to have an easier way to go back to passages that I liked or that moved me; I always find myself thinking, "Well, I know it was somewhere in the 200s, and it was in the middle of the page on the left-hand side..." and if I had just underlined the darn thing I wouldn't be having that problem. There's also a lot to be said for leaving your mark on a book; do we really own something if we don't make it 100% ours?
On the other hand, what if your book is a first-edition hardcover, and might one day be valuable? Do you get a paperback copy to write in, or do you write in your hardcover? What if you're really terrible at underlining and always end up going through the words instead of under them? (No, I'm totally not talking about myself, what do you mean...) What if the margins of the book are small and you can't write all the notes you want to, and it ends up looking all sloppy and terrible?? What then??
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| Why would you do this? Why?! |
In case you couldn't infer from above, I am not a book-writer-inner. For the most part, I like my books to stay pristine and unmarked—mostly because I don't trust myself to mark them well or neatly. I remember finding my old copies of Wuthering Heights and The Picture of Dorian Gray from high school and thinking, "Why would she make us ruin a book like this?"
I can see where it's helpful for some people, especially if something really touches you and you want to remember it. I know one of my friends from high school would write in her books, but in very light pencil so that, upon rereading, she might not even notice what she had underlined before. And unlike some other things related to books, I totally won't judge if you're a book-writer-inner. It's just not my style—I don't want to reread my notes every time I read a book. If there was a way I could scan stuff from my books, sort of how you can highlight and make notes on a kindle, that would be ideal for me, I think. Having a single document with all my notes (and page numbers!) would be awesome, and the pages of my book could remain clean. But alas, such technology doesn't exist. (Yet, anyway—who wants to get on developing that for me?)
How about you? Do you write in books?
I write in books that I intend to use when I teach- I guess it's an issue of purpose. When I read for pleasure I do not, unless something really, really strikes me. I love the look of heavily-annotated books, though. They just seem so thought about!
ReplyDeleteThat definitely makes sense. I like the *idea* of written-in books, but annotations distract me when I read and I usually can't bring myself to write in my own books. =\
DeleteI also do the "write in it in pencil" thing. Then I can make my notes, and erase them later if they become irritating. Which they sometimes do. But never in pen. NEVER EVER. And I have some special books that nobody is allowed to breath on let alone write in.
ReplyDeleteI only tend to write in classic books for some reason. (None are good copies, don't worry!) I feel like I need to remember stuff better in those or maybe it's a throwback from school days. And I like when I buy a used book and it has someone else's notes in there and what was important to them.
ReplyDeleteI also only write in pencil, never ink! And I don't underline, because I can't draw or cut a straight line for the life of me. I do the brackets { } in the margin of the quote and then write the page number on the inside cover so I remember later.
I too am laughably bad at underlining--the brackets are a great idea!
DeleteI'm a book-writer when I'm not so engrossed in reading that I don't think about anything else. That might be because my grandfather passed his love for books to my mother and me, I have some of his older books, and love to see what he thought about certain passages when he read them. It makes that the books are worth more to me, emotionally.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool! I don't know anyone in my family who is as big into reading as I am, so I would love a legacy like that. Hopefully I can pass that on to my own family when I have one!
DeleteNo I don't write in books, it horrifies me. Keep a reading journal and note down things you want to remember.
ReplyDeleteI write in books, but not hardcovers I purchase at full price. If I get a hardcover used I'll write in it, and I always feel free to write in my paperbacks. I don't tend to underline because I lack the coordination for that, but I use stickies to mark my favorite passages and sometimes I write in the margins. For me, it's my way of having a conversation with the story. When I remember, I also like to write on the 1st page the date I read the book(and then every date I re-read, if I do) but I often forget to do that. I like the idea, though--like having a log of when I last read the book.
ReplyDeleteThe log is what I loved about Shelfari back when I was using it! I'm using Goodreads now, and the one thing I don't like about it is that you can only put in the most recent date you read the book, so if you read the book for the first time on 10/11/12, and then you read it again on 11/12/13, you have to change it. :(
DeleteI don't because I have no need to. If I want to remember a page or a quote I would bookmark it or put a sticky note in or something and highlight it on the Kindle. I don't read books to analyse them so I don't want to make notes in them. Plus I never re-read so I'm unlikely to ever open the book again anyway!
ReplyDeleteI don't right in books. Just the idea makes me cringe! I tried to leave a notation in a cookbook once but it drove me crazy. Now I just stick with Post-It notes attached to the page!
ReplyDeleteIf I carried post-its around with me, I would definitely do that. I have piles and piles of them on my desk, but I don't read at my desk...
DeleteI don't write in books because many books I sell after reading and I can't do that when I wrote notes in there. When there is a passage I want to remember I put a sticky note in it or write the quote down somewhere else. I myself have a notepad with all the quotes I found beautiful or extremely funny, so I can always read them when I feel like it and don't even have to look for the book and the right page before.
ReplyDeleteThat's so awesome. I wish I had the motivation to keep a journal like that!
DeleteI hate writing in books. I only do it for NF books that have content I really want to remember
ReplyDeleteI wish I had your self control!!!! I do underline and put stars in the margins. And I make a lot of comments, too. I used to just take notes on paper, but I don't always read at home, so that became difficult. Once I wrote all over my used copy of Jane Eyre, and I loved the story so much that I went out and bought a new copy that I will never, ever write in.
ReplyDeleteThis is so hard for me. I'm currently an English major, and the vast majority of my professors or pro-writing in books. It's basically reached the point where I write in every single school book (including the ones that are novels) because it's what's expected, and it really does help me remember the book better I think. We've also read things about how writing in books makes you an active reader and why everyone should do it. One article we had to read was about how you're not "really" reading unless you're actively engaging with the book, i.e. writing in it.
ReplyDeleteI get all of that, and I do really like writing in books. But... I just can't do it. They look so pretty and lovely, and I feel like my handwriting (which is on the messy side) just ruins them. I know a lot of people love the look of a well-loved book (I do too in other senses), but I just can't get over the feeling that I'm ruining it. I can't bring myself to do it even though I see the plus sides and would probably do it it I could get over the aesthetic issues I have with it.
I never ever write in books. To me, that's defacing it. I know others feel completely different but, like you, I prefer to keep my books as pristine as possible. But in almost every book I read there are lines or passages I want to mark/remember. That's when I grab my Post-It page flags. I flag passages all the time. Some books have a couple, some have 50 or more. When I was at YALLFest last weekend I loved that a couple of the authors I met would flip to pages I'd flagged in order to see what line or passage I'd marked. :)
ReplyDeleteI have written in some of my books, but it normally turns out like the above picture. :) I'm a bit OCD when it comes to the neatness of the highlighting or underlining, and if I mess up it bothers me every time I read that particular book.
ReplyDeleteNo! I do have some like mini post it tags that I sometimes use on my favourite quotes but they just peel off easily, I never write or highlight or anything!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes make note on the inside of the cover or on the flyleaf of pages that I might like to go back to, but I don't write, underline or highlight in the body of the text. Exceptions: cookbooks (where I make notes on recipes I've tried) and travel guides (which end up as a terrible mess of notes, highlights, underlines, post-its, dog-ears, asterisks, exclamation marks, and pages torn out).
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you! I never write in my books, even if I've bought them and they are mine. Apart from that, I want my books to be neat and I'm bad at underlining so...
ReplyDeleteI can't write in my precious books either. I've done post it tabs before to mark a section but writing feels like you're messing up the book.
ReplyDeleteI so can't write in a fiction book, but I'm better wiring in nonfiction. I do wrote quotes or notes in a notebook if there's something I want to remember. I love the idea of a legacy in the notes though so I may need to think about that!
ReplyDeleteI've tried, but my brain just SCREAMS at me. I'm limited to putting a star in the margins, lightly underlining with a pencil, or using the odd highlighter. I wouldn't use the latter in a "good" quality book, though, just paperbacks I don't care about as much.
ReplyDeleteThe closest thing that I ever come to writing in books is when there is a typo. I just can't help fixing it...
ReplyDeleteI still feel wrong doing it.
I used to write in books. If I want to remember a quote or a passage I'll just underline it. I blame my upbringing. My family loves giving books as gifts and writing a little message on the inside so it never seemed a big deal. But I do get why people are frustrated by it. That does look kind of horrible!
ReplyDeleteBut lately to combat me writing in the books I use post-it notes for book marks and then I write the quotes on that. This way I am not only stopping myself from writing in the book but I can keep my quotes or thoughts all in one place. It's been working really well and I kind of like it better!
Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally
Yep, I write in books...with a pencil (most of the time). However, since I bought the book then isn't it mine to do with as I please?
ReplyDeleteOh the horror! I could not would not write in my book that is like sacrilege or something..lol.
ReplyDeleteNever. Most of the books I read when I was young were library books, and you can't write in those. I just feel like books should stand on their own. I don't even like writing in textbooks. I just buy sticky notes and page markers, and reference them to a notebook. The only time I wouldn't mind writing is if it's what some authors do, when they draw images and stuff. It just feels like they're augmenting the book. I don't hold anything against people that do write in books, it's just not for me (and don't you ever write in my book).
ReplyDelete-P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex
No no no, never ever!! I completely agree, it ruins it! I do sometimes write down particularly beautiful quotes in my notebook, because I always have one next to me
ReplyDeleteI write and underline in my books, but I'm trying to get in the habit of reading with a journal handy instead to mark things I want to remember.
ReplyDeleteBack in college I used to underline sentences and write in the margins in pencil only. For my own personal reading books, I do not write in them. If I need to remember a page for a quote/passage, I will place a small sticky note inside the page.
ReplyDeleteI love being able to highlight passages with my Kindle. It makes writing reviews easier because I can look up all of the passages I've highlighted at once. When I'm reading a printed book, I like to use those colored post-it tabs. - Maggie @ macarons & paperbacks
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I do the same thing with my Kindle. I also download the Clippings file to my laptop and can then copy/paste the highlighted passage into my review.
DeleteI like the idea of using sticky notes in printed-on-paper books.
Writing in books just feels so wrong, so no, I don't.
ReplyDeleteI never write in books ... I always feel like I should write my name in my books, but I still can't do that! It's definitely a no-no. :)
ReplyDeleteI go so back and forth with this. In my non-fiction books (like my bible studies and such) that I KNOW I am keeping and will want to go back to a passage, I'll highlight or underline.
ReplyDeleteBut in my fiction books I'll mark passages that I like with sticky tabs so that there isn't a bunch of writing in case I don't keep the book, or even if I do it'd be distracting to me if I reread it or lent it to someone else to read.
Sometimes though I like finding underlining or highlighting in books and seeing what passages meant something to someone else.
I sometimes write and highlight in books, particularly when I'm studying the book and using that copy for annotation. Sometimes also if a passage was particularly beautiful and poignant for me as well! But only in paperbacks, not in hardcovers...
ReplyDeleteI used to be a big anti writing-in-books-er. But I finally did it the other day and it felt so... decadent. A little naughty... but it was fun and now I love the idea that my thoughts about a book will always be there for me to look back on. Although I agree with Belinda Gleeson, I don't think I could EVER do it in a hardcover. A paperback (and a well-worn one at that) is probably the most I'll be able to handle.
ReplyDeleteBecause the majority of my printed-on-paper books are not keepers, but are instead intended to be sent to other readers through BookCrossing, I don't write in books. One of the things I like the most about electronic books and the Kindle is that I can highlight passages to return to later. Not only do they stay highlighted in the book themselves, but the Kindle copies them out into a "Clippings" file. I can download that to my computer and copy/paste the highlighted passage into a review. It's *so* handy.
ReplyDeleteI don't really like underlining - it feels messy, even with a ruler - but sometimes I'll write a couple of words in the margin, or draw a heart or a smiley face (for example) in pencil to mark a passage or quote I particularly like. Something unobtrusive to future reading, but that helps me find it again quickly if I want to!
ReplyDeleteNo, I can't. It just seems wrong. Now, if it's an e-book, I'll highlight passages I like, but if it's a physical book, absolutely not. Unless it's for school, I think that's the only exception.
ReplyDeletei don't ever unless it's a school book. i remember one time, i lent a book to my ex-bf (who was not a native English speaker) and he underlined a bunch of words he didn't understand and i was like MY BOOK! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!?!?!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat? No! I never write in books. Partially, it's because most of the books I remember reading were borrowed either from school or the library, and partly because I don't even like writing in fancy notebooks because I hate my handwriting. If I don't even want to mar a blank journal, I definitely can't write in a real book!
ReplyDeleteThis is one thing I've really enjoyed as I've switched to using e-books more and more often; I can highlight and annotate with impunity and it doesn't mess up anything. I think I go a little overboard with highlighting, because I never learned how to do it properly. (See above about never writing in my books.)
I didn't until I started using my Kindle, and it turns out I love highlighting stuff! Before that I might take a picture on my phone of a quote (but who knows where those pictures end up on my computer...). Now I don't write in my own books, but I'm solely reading from a big communal paperback swap library situation at the moment, and so many people have read and dogeared and underlined that I do it too (sometimes underline, sometimes highlight) and it feels okay with these books. It almost feels like I should. And then since I'm not keeping them, I again take a picture of what I've highlighted, and maybe one day I'll look at the pictures again.. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteWriting and underlining is for textbooks ONLY. I have two words for people = STICKY NOTES! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel differently about ebooks because it's not permanent when you highlight or write on the page in your Kindle/Nook/Kobo, so I will say that I bookmark and highlight on my ereader, but not in print books.
I read a bunch on the kindle, so I highlight and make notes there. But I usually don't write in normal books :)You can always write the page numbers of what really touched you on the inside cover (just came to me):)
ReplyDeletehttp://teensliveforjesus.blogspot.ru
I'm torn on this. I read self-help/devotional/non-fiction books, and I often do either highlight or underline in those books. But I do NOT under any circumstances highlight, underline, or make notes in my physical fiction books. I have found that I absolutely adore being able to highlight and make notes in my kindle for my ebook versions. So what I've started doing is taking pictures with my phone of the passages that I would normally highlight in my kindle. With my phone, I can make notes on the "back" of the picture but I usually only have enough room to put the title and author's name so I don't forget where the picture came from.
ReplyDeleteSandy @ Somewhere Only We Know