I FOLLOWED A BOOKTUBER'S ANNOTATION GUIDE ft. @PlantBasedBride

First of all, you are too sweet! You have me giggling and kicking my feet 😂 but secondly, I am SO excited to see the enthusiasm for annotating and engaging with the books you read on an even deeper level than you already do! I’m (clearly) very passionate about annotating, so it makes my little bookish heart happy to spread the love ❤ I definitely believe annotating is a deeply personal thing, so I’m sure you’ll eventually find the flow that feels perfect for you! There’s some trial and error involved to figure out what works for you and for each book, but in my experience the effort has been more than worth it 😊

I only annotate on a reread. I like to get lost and experience the story without interruption the first time through. I find it also helps with my annotations if i already know the direction things will take. It's easier to spot foreshadowing if I know what's being foreshadowed, and because my brain isn't in goblin gotta know what happens next mode I can use that spare energy to pay closer attention to the decisions the author made around things like prose, atmosphere, literary technique etc.

"I wish I was joking, but joking I am not" is literally me 24/7

Two words: lap desk!! That’s the only way I can annotate anywhere other than a table haha!😄

I love annotating my books. It helps me retain more of what the book is about for my reviews and I normally have a completely different reading experience than my friends who don't. Also, I make my key before, and I use the same one for all of my books. And when I underline it's things I just like, whereas my highlights are for important things to the story, or what I think are going to be important. I use 6 color tabs, 1 highlighter, 2 pens, and 2 different size sticky notes for longer thoughts that I can't fit on the page.

I feel like Annotation is great for non-fiction books because it can help you retain the material better, identify farmeworks and applications, and the categorize and classify all the different lessons and informations. For fiction, I dont need to analyze the setting, characters, plot, arcs, etc. I just want to enjoy the journey the author is taking me on! But I totally support others engaging with their books in any way that increases their own enjoyment of it!

I have an obnoxious 7.5 month old puppy who likes to sit next to me and drool on my laptop (I lay in bed lol). She loves the popping sound effects you use and how often you zoom in and out of frame. Tilting head galore. Very cute. Thank you for distracting her from covering my arm in slobber.

The Secret History was the first story that compelled me to annotate a book. I didn't get very far in, before I couldn't go any further without expressing how the writing made me feel and calling my predictions!

I'm also a speed-reader; always have been, always will be. I can finish a 500 page book in 1-2 days depending on how busy I am. But I also started annotating last year, and it's definitely helped me slow down just enough to really think about and remember the books. I don't make a key yet, because I will highlight and underline basically anything, but I might start doing one soon. A tip with the plastic ruler: make sure you're holding it firmly on the book. I hold it with two fingers while I underline, and adjust the book so the ruler feels more stable.

It's videos like these that help me get over my hatred of book annotations. I could never do it myself, I would probably annotate in a separate notebook if I was going to. But this video is so pleasing to watch.

Annotating for me has to come naturally. I recently read a day of fallen night and out of 800+ pages i only tabbed 2, because that's what i felt like doing haha😅 i read the hobbit and loved so many parts, but didn't marked any whereas when i read yellowface i couldn't stop highlighting and underlining! It really depends from book to book and what i feel like doing in the moment

I envy anyone who annotates their books. I tried it once many moons ago in a book I knew I wouldn’t be scarred for the rest of my life for “ruining” the copy… and it gave me uni assignments / work vibes. Which eventually pulled me off from reading as I want to be comfy and relaxing (usually in bed before falling dead asleep haha). I saw PlantBased Bride’s video as well when it got uploaded and thought it looked so cool! My deepest respect to you both. Great video!

I only annotate rereads. I like to just sit with a story before I start trying to hyper focus on specific parts. I feel like I lose the plot if I try to annotate on first read. It also helps because I know what my categories are before I even start and I read more intentionally the second time around. It also means that only books that really stuck out are the annotated ones.

I annotate words and phrases I love. I ask questions and I’m in conversation about how the book was written.

This year I finally got myself comfortable making marks in books! I noticed it helps me focus a lot better if I expect myself to annotate the book. I have different annotation styles depending on the book. If it's something expressing lots of opinions, I have symbols for if I agree, disagree, or somewhat agree. If it's a made-up story or something chill, I usually just hold a pencil (specifically a pencil; I'm not brave enough for permanent marks yet) while I'm reading, underlining whatever I feel like. Also a lot of descriptions/synonyms/definitions of words I'm not fluent in.

Love Plant Based Bride's annotation video. I'm glad you tried it too and made a video about it!

I love annotating, it's a beautiful experience, also a friend of mine lend me an annotated book and I loved the experience of reading what he did with the book, also said I could do it on his book and it was awesome, you should try it it was such an experience I definitely recommend

Would love to annotate more but was not sure where to start like tabs and pens. My only annotated book is full of rage annotations. 😂 As soon as you said that phrase, I thought of that one book and felt seen!! 😂

I started annotating in the last 12 months and I use my lap desk cushion on my lap while in bed or on the sofa, it’s a game changer!

Quick Tip! I use a small art tote bag (the kind with little pockets all around the outside) that I bought at Michaels for like $6 to hold all my annotation supplies. Makes it easy to move around the house. I can put my book in it, annotation supplies, reading light and I even carry an extra coaster that I’ll inevitably need for my beverage but only realize after I’ve settled into my spot! I’m still figuring out my annotation as well. It was nice to see someone else's thought process as they try a different approach. Also, I watched PlantBasedBride’s video too and jumped on the Tombow 990 train. Woot woot! Perfection. Also, #couchannotating and #rageannotating for the win! haha