Do you take book notes?

[Dayspring]

Do you take notes when you read a book? It can record anything, in any format.

I usually write down my process of the book I am reading in my diary. And I write down the sentences I like in a small pocket notebook with the book titles and chapter numbers. Every time I look back into the notes, it will revive my memory about the writing style of the author and the thoughts I had while I was reading that book.

When I finish a good book, I always feel I am a child who is forced to leave the amusement park in the most fun time. “Oh, no! I can’t believe it’s already the end of the story……I still want to read more.” However, taking these notes help me refresh the pleasure I had from these books.

So this is my way and my motivation to keep book notes, how about yours?

 

[SFG75]

Only if the author is Russian. With a formal, informal, and nickname for twelve characters, it can get quite interesting.

 

[Deleted member 6550]

Only if the author is Russian. With a formal, informal, and nickname for twelve characters, it can get quite interesting.

Same here. I took notes while reading Atlas Shrugged, or, for that matter, any other Ayn Rand novel. At the end, I always wrote "Garbage" too.

 

[jaynebosco]

Depends on the book

 

[BooknaMug]

I have often thought I should write something down when reading a book, but being so fresh out of college I'm still enjoying the freedom to just read. Occasionally I'll take notes on a book I read about writing or something like that, but for the most part I like to get lost in the words.

 

[olguta]

I don't usually take notes. The most i'll do is write in my journal certain sentences that i really liked.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I don't usually take notes because it disrupts my reading too much. I do try to remember unfamiliar topics or events and then Wiki them later (if it's a historical fiction or something of the kind)

 

[Dayspring]

I don't usually take notes. The most i'll do is write in my journal certain sentences that i really liked.

I do this sometimes, too. And when I try to copy it word by word on my own hand, I feel I can "taste" the literature better.

My habit of taking notes started with a school assignment which made me write down 50 good sentences in my notebook. I just stick to it after that assignment.

I just take the notes of good sentences, I wonder if anyone take notes of the background of the book, the characters' names (I see SFG75 does it), or just write down a short essay or summary......

 

[tartan_skirt]

I usually stick a post-it note in if I'm too involved with reading it, but I will generally write a few bits down every now and then between reading. I'm trying to get practice writing reviews on Listal so I like to take notes as I go to talk about later, but I never really get round to it and thus a lot of my recently read books have little coloured bits sticking out of them.

 

[abecedarian]

Depending on the book, I like to keep a notecard or some other slip of paper inside the book in case I stumble upon a word I can't define from the context, or a neat passage I'd like to share with someone else. What's rough is when, as in the case of Notes From the Hyena's Belly, the cool passage is too long for the notecard.

 

[little_lotte]

I just started doing this late last year. I write down what I think will happen, my favorite sentences, how long it took to read, and my favorite characters. also a little paragraph or two of why I liked the book.

 

[Anamnesis]

No, although I probably should since I find myself re-reading certain parts of the book to see if I missed any important information.

 

[Dayspring]

I just started doing this late last year. I write down what I think will happen, my favorite sentences, how long it took to read, and my favorite characters. also a little paragraph or two of why I liked the book.

Welcome to the forum! I am a new member in here as well, and I find a lot of fun in this site.

Looks like you did much work to absorb a book. I tried to write down a paragraph about how I feel about the book before, but since I get busier I don't do it anymore. Some books I take notes, some I enjoy just reading them.

For some books that involve historical elements, sometimes I will search for the information about what historical events had happened, when it happened... they usually are potential turning points of the story.

 

[Rien]

I'm still in school and I have a binder with dividers in it which I've had for about two years now. I write down all the interesting quotes on those. ^_^

 

[little_lotte]

thank you for the welcome dayspring, I find a lot of fun here too.

lol, sometimes it does feel a little like work writing that stuff out as I want to get on with the book, or on to the next one, but I do enjoy looking back on my book thoughts.

 

[Heteronym]

I sometimes write notes down on the margins. Last time I did that was last year with Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain: I don't do this with every novel, but this one really deserves it.

I always write notes when reading non-fiction, though; interesting facts and passages always get underlined too just in case I want to reread them for fun, or memorize them and tell them to friends to look smart

 

[bzseven@msn.com]

Hi Dayspring and welcome from another new member/ Great to see different ways we enjoy our reading! I've always taken notes sometimes marking the book otherwise using set notebooks I always carry with the book I'm now reading/ Filecards are how I've saved favorite sentences or phrases. I feel it really keeps the book alive when I can refer to the story, a charavter or what was being said that so impressed me. Hope otherfs continue to share I think tyhis variety is great!
bzseven@msn.com

 

[Enya]

Notebook

I usually read with a pencil in my hand, I ve had this habit since I had to read books for my exams. Now, even if I don't read that book for an exam, but just for fun, I still have a pencil in my hand and mark the passages I like,so after I finish it I write down sentences i liked but I don't forget to use an eraser, to erase the markings if the book isn't mine.
So I have a notebook in which I write paragraphs from books and when I come back to that notebook, it's like reading my diary, it really reflects the thoughts and feelings I had then, it's very personal I think.
And it's a pity to forget things you liked in a book.I can at least write down the titles of the books I read.

 

[Dayspring]

Hi Dayspring and welcome from another new member/ Great to see different ways we enjoy our reading! I've always taken notes sometimes marking the book otherwise using set notebooks I always carry with the book I'm now reading/ Filecards are how I've saved favorite sentences or phrases. I feel it really keeps the book alive when I can refer to the story, a charavter or what was being said that so impressed me. Hope otherfs continue to share I think tyhis variety is great!
bzseven@msn.com

Thank you for the sharing And bzseven@msn.com, Welcome to the forum,too.
I just think it's interesting to see different ways people read books. Some people tend to spend a lot of time on one single book and take lots of notes, some just enjoy reading the book freely.

So I have a notebook in which I write paragraphs from books and when I come back to that notebook, it's like reading my diary, it really reflects the thoughts and feelings I had then, it's very personal I think.
And it's a pity to forget things you liked in a book.I can at least write down the titles of the books I read.

I really agree with you that it's a pity to forget things you liked in a book! The thoughts and feelings I get from each book I read are something personal and precious.
And what's tricky is, after a period of time if I look back into the thoughts I had about certain book, I'll find my perspective of the book has grown somehow different than before.

 

[FrodoLIVES]

I used to keep a book journal in which I wrote down favorite passages, characters..etc. I haven't written in the journal for about 3 months but reading everyone's opinions, I think I might take it up again.