annotated book review

The Picky Bookworm

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The Perfect Guide to Annotating for Book Reviews [Guest Post]

Welcome back, my friends! I’m so glad you’re here! I have a guest post for you today, and I think it’s going to be super valuable for you! If you’re a book blogger, or an author who blogs on your website, writing book reviews is a huge part of your repertoire. And, if you’re like me, figuring out what you’re going to say in those book reviews causes not a little bit of anxiety. Have no fear anymore, friends! My guest post today is from Daniel over at Sticker You. He contacted me a while back to ask about writing something for me (he loved Book Reviews vs Beta Reading!) and offered this post as an option. Annotating for book reviews sounds so easy once he explains it! So, without further ado, check it out!

A secret treasure lies in the world of literature that can enrich your reading journey and offer precious discoveries. If you are looking to write book reviews that are both informative and entertaining, having a thoroughly annotated copy can make a big difference. You can dramatically improve the quality of your book reviews by adding your magical touch since this will give your written reviews more authenticity.

Writing a well-articulated book review requires you to remember significant points, underline crucial plot moments, and arrange your thoughts in an organized manner. Whether you are an experienced book reviewer or a passionate reader wanting to indulge in the books you read and use annotations to elevate your reading experience, this guide is perfect for you!

The meaning of annotating is to take in pieces of literature in a way where you can immediately express your thoughts from the works you’ve read. The unique appeal of book annotation is that there is no single, correct method to accomplish it, like the originality associated with annotating; there is no one right way to do it, only your way, based on your perspective. However, understanding how to annotate a book effectively is the foundation for writing insightful and persuasive book reviews. 

Table of Contents

Forms of Annotations 

Annotations, whether in the form of sketches, detailed visualizations, or even the traditional, simple underlining and highlighting of favorite passages, should be viewed as an added component of the reader’s experience. Annotating is the unique interaction between a reader and the text. The best way to learn how to create personalized annotations is, first and foremost, to find a book that truly resonates with you. The connection will help get your creative juices working to enhance your book reviews and the process of writing them. 

By customizing your annotations, you can establish a method that works with your individual reviewing style as a reader and critic. Furthermore, adding your unique flair to your annotations helps you feel more connected to the book. Keeping notes as you read helps you remember your first impressions and feelings while reading. That way, annotations will easily convey your genuine reaction to the content in your reviews, and that is the beauty of annotating.

Pre-annotation Steps

Immersing oneself in such an engaging read sets the stage for unleashing your imagination and developing your annotating abilities. It makes you feel more connected to the story, its protagonists, and the message it spreads. This elevated connection feeds your creativity and stimulates your writing skills. It enables you to develop unique connections, make creative findings, and produce original viewpoints, all of which are shared through your special annotations.

Gaining that deeper connection and understanding leads to a more structured and engaging book review. And let’s be honest, as readers, we tend to mix up book plots from the many books we read, so one way to keep track of what you read is through annotations! Although it may be tempting to annotate every page, you should target important events, great phrases, or sections that generate an intense sense of emotion. The emphasis should be on quality rather than quantity.

Annotating For Book Reviews

Readers annotate books in many different ways, but highlighting passages that relate to you directly, make you laugh, or even reflect distinct elements of the book, such as character growth or unexpected plot twists, is what will benefit your book reviews. Moreover, there are other ways to change things up and make annotations more visual to ease the book review writing aspect even more. 

Visual annotation tactics can transform your book reviews into engaging excursions of your own ideas and observations. These are some of the best methods for making helpful book annotations. Discover the tactical application of journaling, transparent sticky notes, and color-coded tabs, providing valuable resources to improve your reading experience and book review writing skills. Explore different reading habits for varying viewpoints and interesting takes from a fellow bookworm.

Create a Journal

Creative Annotating

When it comes to book annotations, creativity knows no bounds. Personalization is vital for elevating your book reviews. When annotating your book or writing book reviews, including visual components to draw attention to the key points you want to emphasize is extremely helpful. Personalized labels and stickers can direct attention to pivotal chapters or themes. The ability to personalize the journal’s layout to reflect your tastes, opinions, and the main themes of your reading experience is a fantastic addition. You can create personalized visuals of your favorite characters or intricate symbols for the book’s major themes and plot points. By incorporating these visually appealing elements into your book annotations, you can enhance the reading and reviewing experience for both yourself and your book review readers. 

Clear Sticky Notes 

If you want to annotate your books, but writing and highlighting right on the book pages does not interest you, you can use clear sticky notes instead! Clear sticky notes allow you to get the best of both worlds. You can annotate your favorite book’s physical copy without the ink directly transferring onto your pages! You can annotate books without detracting from the overall aesthetic while still taking notes on key points and information. Transparent sticky notes are beneficial when annotating for book reviews since they are transferable and could be put in your scrapbook later if you decide to re-gift a book. Also, you can reuse clear sticky notes multiple times. You can take them from one book and place them in another without ruining the pages. These clear sticky notes are useful if you are the type of reader that prefers borrowing books from libraries or even sharing your books with other readers while still retaining your annotations.

Assigning Colour-Coded Tabs

Another excellent method to improve the quality of your book reviews is to make your own set of color-coded annotating supplies . For instance, pink tabs and highlighters would represent love quotes & romantic moments, blue for sad ones, and yellow for funny ones. To make it all tie together, creating an annotation key or guide right at the start of a book will make it easy to navigate and helps with organizing your thoughts from your annotations to put into your book reviews. With the help of personalization, you can make your book reviews unique and really your own. The visual aid also gives the readers insight into your thoughts, and they’ll be able to grasp your meaning and appreciate the insight into your mind that this provides.

Annotating Time

Your whole reading experience will be much improved, as will the caliber of your book reviews, if you perfect the art of annotating books in your way. You can record your thoughts, draw attention to critical sections of the text, and establish meaningful connections throughout the text by utilizing a variety of forms of annotations, including sticky tabs, journaling, and creating a color guide. In addition, it is crucial to follow the pre-annotation processes, such as having that connection with a book’s content, because doing so can give a firm basis for writing good annotations and book reviews. In conclusion, annotating a book’s material to reflect your thoughts and experiences helps you better understand the text. It provides your book review with a touch of authenticity. As a result, your review is richer in detail, more cohesive, and more specific to your experience with the book. 

So, what are you waiting for? Pick up the next book on your reading list , and jump into the exciting world of annotating. Grab some highlighters, pens, and those trusty clear sticky notes, and annotate away!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this post on annotating for book reviews! Stick around for next week, when I’ll have a brand new book review for you, using one of these methods!

Until Next Time, Friends!

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing a Book Review

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Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.

By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:

• Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
• Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
• Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
• Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
• Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?

As You Read

As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.

• Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
• Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
• Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
• Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
• Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?

When You Are Ready to Write

Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.

The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:

• Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
• Minor principles/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principles/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
• Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
• Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
• Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.

When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following:

• Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher.
• Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?
• Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.

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Reader Voracious

October 8, 2019

How I Annotate Books for Reviewing because I have the memory of a goldfish

I am not joking when I say that I have the memory of a goldfish . I don’t remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday or whether or not I actually liked The Night Circus when I read it in 2015. This terrible memory makes book reviewing an interesting endeavor, one made easier by my 20-year long habit to annotate books .

As I’ve settled into my role of Book Reviewer, I fine tuned my annotation process quite a bit to help facilitate the review process. It now involves a color-coded system based on the things that heavily influence my reading experience . CW @ The Quiet Pond expressed an interest in my process a couple of months ago, and I thought this would make for an interesting discussion post – so here is my annotation process!

Writing in my books *gasp*

Color-coded notes on kindle, let’s discuss.

It began during my senior year of high school. My AP English teacher suggested that we write in our books and was greeted with audible gasps from me and my classmates. I’ll never forget what she said to us in response:

“Reading can be a two-way experience. Writing your thoughts in your book is like a conversation with the author. With yourself.”

Before this moment, I treated my books as sacred. The thought of defiling my books made my heat race, but what Mrs. Robinson resonated with me. “What’s the harm in writing in my books for class?” I figured it isn’t like I was collecting them.

As soon as I touched pen to page, I was changed. I liked it. A lot. I’ve always been a close, analytical reader. Taking my notes inside of my book saved me the time of having to write quotes and make notes directly in the margins.

One of the coolest things about writing my thoughts down in the book’s margins is it’s like a time capsule . It’s really fun to re-read and see what I was thinking and feeling in the past.

I suppose I should also mention that I don’t mind dog-earing my books, either.

How I Annotate Books Electronically

Despite my reading life changing that Fall day in high school, it took a long time for me to connect the book annotation habit with reviewing . Life kind of got in the way and I didn’t start reading for pleasure again until late 2014… and by 2016 I was reviewing the books I read to scratch the “I miss academia” itch. But by then my annotation habit had fallen into disuse.

💬 Related Post: How to Annotate & Access Notes on Audible

It all started with reading eARCs on the Kindle app in 2017 . Up until then, my reading skewed heavily to the physical format and as you’ve seen, I have no qualms writing directly in my books. (I love writing in my books.)

Annotating on Kindle actually led to me being far more organized . (And being a lot less confused while reading books with multiple points of view.) I pretty quickly took advantage of the different colors available for highlighting to take notes on four key things: world-building, quotes for review, character development (/keeping them straight) , and romance-y bits.

Reading books electronically was something I took to fairly quickly because of how I could annotate the book to hell and back. It also was a lot easier when it came to reviewing because I just had to scroll through my notes section to refresh my memory on my thoughts while reading.

How I Annotate Books

I’d gotten so used to heavily annotating my books – especially on Kindle – that I really came to rely on it for reviewing. Not to mention that I enjoy writing little notes to myself while I try to piece together the plot or suss out a murderer. My conversation with the author habit returned and I found myself reacting to plot developments in the book!

💬 Related Post: My Book Buying Process as I Build My Dream Library

But as my book buying habits have changed since becoming a book blogger, my annotation habits have evolved along with them. I’m in the financial position to purchase books before reading them, and while I’ve gotten pretty good at choosing books I’m likely to read it isn’t a foolproof process. I save my writing-in-the-book habits for second reading in case I decide to unhaul the book down the road.

After developing my color coded system for the Kindle, I noticed other bloggers and bookstagrammers tabbing their physical ARCs. I thought this might be a good solution for me and grabbed some post-its from work (shhh, don’t tell!) to give it a try.

While not as satisfying as writing directly in my books, I’ve come to enjoy tabbing because it is a good visual representation of how a book connected with me. I use the same color-coded system that I use on Kindle and for the most part it works well to jog my memory while reviewing. 

💬 Related Post: All About Bookly

Nowadays, I don’t write in my new books in the off-chance that I want to unhaul them or I got a special edition I want to keep in good condition, so these other methods for annotating are a real life saver for me! I use Bookly in conjunction with tabbing to take notes while reading physical books, and it works well for me.

I hope you found this post interesting! Are you a reader who takes notes while reading? What is your process for keeping things straight for reviewing?

💖 If you like the work that I do here at Reader Voracious, consider fueling my pumpkin spice latte and black tie addiction by buying me a ko-fi or joining my Patreon ! ☕

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Reader Interactions

56 comments.

May 8, 2022 at 10:07 AM

I love this method! I am still terrified of annotating my books, not because I may unhaul them, but because I’m always afraid of having my thoughts influenced by past-me, and as recent rereads have proven, present me disagrees a lot with what past-me thought about certain books and characters :)) I may start using the colored tabs idea though, because I do like the visual representation of what a book makes me feel while reading.

May 13, 2022 at 1:55 PM

You know what, your fear of your Past Thoughts influencing you is honestly valid! That’s why I don’t read reviews for books when I know I want to read them – my brain is impressionable. I’ve actually become afraid of re-reading books I once liked because I am such a different person today. Tabbing is really fun, though!

July 2, 2021 at 8:12 AM

This was so much fun to read! I love annotating so much and maybe someday I’ll be able to write in my books but for now I’ll stick of tabbing and sticky notes I find it hard to annotate on my kindle, when on my phone it was easy but I’ve been trying to figure out a system to annotate using kindle and when listening to books, hopefully I’ll figure it out as well because there is something therapeutic about annotating

July 13, 2021 at 5:55 PM

I swear, once you decide to give it a try it is like the floodgates open up! I highly recommend it — maybe with an old, used paperback “reading” copy of a favorite book of yours to give it a try?

The actual Kindle for annotating is seriously annoying as heck. I just use the kindle app on my phone or iPad instead so I can use the superior annotation system. I hope you find something that works for you, though! Bookly may help?

September 21, 2020 at 4:27 PM

As soon as I saw I have the memory of a goldfish on your recent post I have never felt more seen. I am the exact same way. Sadly I am probably the most disorganized person ever. I feel I do feel I need to find a system that works for me because sometimes I want to write reviews and I barley remember stuff. I sometimes tab my books but I never really have a system which is something I need to do. I did love seeing how you go about it because you always have such great reviews!

September 22, 2020 at 12:32 PM

GOLDFISH BRAIN TWINSIES! 🙌 And yea, if I didn’t take notes I would be useless. I just wrote a review for something I read a month ago and my notes weren’t great because I was sucked into the story and I’m so mad at myself lol. Thanks for reading and I am so glad you enjoyed this peek into how my brain works!

February 15, 2020 at 5:19 AM

Kal another amazing post. If you can do another which gets into the nitty gritty of what you actually annotate would be so helpful.

February 20, 2020 at 3:30 PM

Ahhh, thanks so much Angelica! And that is a good idea, I am happy to add the suggestion to my list of post ideas!

October 18, 2019 at 3:30 AM

I’d LOVE to annotate my books more often, but I’m scared to do it, I suppose??? I have no problems highlighting and adding comments to e-books, especially because later it’ll help me writing my review (goldfish memory, too) but when it comes to physical books, I just add stickers and flags. I’ve just annotated books for classes! I need to turn my mind around 😛

October 23, 2019 at 11:22 AM

Aww, I can relate to the fear so much!!! I don’t know why I was that way, but it was like a light switch was flipped when I was given permission and I haven’t been able to stop. It is actually really hard for me not to annotate my physical arcs (I pass them on to other readers).

October 13, 2019 at 8:16 AM

This is another great post! I started using flags over the past year or so and they help a lot. I also highlight and note in my kindle (paperwhite, so no colors). I don’t think I’ve ever written in a book besides a textbook before though. I don’t know that I could do it, but I can see why it can be super helpful. My memory is like yours. I struggle to remember details about past reads unless I refresh a bit.

October 23, 2019 at 10:54 AM

How weird that the paperwhite doesn’t have colors, why wouldn’t the actual device have the same functionality as the app? lol. I really am starting to fall in love with page flags since I have started using them, though!

October 12, 2019 at 2:59 AM

I love writing in my books! I mostly highlight my favourite quotes and maybe underline a few good ones with a pencil. Haven’t done a proper annotation like back in high school, though. I do like the idea of the post-it note tabs. Especially if you’re reading a physical book and you’ve found a good quote or a section you want to discuss. With Kindle Notes, blue is my quote colour and yellow my ‘note’ colour – if I want to discuss something I read in the book. It helps, mostly when I’m writing the review and I can sort by colour.

October 23, 2019 at 10:39 AM

OMG YESSSS!!!! I love hearing about other people annotating books, even in pencil! I don’t know why but it brings me so much joy… I just love the look of well-loved books so much??? Post it note tabs are really nice, and so aesthetically pleasing when finished reading to boot!

Blue is also my quote color, how cool is that!?!?!

November 6, 2019 at 11:23 PM

I probably need to get another pencil 😁 and all that goes with it. I do have post it notes but never use them!! Why?? I could even use them in my library books too? But yes, as much as I do like new books, I also love seeing second-hand books – the spine cracked, TONS of page corners bent from dog-earing (huge fan), but my favourite are seeing the annotations other people make – in second-hand books.

October 11, 2019 at 5:39 AM

I usually never annotate my physical books but I love highlighting and making notes in my Kindle. It definitely helps a lot while re reading and also while reviewing! Great post, Kal 💛

October 23, 2019 at 10:34 AM

Thanks for commenting Krisha, and I love that you annotate on Kindle! It really saves me so much on re-reads & while reviewing as well!

October 11, 2019 at 3:30 AM

I think your annotations look so awesome! I use tabs, I didn’t start to until I hit grad school and then realized it was amazing, I typically just take notes on a notebook while I read, but, I wouldn’t put it past me to someday just underline the crap out of a really good quote, I really enjoyed reading about your annotations.

October 23, 2019 at 10:28 AM

Aww, thanks so much Haley! I used to do notebooks too… but then I got lazy copying down quotes ahaha.

October 10, 2019 at 9:05 PM

The reading I do of fiction books is probably the only space in my brain where my memory outweighs that of an elephant’s. I have a really good memory of everything that happens in the previous book in a series so I rarely have any issues going forward to the next book. It also helps that I’m a re-reader. When I go into slumps, I go back to books I thoroughly enjoyed to pick myself up. This helps in cementing what I already know so I usually always remember well.

But since I started reviewing I’ve found myself doing a LOT of highlighting and bookmarking on my Kindle.

On the rare occasions that I forget I usually go back to the reviews I wrote on the book or I read up on the blurb and some one else’s review to jog my memory.

Your habit of writing in the book took me straight to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Kal. ♥️♥️♥️ Ooooh post-its sound like a fantastic idea. But I’m yet to receive a physical copy so I guess as of now I have no reference on how to work with those. I don’t dog-ear books either. Ooooh, I wish we could do something similar to colour coding on the Kindle, that would be so useful! Loved your post Kal!

October 23, 2019 at 10:24 AM

I am so jealous of your elephant-enhanced brain! I have to re-read before picking up a new release in a series, because I won’t remember close to anything in the previous book(s). Which takes time… and when slumping, it isn’t great.

I do color code on my Kindle! Well, I use the app on my phone, not an actual Kindle device, so I don’t know if the colors exist. But the app has the yellow, red, blue, and orange options for highlights!

October 10, 2019 at 6:21 PM

That’s quite interesting! I still stand by not writing in them, but I gotta say your teacher gave a good point; I didn’t saw it like that. Though I mostly read in bed before sleep, so it’s already complicated enough with my little camp lamp than trying to write in the book aswell 😂 So it’s almost easier for me to just grab my phone and write it somewhere electronically.

I also love the idea of a little time capsule !! If you’re big onto rereading like I am, it’d be interesting to see if your thoughts changed or not upon rereading a second (or more) times.

October 23, 2019 at 10:21 AM

I agree that writing notes is a pain in the ass when in bed, which is where I mostly read these days as well. I do have an app I’ve been using for notes and have enjoyed it, but there is just something *magical* about writing in the book for me.

YES! Rereading is so much fun when you annotated the book previously.

October 10, 2019 at 7:39 AM

As someone who doesn’t really review…I don’t really take notes at all. Although I have danced with tabbing books, but my system wasn’t organised haha. I was brought up to respect my things (writing in your book is totally respecting it if that’s what you choose to do to it!) But for me, my parents always praised me for keeping my books in a pristine condition and it eventually got to a point when I was 12 that I legit couldn’t handle buying a book that had a mark on it or something. It was a time Kal, a frustrating time for everyone who wanted to buy me books because I’d gotten so fussy and particular about them.

Fast forward to now and I’m trying to relax a bit, I’ll buy a book which has a mark on it or the top edge of the spine is indented. (wow…all these things seem so silly) but for me it still is a huge hurdle for me to get past because I like to have things in a “pristine” condition. Suffice to say I was not a fan of annotating books for English Literature, though I have toyed with possibly buying a copy of a book I already own to erm read it and annotate it. My family thinks thats a waste of money but I don’t know, if I were going to annotate a book I’d want to use a different copy. But that’s just me, I do however appreciate seeing other people’s annotations/tabbing etc because at the end of the day it’s their book, and if they want to show that book love by annotating the hell out of it – then they should!

October 23, 2019 at 10:18 AM

Oh man, I can’t imagine! I would be so anxious if I were you to the point of not even wanting to read my books for fear of not keeping them in pristine condition. I really love the look of a well-loved book, even though I am kind of fussy about first edition hardcovers of books I love.

I am glad you are trying to relax a bit, though! There’s nothing wrong with wanting an annotated copy separate though, I have considered that for a few of my faves haha.

October 9, 2019 at 7:03 PM

I have to admit, I used to annotate my required reading books for English Lit – I got a few of them secondhand so I didn’t feel TOO bad bc they weren’t in the best shape to begin with. But I’ve never done it since – I’m VERY precious about my books 😂 I do love seeing other people’s annotated books though! I also LOVE tabbing my physical books & using the highlights on the Kindle app – some of my Cassie Clare books look like rainbow porcupines bc of all the colour-coded tabs I’ve put in 😂

October 22, 2019 at 6:57 PM

I love seeing tabbed books in photos, it is so aesthetically pleasing to me! I am slowly getting more precious about my books, and part of me is a little sad about it. Thanks so much for your comment!

October 9, 2019 at 1:48 PM

I do love going back to my old books and seeing the notes that I made. Usually, I laugh at my ridiculous self, especially UNDERGRAD Christine. Like I thought I was soooooooo smart and witty lol. Like you said, those notes truly are a “time capsule.”

Nowadays, I try not to mark up my books or even dog-ear pages. That is the librarian in me, though. I love your honesty and lack of fear to show all of this because I know how book Twitter gets lol!!!

Like you, I also write in books less because I might be passing them on to someone else.

October 22, 2019 at 6:52 PM

Time capsules into my previous naivete, for sure. Some of the notes I made aren’t as insightful as I probably thought they were!

I definitely write less now though, and it saddens me a little bit. But I do enjoy passing books on… I reread a lot, so I can always annotate on re-reads

October 9, 2019 at 1:03 PM

THIS IS THE GREATEST POST TITLE IN THE HISTORY OF BLOGGING because it’s the biggest of moods… especially at work. And I don’t even know how I survive reviewing without actually taking notes, though I don’t write in my books directly; I’m more use Post-It Notes so I can mark the place where it’s at or I’ll forget I even wrote in the book. Plus, since I’m planning on moving, I can pass on the physical ARCs to other readers (that I trust not to sell).

I LOVE the notes section with the Kindle app – it’s been super handy and a lifesaver, especially since I’m reading multiple books at a time then I can look over my thoughts so far (and other important details highlighted) if I haven’t cracked open a book in months (oops).

I actually don’t color code my notes for some reason – color coding has never worked for me in other aspects in my life, and I guess it carried over to annotating and tabbing as well? 🤔

October 22, 2019 at 6:50 PM

Huzzah for another goldfish brain! Post-it notes seem like a popular solution for people, and I agree that I don’t write in my physical ARCs so that I can pass them on to other readers, and find myself not annotating a lot of the time in new hardcovers on first read. Which kind of kills me, but tabbing is okay!

YES YES YES on the kindle notes saving lives! I forget what’s going on so the notes help me so much.

October 9, 2019 at 12:09 PM

Okay so although I hate writing in my books with pen, I still write down some points that I think will make for a really good addition to the review – WITH PENCIL! 🤣🤣 But THATS A RARITY WITH ME! Usually I keep my phone handy and I use my Bear app (ITS AWESOME) to note down all the thoughts I have during the read.. I prefer the digital method because then I can just send my notes to my email and copy paste it into WordPress. Saves a lot of fucking time! 🤣🤣

I ENJOYED THIS POST A LOTT, Kal!! 😍😍❤️❤️

October 22, 2019 at 6:44 PM

Pencil is cool, it’s a gateway! LOL! But cool to hear about your process, especially how you’ve streamlined it for reviewing.

October 9, 2019 at 9:19 AM

This is actually something I wish I did because I also have trouble remembering sometimes! I even bought page flags! But I usually get caught up in a book, or I’m out and about reading, and I always forget. I really need to start taking notes though because it’s tough especially when you’re behind on reviews and you’ve since read 10 more books….lol.

October 22, 2019 at 6:36 PM

I feel this so hard — if I didn’t take notes, many of my reviews wouldn’t get written. I have a poor memory a day later, imagine when I have a backlog! Maybe just try tabbing without notes, it doesn’t require too much and it may be enough to jog your memory later.

October 9, 2019 at 8:43 AM

This post is so aesthetically pleasing to my eyes that I cannooootttt! 10/10 For me I only annotate on the second read of a book, as stopping to write during my first read through always takes me out of the story and irks me to no end. So basically I reserve annotating to the faves, which I will then waddle to get another copy of that I dub the “deface book” and get to wreaking havoc. lol. Though I do have to note, that I have been using kindle highlighting more often than before (though I don’t use the color coding like you, but I’m intrigued now!)

October 22, 2019 at 6:33 PM

That’s interesting, and I can see how pausing for notes could pull you out of the storytelling. My mind legit just never stops, so I am literally analyzing everything as I read anyways (it’s tiring). Try kindle highlighting with colors, it makes looking for stuff in reviews so easy!

October 8, 2019 at 7:46 PM

I find that I only need to annotate when I want to write a review or if it’s for class! I think I might wanna try it more just for fun, in the books that I re-read every year. That way, when I have a new revelation (because that’s the mark of a good book isn’t it? when you notice something new in a well-loved read hehe), I can look back and recall it in case it totally slipped my mind. I liked learning about your system! I’ve never given any thought to electronic note-taking, but that does seem like it’d be super helpful x

October 22, 2019 at 6:24 PM

I’ve been taking notes for so long, I can’t imagine reading a book without it – I have come to rely on them to keep things straight lmao. I agree 1000% though, re-reading a book with new revelations and having the notes there is so much fun, you should try it!

October 8, 2019 at 6:22 PM

I always like the way an annotated books LOOKS but I don’t do it haha. I DO have a notebook that I write all my notes down in which helps so much when reviewing. I think what I would need to add to my system is tabbing and then writing down damn page numbers for my notes. Sometimes my notes are vague and I can’t remember where it was in the book lol. My memory is terrrrrrible so if I didn’t at least take notes, I would never remember anything about books lol

October 22, 2019 at 6:21 PM

A lot of people take notes in a notebook, it seems! I’ve tried but it just doesn’t work well for me, I just don’t enjoy copying down quotes when I could just underline them or something lol. I think page numbers would be very helpful though; goldfish brains unite!

October 8, 2019 at 11:19 AM

i’m too chicken to write in my books so i carry notebook w/ me while reading instead. I usually use post it notes to mark quotes I like. I tried color coding my Carry On copy with different post it notes after seeing YouTube video about another reader doing it but since I have my notebook it felt pretty useless.

October 22, 2019 at 6:19 PM

A notebook works well, I’ve tried it but for some reason I never follow through much that way. Thanks for sharing your process with me, Jamsu!

October 8, 2019 at 7:32 AM

I’m just like you! I write in my books, although I only use a pencil, and I keep tabs around with a specific color code. However, if I’m reading on the train or the bus, I’ll just dog-ear the pages I want to annotate on, and I’ll do it later. I love when my books, especially paperbacks and mass-market copies, look read and worn out.

October 22, 2019 at 6:18 PM

Yessss, another book “defiler”! Pencil is still cool, I would do that too if it didn’t rub off so easily — I really like seeing my thoughts on rereads. I also dog-ear my books! Books looking well loved are my fave

October 8, 2019 at 6:46 AM

Funny, I highlight everything of interest on my Kindle but never in my paperbacks. You’re right, Kal, it does help when it comes to writing my reviews; it refreshes my mind about how I felt when reading particular scenes. Thanks for posting, Flora x

October 22, 2019 at 6:17 PM

That’s so interesting, Flora! Have you never thought about taking notes for your paperbacks?

October 8, 2019 at 5:48 AM

I just recently started tabbing books…and I always find when I’m done reading I’ve only tabbed maybe the first half of the book before I’ve dropped off. I love reading physical books, but I adore e-books because I write notes to myself in there without writing on the pages. I’ve been thinking about graduating to sticky notes to write longer messages? IDK. I also started keeping a journal to actually write the quotes/lines down. That works for physical books for me. I really liked that.

October 22, 2019 at 6:14 PM

HAHAHA I also fall off on tabbing my books the further I get into them! I also enjoy reading eBooks for the electronic notetaking (and the ability to read chonkers without hurting my wrists lol)

October 8, 2019 at 3:15 AM

It’s nice that it works for you ! I’m absolutely incapable of doing that. I never even use tabs… It just bugs me to put stuff in a book 😬

October 22, 2019 at 6:06 PM

That’s totally fair, I actually felt the same way until my teacher said the thing! It was like a lightbulb went off and once I started I couldn’t stop. Haha. Thanks for reading!

October 8, 2019 at 2:41 AM

I use papery tabs that also have a little space for writing on them (with lines!!). They are my fave thing to use when I am reading a book for review!! I can send you a photo of them if you like?

October 22, 2019 at 6:05 PM

That’s a great solution for not writing in books but also annotating with tabs, I’ve been tempted with post-its before! I’de love to see a photo, Meeghan!

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the wordy habitat

book recommendations, blogging tips, & asian dramas

How to Annotate Books When You're Reading For Fun

I absolutely love to annotate books.

The habit started with highlighting and taking notes in e-books. I was not ready to actually write in physical books. But after a while, I simply could not hold myself back. I HAD to highlight and comment on things, so I picked up a pencil and began annotating Children of Blood and Bone .

That was like breaking a dam. Since then, my annotation methods have evolved but my love for annotation has only grown.

I really want to encourage more people to pick up the habit of annotation even when you are reading for fun.

If you want to know how to start annotating books, this is the only guide you need. And no one may have asked me how I annotate my books, but I will share that anyway further below in this post. Let's go!

why should you annotate books?

Tools for annotating books, before you begin annotating, how to annotate books, 2. circle/bracket, how to annotate a book without writing in it, what to annotate in a book, best books to annotate, how i annotate books, annotation inspiration, love my content.

There are several benefits to annotating. But to name a few major ones..

• It helps you read actively. Active reading is when you are engaging with the text rather than just passively reading the story. It also reduces skim-reading, if you have that habit.
• You will remember more. This is a by-product of active reading. You remember more details of the book and also your reactions to it.
• You will understand the book better. Annotating especially helps with books that deal with heavy or complicated topics. Or just books that you can learn from. Annotating helps you truly absorb the book and understand the characters, underlying layers, etc.
• In case you ever want to check something or reread a favourite part, annotations are great for future references . They also come in handy if you are a bookish content creator online.

A ton of people relate annotating to studying and hence don't want to do it when reading for fun. I personally did not always annotate for studying because it wasn't encouraged in my academics ( we didn't even have required reading , sadly) but I understand the sentiment.

You have to separate the act of annotation from studying. The benefits of it are why it is encouraged in academics. But annotating can be fun too!

Writing comments, including drawings or illustrations, and conversing with the text makes the experience of reading much more fun. Annotating is not just for critical thinking, quotes or discussions. It can also be a commentary on funny dialogues, shocking turns, or rants on annoying characters.

Authors spend years working on their books. Take a few extra minutes to annotate and fully experience the books. It will help you to enjoy your books more and hence will help you create a reading habit too.

If you still need convincing, read the essay How to Mark a Book by Mortimer J. Adler . I came across this essay through Naya and absolutely loved it. It reinforced my love for annotating and reassured me that, despite tons of people in the book community saying "it's a sin", it is actually a good habit. I've also taken a print of the essay like Naya because it is that good.

There are several ways to annotate. I will list and suggest different methods later in this post. But there are some basic tools that you need to get started.

Depending on the annotation method you choose, you can use one or more of these tools.

1. sticky tabs/notes

Sticky tabs are small tabs that are used to point to a specific line on the page. There are various types available such as arrow tabs, rectangular tabs, and different coloured tabs.

Sticky notes can be used when you want to write a lot of content or when you want to talk about something tangential to the topic on the page.

2. highlighters

There are different types of highlighters that you can use. Regular highlighters work just fine but if you don't like the neon colours, you can use mildliners. Highlighting using brush pens is also really nice.

I prefer Tombow brush pens because they provide more control when highlighting due to the thickness of the brush tips.

3. pen/pencil

These are classic tools used for annotating. If you want to get started with underlining and writing in the margins, but don't want to commit to permanent annotation, you can use pencils. Blunt pencils work best to erase later on.

If you're using pens, you can use different colours of pens for different types of annotations too.

4. notebook/phone/another device

You may not want to mark the books themselves for whatever reason. At those times, you can keep a notebook with you to write in. If you have an iPad with a really nice note-taking app, that helps too. I personally like making notes in GoodNotes.

Note-taking on your phone also works but generally, phones tend to pull our attention away from whatever we're doing, so I don't suggest this unless there's no other way. If you do use your phone, keep it on "do not disturb" mode so that you can read without distractions.

I highly suggest using a note-taking app that supports multimedia to take notes on your phone. I use Apple Notes so that I can write notes and add pictures if I don't want to type paragraphs.

Don't assume that you will annotate the book. Go in without that idea. Otherwise, you will spend time looking for lines to underline or thinking about what to comment on for each paragraph.

To keep it genuine, annotate only when you really feel like it. You're reading for fun! Don't make annotating a chore. Let it come naturally.

Mark sentences by underlining only if they call out to you, or they feel important to the story. Write comments if you have something to say or if the passage made you feel something.

If you're holding a pen or pencil in your hand, ready to mark anything of consequence, it will distance you from the story. Don't look for reasons to use your tools. Let them be a little away. Pick them up when you have a reaction to something in the book.

Annotating will feel weird in the beginning but the habit will grow over time. Don't expect yourself to go all-in the first time you start.

There are multiple ways to annotate books. You can either pick one beforehand or decide later based on what you want to mark in the book.

Don't stick to a system immediately. Try out different methods. Be open to exploring and changing. Annotation is supposed to improve your reading experience, not to put your thoughts in a box.

1. underline/highlight

These are two of the most basic ways to annotate.

When you read a line that is powerful or lyrical, mark it. If a dialogue made you laugh, mark it. If you want to highlight multiple lines or entire paragraphs, do it!

You can use different colours to underline and highlight. The colours can signify different meanings like yellow for important facts and green for good writing. Different colours can also mean different readings. For The Poppy War , I used one colour for highlighting during my first read and another colour during my second read.

Depending on how "important" the annotation is, I use a different tool. I use pens and highlighters for ones that I want to stand out, pencils for random lines that resonate but don't mean much without the context. You can try underlining with lines and waves to differentiate.

For singular words or short phrases, circling them with a pen highlights it well. Whenever I come across a word or a sentence that is important to the topic or means a lot, I circle it. I also circle words that I've come across for the first time and write their meanings nearby.

For paragraphs or multiple lines that mean a lot, I use brackets either at the beginning and end of those lines or on the side, bracketing the entire paragraph.

3. write your thoughts

Another classic annotation method. This is a little more in-depth because it involves you writing your opinions and conversing with the text.

Annotating with writing doesn't mean you have to write a lot . Comments can be short forms or small sentences too. You can fit smaller comments right after the end of paragraphs or in the margins. It can also be emojis, "LOL", or other slangs. The point is to note your thoughts and/or emotions.

Longer comments do take up more space. When I was reading The Burning God , I took up almost half the page's empty space once because I had so much to say about a certain theme.

Writing comments can change based on genres and themes. For example, I barely write in romance books . The extent of my annotations are generally "this is so cute!" and "OMG" unless I'm ranting about something.

But when I was reading The Right Swipe , I added longer comments to highlight how CTE was spoken about, note my thoughts on the dating industry, etc.

Tip: if you are prone to rephrasing a lot or are not good at space planning (like me), try writing with a pencil instead of a pen. That way you can erase and write again if needed. The downside is that pencil marks can fade over time.

Annotating with writing is really fun because you're almost conversing with the book . It's also fun because you can see your old notes during rereads and have conversations with your older self through new annotations.

4. dog-ear pages

Dog-earing, or folding corners of pages, is helpful because you can easily find your favourite parts of the book later. Or you can refer to important parts that you've marked.

This is probably the most argued-about method of marking a book in the book community. But it is very easy to do and requires no extra tools.

You can mark your favourite scenes, important parts, or pages that have a lot of annotations by dog-earing those sections. I would especially recommend this method for the last reason. If you've annotated a lot by writing or highlighting on one page, you might want to refer back to it later, so dog-ear it.

5. draw/doodle

This is not a method that I personally use a lot but I have seen other people use it.

One way is to doodle small symbols to signify specific themes and maintain a key for these themes at the beginning/end of the book. You can also simply draw hearts or stars to mark parts you like.

If you're reading non-fiction books that explain topics, you can draw mini mind-maps to remember things better (I did this for The Power of Habit ).

If you found this post helpful, do consider buying me a coffee in appreciation! ☕️

If you want to start annotating and are not comfortable with marking the book yet, this is for you. There are ways to annotate without writing in the book. You can use these methods to get into the habit of annotating, and you will probably work up to writing in the books later on.

These methods are also useful if you don't own the book you're reading or you are planning to sell it later on.

1. use sticky tabs

Whoever invented sticky tabs are a GENIUS because they are so useful.

There are so many ways to annotate using sticky tabs. Since they are available in different colours, you can assign themes to colours and add a key at the beginning like Myonna . Some readers use the same key throughout their books and others switch whenever.

You can also use tabs to mark quotes, favourite lines and passages, or parts of the book that made you feel something.

Or you can simply use the page tabs wherever without caring about the colour. Since I don't assign colours to themes and usually just use one colour per book, I choose a colour that matches the book cover.

2. use sticky notes

Annotating with sticky notes is helpful when you have a lot to say about something as they provide more space. You can use sticky notes instead of writing in the margins.

Some readers stick the notes in the middle of the page, others stick them near the part that they're commenting on. You can also stick the notes sideways so that a little bit of the paper peeks out of the notebook similar to page tabs, making it easier for you to find later on.

The one drawback to this is that it covers up a part of the page . Hence, you have to write and stick after you're done reading. And when you're referring later, you can't read the page that you wrote about without removing the sticky note.

There is one way to make sure that they don't cover up the page. Stick the notes at the bottom of the page, so that the sticky parts are on the empty space, and fold them into the book . This way you can flip them open to read your notes and they don't cover up the page as well.

3. use a reading journal/make notes

If you want to annotate but don't want to do anything to the book , you can maintain a notebook as a reading journal to write your thoughts in. This also works for audiobooks as bookmarking in the audiobooks itself can be messy.

For non-fiction books that give a lot of information or books that you're learning a lot from, making proper notes works well. Reading the content properly such that you can write the most important points by memory vastly increases comprehension.

You can also make notes on an app on your phone since you will have your phone with you most of the time. This can result in distraction as you can fall into the phone's black hole through notifications and messages.

Both of these methods can be tedious compared to other methods of annotation because they remove your attention from the book. If you can manage to just write the notes and not fall into social media, these are great.

Leonie uses these methods of annotation so you can check out her video to know more on how to use them.

If you are new to annotating and don't know what to annotate, I've got you covered.

These are some ideas that you can try out but know that annotations are very personal and what works for others may not work for you. Different people annotate different things. Try a few of these and your specific annotation method will develop once you get the hang of it.

• Quotes. Any lines that are written really well or that strike a chord in you. If you're a reviewer, these can be mentioned in your book reviews.
• Write your thoughts in the margins or on sticky notes if something shocking, exciting, annoying or sad occurs. Or if you simply have something to say in relation to whatever is going on.
• Doodle emojis to signify how you're feeling during a scene.
• Summarize your thoughts at the end of every chapter. This is a good way to see how much you've retained about the chapter and to also write down any opinions or criticisms. The ends of chapters are good since there will most likely be more space to write and you will have more to say.
• Mark text that relates to the main plot . This will be good with books that have a ton of plot (like fantasy, mystery) or ones that discuss topics in-depth.
• Note new words that you come across along with meaning. You can do this on the page or at the end of the book on an empty page.
• Question actions of characters or themes portrayed . If there is a representation of a marginalized group that you are a part of, you can note your thoughts on it.
• Theorize where the plot is going in the margins by noting foreshadowing* in the book.
• Mark references to look up later . I do this with books that involve history or mythologies that I'm not familiar with.

This is not an exhaustive list. I'll probably come back and update whenever I think of something else. But this should be enough to get you started!

*Foreshadowing is basically hints dropped by the author which subtly leads up to the future plot.

Technically, any book can be annotated. You have the build the habit of annotating your thoughts using whichever method instead of keeping your opinions in your mind while reading.

But there are books that will make it easier for you to start annotating.

• Annotate your favourite books. As you love them, you will have a lot of opinions on those books. Reread them and annotate! Mark your favourite passages and the things that you love about the book. Underline lines that made an impact on you. Doodle/write your emotions in the margins.
• Annotate books that you're disliking. If you're reading a book that you're not enjoying, annotate why you're not enjoying it. Is it the characters or the plot? Do you not like the writing? Did you find plot holes? Make yourself expand on your opinions during annotation.
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
• Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Edoo-Lodge.
• Atomic Habits by James Clear.
• Seeing Like a Feminist by Nivedita Menon.
• How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur.
• Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko.
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.
• The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang.
• The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty.

No one has asked me how I annotate but I am jealous of the creators who get asked to share their systems, so I'm sharing mine anyway.

While my annotating habit started with e-books, I annotate more when I read paperbacks. There's just something about holding the book and using a pen or a brush pen that makes it more engaging.

I don't annotate all the paperbacks that I read but I usually can't hold back if I have comments. My habit has fully developed so I get a pen in the middle of a chapter if I don't have one because I NEED to annotate.

My system used to be mostly sticky tabs and a few sticky notes. But now use sticky notes only if I want to write a lot and usually directly annotate on the page .

As you can see below, I used 6 different annotation methods in The Art of Creative Thinking —highlights, underlines, circles, sticky notes, tabs, and writing directly on the page.

I love writing comments and my reactions on the margins more than highlighting. My comments range from intellectual opinions to "OMG" and "are you serious?????" depending on my mood.

It's fun to read my past annotations and see how I notice different things as I've grown as a person. I especially noticed the difference during my reread of The Poppy War . I picked out different themes as "main" in my two reads and it is interesting to see the difference because it was partly influenced by my life events.

After annotating the first two books of the series, I went to TOWN with The Burning God . I completely marked the book and made it my own. It was so fun and I truly feel like I gave the book the attention it deserves.

Another book that I annotated was Fahrenheit 451 . While I did annotate my reactions, I commented a lot about the themes portrayed and the writing style. My review came out really well because of my annotations and I even shared a lot of them in my review post.

Annotating non-fiction books is a completely different type of joy. When I read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone recently, I used THREE forms of annotation. I highlighted lines that resonated with me, tabbed the highlighted lines which I wanted to come back to, and wrote chapter summaries at the end of each chapter with sticky notes.

Another non-fiction book that pushed my annotation limits was Atomic Habits . While I highlighted lines on the book with two colours, I also made notes on my iPad using GoodNotes. This was the first time I made proper notes and it was great.

Because I annotated while reading the above two books, my reading comprehension and memory retention improved. I remember a lot from them even though my memory is generally not great.

Annotating books for fun has taken off recently. Several readers who previously considered it a sin love annotating and sharing their annotations. While social media isn't always great for readers , it is great for inspiration.

Here are some bookish accounts that share aesthetic annotations and will definitely inspire you to mark your books (yes, I'm plugging myself too):

View this post on Instagram A post shared by sumedha (@thewordyhabitat)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ☆𝓨𝓪𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮 ☆ (@emubreathesinpages)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝐀𝐥𝐢 ♥ (@krazyboox)

You can also follow hashtags on Instagram to find more accounts! Here are the ones that I follow - #annotatingbooks #annotatedbooks

There is no right way of annotating. And there is no best way of annotating. This is a deeply personal habit that is different for every single person.

When we read a book without annotating or noting anything, we are mostly simply absorbing what the authors put in front of us. Marking a book when reading is a way of making it your own. You take the story and put your spin on it through your opinions and the parts that you pick out as "main."

I believe that the best way to know if someone has loved a book is to see its condition. Keeping it neatly on a shelf without even breaking the spine is a form of love, yes. But the people I relate to are the ones who have worn down copies of their books with annotations, showing how much they've read and loved them.

If you're into in-depth discussions about content creation, books, and lifestyle, The Wordy Habitat newsletter is definitely something you'd love. By subscribing, you also get access to the exclusive Resource Library with several helpful freebies. Sign up below!

let's chat!

Do you annotate your books? What are your favourite methods of annotation?

If not, are you here to start annotating? Did you find this post helpful? If you have any more questions, feel free to drop them in the comments, DM me on Twitter or Instagram , or email me!

If you found this post helpful, consider buying me a coffee in appreciation! ☕️

Sumedha spends her days reading books, bingeing Kdramas, drawing illustrations, and blogging while listening to Lo-Fi music. Read more ➔

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113 comments

Hi Sumheda, greetings from Australia. You have a wonderful way with words & your article is "spot on". While i just cannot bring myself to mark a book,(you should hear me when i borrow books from the library & they have pencil marks or dog eared pages in them), I love annotating books by using sticky notes. Once I've annotated what i need to, i "stick" the notes in the back of the book on the blank pages, & if there aren't any blank pages then i stick them in the notes/bibliography pages. All i do is write the chapter number & page number on the top of the note & the "quote"& and a remark or two &it's done. Then what i do is, i take a photo of the notes & if I'm telling someone about a book I've read, i just show some of the notes & let them make up their own mind if they like to read it or not. Kindest regards Reet

thank you, Reet! oof people marking books that they don’t own are the worst. it’s alright if we borrow from a friend and get permission but library books are a no.

it’s interesting that you send a photo of your notes to people to convince them to read! i should try that.

This is a fantastic article! Just curious... how many times do you read a book you are going to review? Do you read it once first for enjoyment and then make annotations or do you have a different method?

i’m glad you liked it! i hardly ever read to review a book nowadays, it’s been years since i read a book with the intention of reviewing it afterwards. nowadays, i usually review a book only if i have a lot to say about it.

my annotations completely depend on whether i want to keep the book forever and whether i have enough to annotate about. i mostly annotate from my first read itself but often, i read books as ebook and then buy the physical copies so my annotations are much more since i’m rereading a loved book.

this what so helpful i love how you explain it.

glad to help!

This was very helpful……I have been wondering what all this annotating business is about! Is there a right or wrong way to do it….No and I love that!! After this I am excited to give it a whirl…..I. see where it can be beneficial. Your break down is extremely helpful. I’m excited to see where this takes me and my reading experience.

I'm so glad to help! Definitely spend time trying different styles and figuring out what you like. I'm sure you'll love annotating!

Love the post. I love annotating books! It's like having a personal conversation with the author. It adds depth to the reading experience and helps me engage more with the material.

Agreed! Glad you liked the post 🙂

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Difference between Annotated Bibliography and Literature Review

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Citation Help

• MLA Center The Modern Language Association website can help you cite sources in MLA style.
• APA Style Blog The American Psychology Association can help you cite sources in APA style.
• Chicago Manual of Style Use this site to help you site sources in Chicago Manual of Style.
• Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) Purdue's Online Language Writing Lab contains up-to-date information on MLA and APA styles.

What is a Literature Review?

Literature Review - from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill

A literature review discusses published information in a particular subject area, and sometimes information in a particular subject area within a certain time period. It usually has an organizational pattern and combines both summary and synthesis. A summary is a recap of the important information of the source, but a synthesis is a re-organization, or a reshuffling, of that information. It might give a new interpretation of old material or combine new with old interpretations. Or it might trace the intellectual progression of the field, including major debates.

Organizing a Literature Review

There is not one "standard" for literature reviews but they should include the following:

• Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review, such as the central theme or organizational pattern.
• Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically, or methodologically (see below for more information on each).
• Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far. Where might the discussion proceed?

Organizing your literature review:

• Chronological: If your review follows the chronological method, you write about your materials according to when they were published. The oldest date is first and the most recent publication date is last.
• By publication: Order your sources by publication chronology, then, only if the order demonstrates a more important trend.
• By trend: A better way to organize sources chronologically is to examine the sources under another trend, such as the history of whaling. Then your review would have subsections according to eras within this period.
• Thematic: Thematic reviews of literature are organized around a topic or issue, rather than the progression of time. However, progression of time may still be an important factor in a thematic review. For instance, a thematic review of material on sperm whales might examine how they are portrayed as "evil" in cultural documents. The subsections might include how they are personified, how their proportions are exaggerated, and their behaviors misunderstood. A review organized in this manner would shift between time periods within each section according to the point made.
• Methodological: A methodological approach differs from the two above in that the focusing factor usually does not have to do with the content of the material. Instead, it focuses on the "methods" of the researcher or writer. A methodological scope will influence either the types of documents in the review or the way in which these documents are discussed.
• << Previous: Examples of Annotated Bibliographies

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Things to remember.

Be Selective

Summarize and Synthesize

Keep Your Own Voice

Use Caution When Paraphrasing

Revise, Revise, Revise

Source: Literature Reviews - The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill

Things to Clarify

Items to clarify if not in assignment:

• How many sources should be included?
• What types of sources should be included? (scholarly articles, books, websites, etc.)
• Should information be reviewed by a common theme or issue?
• Should subheadings and background information be provided? (i.e. definitions and/or a history?)
• Should the review be in chronological or publication order?
• Last Updated: Aug 14, 2023 10:48 AM
• URL: https://libraries.etsu.edu/guides/howto/lib101annotatedbibliographies

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography: The Annotated Bibliography

• The Annotated Bibliography
• Fair Use of this Guide

Explanation, Process, Directions, and Examples

What is an annotated bibliography.

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Annotations vs. Abstracts

Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they may describe the author's point of view, authority, or clarity and appropriateness of expression.

The Process

Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research.

First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic.

Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.

Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c) compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

Critically Appraising the Book, Article, or Document

For guidance in critically appraising and analyzing the sources for your bibliography, see How to Critically Analyze Information Sources . For information on the author's background and views, ask at the reference desk for help finding appropriate biographical reference materials and book review sources.

Choosing the Correct Citation Style

Check with your instructor to find out which style is preferred for your class. Online citation guides for both the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) styles are linked from the Library's Citation Management page .

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entries

The following example uses APA style ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th edition, 2019) for the journal citation:

Waite, L., Goldschneider, F., & Witsberger, C. (1986). Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51 (4), 541-554. The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.

This example uses MLA style ( MLA Handbook , 9th edition, 2021) for the journal citation. For additional annotation guidance from MLA, see 5.132: Annotated Bibliographies .

Waite, Linda J., et al. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review, vol. 51, no. 4, 1986, pp. 541-554. The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.

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• Last Updated: Sep 29, 2022 11:09 AM
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Annotated Bibliography vs. Literature Review

What's the big deal.

There are fundamental differences between an annotated bibliography and a literature review that are crucial to completing the assignment correctly. The chart below is provides an overview of the biggest differences between the two types of assignments in a side-by-side comparison. However, if you need more specific information about either assignment, visit our Annotated Bibliography and/or Literature Review pages for more detailed information on how to complete them. 

Differences between an annotated bibliography and literature review

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a literature review and an annotated bibliography.

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

Frequently asked questions: Dissertation

Dissertation word counts vary widely across different fields, institutions, and levels of education:

• An undergraduate dissertation is typically 8,000–15,000 words
• A master’s dissertation is typically 12,000–50,000 words
• A PhD thesis is typically book-length: 70,000–100,000 words

However, none of these are strict guidelines – your word count may be lower or higher than the numbers stated here. Always check the guidelines provided by your university to determine how long your own dissertation should be.

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

A thesis is typically written by students finishing up a bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Some educational institutions, particularly in the liberal arts, have mandatory theses, but they are often not mandatory to graduate from bachelor’s degrees. It is more common for a thesis to be a graduation requirement from a Master’s degree.

Even if not mandatory, you may want to consider writing a thesis if you:

• Plan to attend graduate school soon
• Have a particular topic you’d like to study more in-depth
• Are considering a career in research
• Would like a capstone experience to tie up your academic experience

The conclusion of your thesis or dissertation should include the following:

• A restatement of your research question
• A summary of your key arguments and/or results
• A short discussion of the implications of your research

The conclusion of your thesis or dissertation shouldn’t take up more than 5–7% of your overall word count.

For a stronger dissertation conclusion , avoid including:

• Important evidence or analysis that wasn’t mentioned in the discussion section and results section
• Generic concluding phrases (e.g. “In conclusion …”)
• Weak statements that undermine your argument (e.g., “There are good points on both sides of this issue.”)

Your conclusion should leave the reader with a strong, decisive impression of your work.

While it may be tempting to present new arguments or evidence in your thesis or disseration conclusion , especially if you have a particularly striking argument you’d like to finish your analysis with, you shouldn’t. Theses and dissertations follow a more formal structure than this.

All your findings and arguments should be presented in the body of the text (more specifically in the discussion section and results section .) The conclusion is meant to summarize and reflect on the evidence and arguments you have already presented, not introduce new ones.

A theoretical framework can sometimes be integrated into a  literature review chapter , but it can also be included as its own chapter or section in your dissertation . As a rule of thumb, if your research involves dealing with a lot of complex theories, it’s a good idea to include a separate theoretical framework chapter.

A literature review and a theoretical framework are not the same thing and cannot be used interchangeably. While a theoretical framework describes the theoretical underpinnings of your work, a literature review critically evaluates existing research relating to your topic. You’ll likely need both in your dissertation .

While a theoretical framework describes the theoretical underpinnings of your work based on existing research, a conceptual framework allows you to draw your own conclusions, mapping out the variables you may use in your study and the interplay between them.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

• Your anticipated title
• Your abstract
• Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

In most styles, the title page is used purely to provide information and doesn’t include any images. Ask your supervisor if you are allowed to include an image on the title page before doing so. If you do decide to include one, make sure to check whether you need permission from the creator of the image.

Include a note directly beneath the image acknowledging where it comes from, beginning with the word “ Note .” (italicized and followed by a period). Include a citation and copyright attribution . Don’t title, number, or label the image as a figure , since it doesn’t appear in your main text.

Definitional terms often fall into the category of common knowledge , meaning that they don’t necessarily have to be cited. This guidance can apply to your thesis or dissertation glossary as well.

However, if you’d prefer to cite your sources , you can follow guidance for citing dictionary entries in MLA or APA style for your glossary.

A glossary is a collection of words pertaining to a specific topic. In your thesis or dissertation, it’s a list of all terms you used that may not immediately be obvious to your reader. In contrast, an index is a list of the contents of your work organized by page number.

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

The title page of your thesis or dissertation should include your name, department, institution, degree program, and submission date.

Glossaries are not mandatory, but if you use a lot of technical or field-specific terms, it may improve readability to add one to your thesis or dissertation. Your educational institution may also require them, so be sure to check their specific guidelines.

A glossary or “glossary of terms” is a collection of words pertaining to a specific topic. In your thesis or dissertation, it’s a list of all terms you used that may not immediately be obvious to your reader. Your glossary only needs to include terms that your reader may not be familiar with, and is intended to enhance their understanding of your work.

A glossary is a collection of words pertaining to a specific topic. In your thesis or dissertation, it’s a list of all terms you used that may not immediately be obvious to your reader. In contrast, dictionaries are more general collections of words.

An abbreviation is a shortened version of an existing word, such as Dr. for Doctor. In contrast, an acronym uses the first letter of each word to create a wholly new word, such as UNESCO (an acronym for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

As a rule of thumb, write the explanation in full the first time you use an acronym or abbreviation. You can then proceed with the shortened version. However, if the abbreviation is very common (like PC, USA, or DNA), then you can use the abbreviated version from the get-go.

Be sure to add each abbreviation in your list of abbreviations !

If you only used a few abbreviations in your thesis or dissertation , you don’t necessarily need to include a list of abbreviations .

If your abbreviations are numerous, or if you think they won’t be known to your audience, it’s never a bad idea to add one. They can also improve readability, minimizing confusion about abbreviations unfamiliar to your reader.

A list of abbreviations is a list of all the abbreviations that you used in your thesis or dissertation. It should appear at the beginning of your document, with items in alphabetical order, just after your table of contents .

Your list of tables and figures should go directly after your table of contents in your thesis or dissertation.

Lists of figures and tables are often not required, and aren’t particularly common. They specifically aren’t required for APA-Style, though you should be careful to follow their other guidelines for figures and tables .

If you have many figures and tables in your thesis or dissertation, include one may help you stay organized. Your educational institution may require them, so be sure to check their guidelines.

A list of figures and tables compiles all of the figures and tables that you used in your thesis or dissertation and displays them with the page number where they can be found.

The table of contents in a thesis or dissertation always goes between your abstract and your introduction .

You may acknowledge God in your dissertation acknowledgements , but be sure to follow academic convention by also thanking the members of academia, as well as family, colleagues, and friends who helped you.

In a thesis or dissertation, the discussion is an in-depth exploration of the results, going into detail about the meaning of your findings and citing relevant sources to put them in context.

The conclusion is more shorter and more general: it concisely answers your main research question and makes recommendations based on your overall findings.

In the discussion , you explore the meaning and relevance of your research results , explaining how they fit with existing research and theory. Discuss:

• Your  interpretations : what do the results tell us?
• The  implications : why do the results matter?
• The  limitation s : what can’t the results tell us?

The results chapter or section simply and objectively reports what you found, without speculating on why you found these results. The discussion interprets the meaning of the results, puts them in context, and explains why they matter.

In qualitative research , results and discussion are sometimes combined. But in quantitative research , it’s considered important to separate the objective results from your interpretation of them.

Results are usually written in the past tense , because they are describing the outcome of completed actions.

The results chapter of a thesis or dissertation presents your research results concisely and objectively.

In quantitative research , for each question or hypothesis , state:

• The type of analysis used
• Relevant results in the form of descriptive and inferential statistics
• Whether or not the alternative hypothesis was supported

In qualitative research , for each question or theme, describe:

• Recurring patterns
• Significant or representative individual responses
• Relevant quotations from the data

Don’t interpret or speculate in the results chapter.

To automatically insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

• Apply heading styles throughout the document.
• In the references section in the ribbon, locate the Table of Contents group.
• Click the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon and select Custom Table of Contents.
• Select which levels of headings you would like to include in the table of contents.

Make sure to update your table of contents if you move text or change headings. To update, simply right click and select Update Field.

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract in the table of contents.

The abstract appears on its own page in the thesis or dissertation , after the title page and acknowledgements but before the table of contents .

An abstract for a thesis or dissertation is usually around 200–300 words. There’s often a strict word limit, so make sure to check your university’s requirements.

In a thesis or dissertation, the acknowledgements should usually be no longer than one page. There is no minimum length.

The acknowledgements are generally included at the very beginning of your thesis , directly after the title page and before the abstract .

Yes, it’s important to thank your supervisor(s) in the acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation .

Even if you feel your supervisor did not contribute greatly to the final product, you must acknowledge them, if only for a very brief thank you. If you do not include your supervisor, it may be seen as a snub.

In the acknowledgements of your thesis or dissertation, you should first thank those who helped you academically or professionally, such as your supervisor, funders, and other academics.

Then you can include personal thanks to friends, family members, or anyone else who supported you during the process.

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Simone and Her Books

An exploration through sci-fi, fantasy, and romance books

How I Annotate My Books

Yes, a process that took me forever to come to terms with and then figure out for myself, I’m finally ready to share with you how I annotate my books.

I do want to preface by saying that I don’t annotate every book. Aside from a funny or prolific line in general fiction, I find that annotating books works best for my sci-fi and fantasy reads. There’s a lot to digest in these stories and annotating helps me not only remember my thoughts, but also dive deeply into the themes and ideas behind the book. It’s actually made me a much better reader.

There’s many ways you can annotate your books. Lots of folks use colorful tabs to separate out their reactions and thoughts. Others strictly use post-it notes and pen. It’s entirely up to you how you want to annotate and starting with someone else’s way of doing it and then creating your own method after trying it out really helped me nail down the process. After much trial and error, I’ve finally found the winning combination that works for me:

I use tabs to note parts of the book I want to look back on. I try not to go overboard with the number of tabs because I found it difficult to remember which tab represented what and whether or not it was important for me to note. So, I keep it to three specific parts:

• Well-written prose and quotes: this is pretty self-explanatory. If I come across something beautiful or a quote that ruined me, I want to remember it, so I go ahead and mark it
• Important info: This is a catch-all for a lot of different things: character introductions/development, plot points, world building, themes
• Moments to remember: This is different than noting quotes because this is to remember big scenes. If something surprises me, made me laugh, made my cry, ripped out my heart, I want to remember it so I use this to note that

I use post-it notes to write down bigger thoughts or themes I want to explore more . The post-it notes are mostly there to help me write down stray thoughts and ideas that float through my head while I’m reading. If I don’t write it down it will flutter out of my head or I’ll become too distracted trying to remember what I was thinking that I will lose focus on the book. This allows me to get those thoughts out of my head, but it also helps to look back on when I’m ready to write the review.

I underline and write reactions to sentences and passages throughout the book. This is probably the most crucial part and the part that keeps me engaged in the story because I need to pay attention to what I’m underlining. Interacting with the book by underlining passages and writing my reaction (either with a quick abbreviation or even draw an emoji) actually helps me retain the story better. I guess being a part of the book by writing down my reactions actually helps me be more active in the reading process. When I want to note things, I find myself paying much more attention to the story than letting my brain drift off.

I love the way my books look after I’m reading. This was an expected effect because I was sure I would be annoyed by the way my books looked after I finished reading. It was quite the opposite. Similarly to the characters in the book, I feel like I went on this journey with them. I also have been rereading books I’ve dabbled in annotating with and it’s so interesting to look back and see what I thought during a different point in my life.

I have no clue if this is a habit I’ll continue to do, but for now it seems to be working wonderfully for me. Do you annotate your books? What do you like to do?

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3 thoughts on “ How I Annotate My Books ”

I just tried tabbing for the first time in several years. I doubt I’ll do anything more than that, but I want to see if the tabs make me more likely to revisit certain scenes while writing my review notes and the actual review.

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Attempting to teach this technique to seventh graders- wish me luck.

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How to Annotate a Book

Last Updated: June 27, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 855,230 times.

Annotating a book is a great way to make notes on the text. It also allows you to do a deep read of the book, where you jot down your thoughts or impressions of the text. You may need to annotate a book for a class or decide to try it to deepen your reading experience. Start by selecting your annotation tool. Then, annotate the book by focusing on keywords, phrases, ideas, and questions so your notes are clear and easy to review later.

Selecting Your Annotation Tool

• Try to stick to one highlighter color for the annotation so you do not end up with highlighted pages that are hard to re read.
• Choose the highlighter and pen or pencil option if it's okay for you to mark up the text.

• Look for sticky notes and tabs in different colors. You can then use the different colored notes or tabs to annotate the book.

• You can download electronic annotation programs in the Apps store on your eReader.

Annotating Keywords, Phrases, and Sections

• Try to only underline phrases that seem very important in the text. You do not want to end up with pages of underlined phrases, as it will be difficult for you to determine which ones are actually important.
• You can also underline phrases you like or find interesting. If a sentence strikes you or stands out to you, underline it so you can return to it later.

• For example, if you notice the word “power” appears several times in the text, circle or box it as an annotation.
• The author may tell you to keep certain words in mind as you read the text. Make sure you circle or box these words as part of your annotations.

• For example, if there is a section that focuses on a particular case study in the text you find interesting or important, use a bracket in the margins to annotate it.

• Keep a dictionary handy so you can look up terms you do not recognize quickly and easily.

Making Note of Key Ideas and Questions

• As you read, ask yourself questions like, "What is the author trying to tell me as the reader?" " Why is this passage in the text? " "How do I respond emotionally to the text?"

• For example, you may ask questions like, "Why did the author include this example in the book?" "What is the goal of the author in this passage?" "What is the author trying to say here?"
• To make the questions short so they can fit into the margins, you may simply put a question mark next to passages you do not understand. Or you may write the questions like, "Goal of the author?" "What is being said?" to keep them short.
• You can also keep the questions in a separate notebook or piece of paper so you do not clutter up the margins of the book.

• Linking ideas together will help you think critically about the text. It will also deepen your annotations and notes on the text.

• For example, you may summarize a passage in the book with key words like “power,” “female sexuality,” and “Freud case study.”
• You can keep your summaries in a separate notebook or piece of paper so the margins do not become cluttered with your notes.

Community Q&A

• There's no "right" or "wrong" way to annotate books. Keeping things tidy and following a system may help you stay organized, but in the end, as long as you're annotating your books in a way that makes sense to you, it doesn't really matter how you do it! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• If you can, try to have fun with your annotations! Diving in and analyzing a text to death can actually be really enjoyable, if you're reading a book you like. (This might not always be the case for things you're forced to read for school!)
• If you have time, quickly skim through the book again after you finish reading it and make additional notes. Knowing you'll be reviewing the book after you finish it may help you stress less over what to take notes on the first time through.
• Unless you have to annotate the book for school, only make annotations if you actually want to. If it stresses you out or interrupts the reading flow, just read the book straight and enjoy the ride!
• Don't overthink your annotations. If you overthink what to make notes about, you'll end up making notes about every little thing, making your annotations kind of pointless!

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://research.ewu.edu/writers_c_read_study_strategies
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/annotating-texts/
• ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Annotating-a-Text/

About This Article

To annotate a book, grab a highlighter or pencil if you can mark the book, or a pad of sticky notes if you can't. Read the book slowly and carefully, underlining, highlighting, or noting interesting parts as you encounter them. Draw circles around key words and phrases, and include reflections, comments, and questions in the margins. If you're annotating a longer book, write short summaries on sticky notes at the end of each section to jog your memory. For tips on choosing what to mark and note, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Tools for Effective Writing

• Academic Writing
• Step 1: Before You Start Writing
• Step 2: Writing the Literature Review
• Examples and Additional Resources

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

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In an annotated bibliography, there are two main parts: the bibliography and the annotations.

For the bibliography , you will first need to determine what citation style is most appropriate to cite the bibliographic information for your sources. This information might be included in the assignment guidelines or may be something you want to discuss with your instructor. You can learn more about citations in the De Paul Library Citation Guide .

There are also several different types of annotations to choose from when writing your annotated bibliography. Again, this is something you should clarify with your instructor or decided based on the scope of your assignment. Here are some basic types of annotation styles:

Summary annotations There are two kinds of summarizing annotations, informative and indicative.

Summarizing annotations in general have a couple of defining features:

• They sum up the content of the source, as a book report might.
• They give an overview of the arguments and proofs/evidence addressed in the work and note the resulting conclusion.
• They do not judge the work they are discussing. Leave that to the critical/evaluative annotations.
• When appropriate, they describe the author’s methodology or approach to material. For instance, you might mention if the source is an ethnography or if the author employs a particular kind of theory.

Informative annotation Informative annotations sometimes read like straight summaries of the source material, but they often spend a little more time summarizing relevant information about the author or the work itself.

Indicative annotation Indicative annotation is the second type of summary annotation, but it does not attempt to include actual information from the argument itself. Instead, it gives general information about what kinds of questions or issues are addressed by the work. This sometimes includes the use of chapter titles.

Critical/Evaluative Evaluative annotations don’t just summarize. In addition to tackling the points addressed in summary annotations, evaluative annotations:

• evaluate the source or author critically (biases, lack of evidence, objective, etc.).
• show how the work may or may not be useful for a particular field of study or audience.
• explain how researching this material assisted your own project.

Combination An annotated bibliography may combine elements of all the types. In fact, most of them fall into this category: a little summarizing and describing, a little evaluation.

Elements in an Annotated Bibliography

• Bibliography according to the appropriate citation style (MLA, APA, CBE/CSE, etc.).
• Explanation of main points and/or purpose of the work—basically, its thesis—which shows among other things that you have read and thoroughly understand the source.
• Verification or critique of the authority or qualifications of the author.
• Comments on the worth, effectiveness, and usefulness of the work in terms of both the topic being researched and/or your own research project.
• The point of view or perspective from which the work was written. For instance, you may note whether the author seemed to have particular biases or was trying to reach a particular audience.
• Relevant links to other work done in the area, like related sources, possibly including a comparison with some of those already on your list. You may want to establish connections to other aspects of the same argument or opposing views.
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Mollie Reads

Book Lists, Book Reviews, and Editing Tips

October 4, 2021

Annotating My Books: Why and How I Take Notes While Reading

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links—at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

** ATTN: Some of the pictures I included could contain pages with spoilers. If you want to read my annotations, I highly suggest just reading my notes and not the actual pages of the book! Proceed with caution, readers!**

I am finally sharing why and how I annotate my books and you guys, it has enriched my reading so much. I’ve been full-on annotating books for about two or three months now, and I can’t imagine doing it any other way. I’ll admit, I used to be one of those people who would practically hyperventilate when even thinking about writing in books, but that “stage” of my reading life only lasted about two years.

Why I Annotate

As a child, teenager, and young adult, my reading life has largely consisted of writing in my books, taking notes, dog-earing pages, et cetera. When I started buying more new releases (largely thanks to the BookTube community), the books were so pretty that I felt badly about “harming” them in their pristine condition.

But I just couldn’t shake the desire to write in books. Any time I stumble upon a used book with notes in it or a letter in the opening pages, I feel as though I’ve tapped into someone’s intimate thoughts or secret letters . . . .

It’s such a wonderful gift to be able to read a book that’s been annotated by someone else; it’s one of the reason’s why I’m such a fan of how Quarterly used to do their literary subscription boxes.

The author would curate the box and include a variety of sticky notes with his or her thoughts inserted: what the author was doing while writing that scene, what inspired that scene, what seemingly random memory helped create the character on the page.

But annotating books isn’t just about leaving a legacy of your reading experience on the page for other readers; it’s about preserving that feeling you had for yourself when you finally read that crazy plot twist, or remembering which parts of the story stuck out to you and why .

When you’re reading 4+ books a month, it’s easy to forget why you loved the books you loved. Taking notes in my books helps me organize my thoughts for book clubs or podcast author interviews . It helps me convey just how important a book was to me at a particular time in my life. It’s like a little time capsule of who I am as a reader.

How I Annotate Digitally

While I love writing in physical books, I do have some digital note-taking tips and favorite apps. So don’t forget to check out part two of my book annotating system!

I’m a huge audiobook listener , and I also like to read on my Kindle , phone, and iPad quite a bit. I definitely have my way of doing things, and I adore my digital reading journal. So make sure to check out that post if you’re an audio or e-reader lover, too.

RELATED: 18 Best Audiobooks of All Time to Pick Up Next

How I Annotate

I keep it simple. Sometimes I highlight for different reasons (pink for funny quotes, blue for character development, orange for plot, etc.). But most of the time, I just use a pen and a highlighter, especially if I’m in a busy season of life . If I have sticky notes on hand and I have a lot to say and not a lot of space to write it, I will write it on a sticky note. Sometimes I’ll write the topic at hand on a sticky note as a page marker, so I can easily return to it.

I love to record favorite book quotes in a reading journal notebook , but if I don’t have that on hand, I take a picture of the page and save it in a book quote photo album on my phone to sort through later.

RELATED: 8 Tips on How to Read More as a Mom

If I don’t have pens, I’ll dog-ear pages. I dog-ear the bottom of the page for quotes I loved, and I’ll dog-ear the top as a bookmark (though I do tend to have bookmarks on hand).

It’s really quite. simple, but I’ve found what works for me, and I love it.

My Favorite Supplies for Annotating Books

If you’re wondering how to annotate books, all you need is a pen or pencil (crayon, marker, whatever!). But if you’d like to take your annotating up a notch, here are some of my favorite annotating tools to have on hand:

• Beautiful sticky notes
• Sticky tabs for annotating
• Pens to color code annotations
• Thin black pens
• My favorite highlighters
• My favorite notebook for writing book quotes
• Highlighter tape
• Pencil case to keep everything together and organized

Writing Your Heart

Scribbling notes in a book is like keeping a journal, writing my heart on the page. Instead of consuming the words and starting another book, I’m responding to what’s in front of me. It feels more active. I’ve also found it helps me stay up late if I’m trying to read at night (which, many of you know, is hard to do for this grandma).

I can return to favorite quotes. I can have conversations with the characters. It’s not like my notes are full of profound insight; sometimes it’s five exclamation marks because the girl you didn’t think was going to be the killer was the killer, and wtf?!

Sometimes I edit my books. Sometimes I type my characters on the Enneagram (I’m not kidding). Sometimes I scribble out my words. Being less delicate with my books has made me a more invested reader. I care more. I’m more immersed in the world building.

And you know what? Dog-earing pages or highlighting or writing words in the margins—those changes don’t ruin a beautiful piece of art. They make a beautiful piece of art more beautiful. I get to leave my mark, even though my handwriting is chicken scratch. Even though pages sometimes get torn.

This post was all about annotating books for fun and what it means to annotate books and enrich your reading! How do you annotate your books? Do you think it’s bad to annotate books, or do you enjoy it?

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Annotated bibliographies are different from literature reviews

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that includes a brief summary and evaluation of each source. It provides a list of sources related to a specific topic and a brief description of each source’s content and quality. An annotated bibliography is often used to help organize and keep track of sources for a research project.

On the other hand, a literature review is a comprehensive summary and evaluation of the existing research on a specific topic. A literature review aims to provide an overview of the current state of research on a topic, highlighting important findings, gaps, and controversies. It synthesizes the existing research and provides an analysis of the current state of knowledge on a topic.

So while both annotated bibliographies and literature reviews involve summarizing and evaluating sources, the main difference is that an annotated bibliography is a list of sources with brief summaries and evaluations, while a literature review is a comprehensive summary and evaluation of the existing research on a topic.

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6 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

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Our recommended books this week lean toward the multinational: a historical novel set on a Swedish island, a World War II account of American military pilots navigating a treacherous route over the Himalayas, a novel about migrants flooding into a small Sicilian town and Joseph O’Neill’s new novel, “Godwin,” about a Pittsburgh man on the hunt for a rumored soccer superstar in West Africa. Also up, we recommend Carvell Wallace’s moving, joyful memoir and Kimberly King Parsons’s novel about grief and desire. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

GODWIN Joseph O’Neill

This globe-trotting novel from the author of “Netherland” chronicles the quest of a man named Mark Wolfe to find a mysterious soccer prodigy in West Africa and the unraveling of his workplace back in Pittsburgh. Mark shares narratorial duties with his colleague Lakesha Williams, who speaks first in “Godwin” and also gets the last word.

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THE SILENCE OF THE CHOIR Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

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SKIES OF THUNDER: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World Caroline Alexander

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WE WERE THE UNIVERSE Kimberly King Parsons

Reeling from the sudden death of her sister, a young Texas wife and mother lets her mind run freely to the siblings’ shared rebellious past — and her own present catalog of pansexual longings — in Parsons’s witty and profane debut novel, a tender, exuberant and often profoundly moving follow-up to her lauded 2019 story collection, “Black Light.”

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From Alissa Nutting’s review

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ANOTHER WORD FOR LOVE: A Memoir Carvell Wallace

Wallace, a gifted journalist and essayist who came to writing in midlife, explores what it means to be a Black man, partner and parent in the world. While he is unstinting on the tribulations of his unstable childhood, — a troubled single mother, intermittent homelessness and mental health struggles — the reflections here are threaded through with rare, soulful vulnerability and a persistent sense of joy.

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THE BLUE MAIDEN Anna Noyes

This haunting debut novel explores the sinister effects of a legacy of century-old witch hunts on a remote island in Sweden. At its center are a pair of sisters descended from one of the few women to be spared. Left to their own devices, Ulrika and Bea piece together their legacy and, over time, inflame their pastor father’s paranoia

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From Alida Becker’s historical fiction column

Grove | $26