This week, I had the urge to do some poetry reading and rereading of some of my favorite books and what I like to do during those times is annotate! I was an English & Textual Studies major in college so I was all about active reading. (Active Reading –reading something with a determination to understand and evaluate it for its relevance to your needs according to The Open University). I was pretty much trained to highlight, underline, ask questions, and have the urge to discuss any book I read.
Ever since I was in middle school I have been a huge highlighter. That habit carried with me all through college. I have a thing for quotes, so when I like a line in a story I instinctively grab a highlighter and mark it in the text… I also used to copy that quote in a huge notebook where I “collected” my favorite quotes. My quote notebook is long gone now but I still have that same love of quotes and highlighting that I did when I was 13.
I must admit that more recently I have not been annotating the novels that I read (at least not on the first read). I am more inclined to mark up a poetry or non-fiction book on the first go around because they are easier to digest in pieces and while I am reading a novel I am definitely more engrossed in the story that is taking place and lose myself in the plot which makes me not want to annotate as often. If there is a quote that REALLY sticks out to me, though, my highlighter is ready.
Brittany & Her Bookshelf 