All About Books discussion

Hello. Just wondering does anyone take notes while reading a novel. Eg who is who, main points why things happened, etc. Sometimes I get a little confused and any tips about this would be welcome. On paper, book, app, waste of time?
Thanks!

I tend not to do it, but sometimes I feel I've lost something! But I'm too greedy to go on!

Eddy wrote: "Hello. Just wondering does anyone take notes while reading a novel. Eg who is who, main points why things happened, etc. Sometimes I get a little confused and any tips about this would be welcome...."

I once tried taking notes on a Barbara Kingsolver book of wonderful passages from the book. But I wound up underlining almost all of the book or taking notes on what I read. But if a book is very intricate with names and professions of people as in Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi, I will keep a list. Sometimes an author will provide either a family tree or a list of names and their part in the story. That's great if you have a traditional book but its awkward to have to go back on a kindle to look at the chart.

Oh my! I'd never write on a book in that way!!!

LauraT wrote: "Oh my! I'd never write on a book in that way!!!"

This habit probably was a leftover from my college days when unerlining or writing in a book was necesary- at least for me.

In University I underlined my book with a ruler! And all notes were taken on a separate note pad!!!!

LauraT. - I used a yellow highlighter and I took notes on separate paper but then included what I underlined or new thoughts on the book. As a former teacher, I found students learned differently. I for one found that for me, rewriting my class notes also enforced the material. Provided I took the right notes. LOL

Not inside the book, but I usually read with one piece of paper folded in quarters and take notes on it in pencil.

I write out a little family tree as I read (with the name of each character and the first page they're introduced). That helps me when there's a lot of characters - if I someone comes up many pages later and I can't remember them, I can always flip back. I often write a one or two word description along with the page number
- e.g. Mary (2) gambler

The other thing I do is keep a list of stunning writing passages and page number. I don't write out the whole quote, just enough so I can find it.
- e.g. "Path .. stone" (30) beautiful!

If a major idea occurs to me (or something I don't fully understand that I want to ponder on later), I write those things down too succinctly along with the page number that inspired it.
- e.g. Green light across bay (55) - what does it represent? - what is Gatsby doing?
- e.g. Billboard (153) mistaking eyes of advertisement for God, that is his culture's god

After finishing a book, I'll flip back to the beautiful passages and re-read them or further ponder some of the notes on ideas or things I found puzzling. That's part of my wind down with a book.

I only do all this if I'm liking a book. If a book isn't worth thinking about after I close the final cover; then I take no notes!

Too organised Greg!!!

Sounds like a great plan and I only wish I had the patience to do this now. Then again if was reading something by Fitzgerald or Hemingway I would entertain copying your formula but my reading after years in school is not always worthy of this kind of effort.

Just wanted to add that I once read a book where the names were either the same for different generations or very similar - no this wasn't a Russian novel or about Russia - and was pretty much confused by this book the lat pages which I never looked at gave a succinct family tree which would have been most useful when reading this book. Now I check the front of a book, the back and even look through it upside down to make sure I miss nothing. LOL

LauraT wrote: "Too organised Greg!!!"

My memory is not very good; so partly this is my way of dealing with my weaknesses. :)

I hate to be 300 pages into a book, have a character come up after a long absence, and have no recollection who they are! That really bothers me because I feel like I'm missing out on parts of the story.

Good sistem anyway. I used to do something like that, but as I said I'm to greedy: if I like a book I can't think of stopping; but this way a loose a lot, I have to say. That's why I tend to reread a lot!

I don't, but I might try with the next book I start.

Greg I love how organised you are! Maybe I should start making brief notes like that, it will save me spending hours thinking 'now what chapter was that person mentioned in?' And then never figuring it out...

I also don't write in books. Most of my books don't even look like they've been read. Hence Gillian Flynn's note when she autographed Gone Girl.

I use post-its to flag certain pages, mostly for non-fiction. I also type notes (either on word, send email to self) esp. When I have a feeling I'm going to be posting a review.

The nice thing this year is the 2015 Reads post in this group... you can utilize to list main points that you also want to share.

I guess I am weird, but I always take notes unless I am on a car ride. When I could read paper books I wrote in them. I reasoned they were mine. when I have bought second hand books I love seeing what other have noted in the margin. this further confirms my belief that people react differently to every darn sentence!

Now with audobooks I MUST take notes since I have an easier time seeing a text rather than just listening. Just writing something down fastens it into my head. I very rarely even go back and read my notes, BUT I can if I want to and that gives me a good feeling. I am a maniac for keeping the dates and facts and places straight in my head....at least while I am reading the book. When the book is completed I throw away all the notes. Puff, gone! I get lost without notes, at least that is the feeling I have about my own capabilities.

I underline often the books I read and I also add notes but only with a pencil. I don't care that much because I like "experienced" books and it's also because of this that I like secondhand books. I like it when I find notes of people that have read the book before me, inscriptions or something they have forgotten in the book (bookmarks, bills...). Notes can also help if I re-read a book to see what changed in my opinions.

I like your system Greg! I used to draw family trees too - especially for books by Iris Murdoch. Perhaps I'll reinstate it for some classics or historical novels. I like Chrissie's way too. If I carried on regardless, being "greedy" (LOL Laura!) then I would forget it all!

Often I feel I would like to have two copies of book, one where I could underline, and the other to keep beautiful.

Since a lot of my books are ex-library (because they are Large Print) and not very beautiful, I do sometimes mark passages in pencil, and put in tiny post-it notes to find them again, but these are quotations, not my thoughts.

If a book is beautiful, I rush to the computer to copy down the passage I want to remember. I then either upload it to the Goodreads database - on the book's page as a new quotation for everyone to use - or sometimes just use it later in my review.

If I'm reading on Kindle, I use the highlight facility. It's possible to add notes too, but I never do.

Jean wrote: "I like your system Greg! I used to draw family trees too - especially for books by Iris Murdoch. Perhaps I'll reinstate it for some classics or historical novels. I like Chrissie's wa..."

Highly advisable for One Hundred Years of Solitude!

Since I write reviews for almost all books I read , I do like to take notes . I read pretty much exclusively on my kindle so I highlight passages that impact me . I write brief notes which could be just an observation or I note the page or location of passage . I use Notes on my iPhone or iPad and that helps me when I write a review .

I'll bear that in mind if I ever try it again, Laura ;)

Angela - I often enjoy your reviews - and I too wrote a review for every book I read last year. Perhaps it would help if I wrote notes along the way, as my "mulling over" and going through the book afterwards seems to take me an age.

Jean , it took me much longer before I started taking notes too . This seems to make the review writing easier for me .

I would never write in the books either, but I might put some notes in every time I update my book's progress. I should do that because I find it easier to write reviews at the end.

Nancy from NJ wrote: "Just wanted to add that I once read a book where the names were either the same for different generations or very similar - no this wasn't a Russian novel or about Russia - and was pretty much confused by this book the lat pages which I never looked at gave a succinct family tree which would have been most useful when reading this book. Now I check the front of a book, the back and even look through it upside down to make sure I miss nothing. LOL .."

Sounds like One Hundred Years of Solitude -- a least your description above fits my memory of this book!
(added later) Oh I see Laura has already mentioned this book - great minds! :)

I don't typically take notes but when I started reading the Russian classics on my Kindle I did start using the highlight & note feature to keep track of who was related to whom and how.

I'm always writing notes, or making lists of characters, family trees, etc. Sometimes vocabulary, sometimes chapter summaries. Depends on the book. I keep a writing notebook handy, and sometimes it's fun to look back and see what I've written about books I've read.

One thing I came across recently are what look like very small post it notes. They are fluorescent and also see-through. You can put them on top of the bits you want to highlight and it looks like you've highlighted it. Then you can remove them later with no damage to the book. So you can use them on library books etc.

I don't make notes usually, but I do mark passages I love with post-it flags. I am another that cannot bear to write in a book, I even try very hard not to break the binding while I am reading. If it is a book for a book discussion, I will make notes on a separate piece of paper with the page number. This would be for something that I want to discuss with a group, like what does everybody else think was the impetus for a particular decision or action, etc. these notes I leave folded up in the book after the discussion.

I don't take notes, exactly, but I do write down my feelings and interpretation of the storyline, characters, the point I think the author is trying to make, etc. because it is easier to collect my thoughts later, while discussing the book.

But I never write them in the book! Maybe on the back of an envelope, receipt, etc. found in my handbag...

While I never write in/underline books, I find that I do a fair amount of it on my Kindle.

I may take notes for the next book I start, to see if it helps with remembering the contents.

Gill - thanks! I shall look for those. I currently reuse my post-it notes as they are tiny strips about an inch wide, which I fold over. I could do with some new ones! Do you, like me, find it harder to take notes now? I cannot see what I am writing unless I write very big with a thick pen, and it all gets far too cumbersome. That's when I rush over to the computer and type!

I'm also wondering if there's a difference in the way people view fiction and non-fiction books. I think when studying, it's perhaps more common to underline salient points. And inherited textbooks are full of the previous student's notes - and possibly not precious books in the same way. So perhaps underlining in novels becomes habitual when Literature has been a subject at school/university. Not for everyone though, clearly.

Lately, I have begun using an index card as a book mark and if I need to I'll make notes on that.

I don't usually write notes but I have done for books I've read as a group. I still find that a year later I can't really remember details of some of the books I've read which I find disappointing.

I often read in odd places (at work, on the tube/train, in waiting rooms) so I don't always have pen and paper available to take notes. I might start though

Tom wrote: "While I never write in/underline books, I find that I do a fair amount of it on my Kindle."

Tom, that is a very nice Kindle feature. I use it from time to time, then promptly forget I made electronic notes, and don't go back to look at them.

I always write and keep notes of characters, storyline and passages that I particularly like, even for Kindle versions (not using the Kindle note feature). Words that are new to me I would keep in my separate "Words Notebook".

I rarely take notes while reading a book but I recently joined a book club locally - this has prompted me to take notes so I won't forget the things I found noteworthy. I also find that taking notes helps me to recall things easier, like character's names, etc.

Kathryn wrote: "I rarely take notes while reading a book but I recently joined a book club locally - this has prompted me to take notes so I won't forget the things I found noteworthy. I also find that taking not..."

Yes, I only tend to make notes if I read a book for my book club. Then I use post it notes, or highlight on my kindle. Kindles are great for making notes, I think.

Jean wrote: "Gill - thanks! I shall look for those. I currently reuse my post-it notes as they are tiny strips about an inch wide, which I fold over. I could do with some new ones! Do you, like me, find it hard..."

I got the Black fibre tip pens you suggested Jean. And I use yellow paper. Yes it is harder. I've always had untidy handwriting, so I've started making more of an effort to help myself try to read my own writing!

Well I hope they help, Gill - they do for me :)

I always read more than one book at a time so I definitely take notes. In fact my children are always buying me fun composition books and pens for my chicken scrawls.

Notes on who and what and when - nah. It sounds smart to do, but I think stopping myself to write notes would bother me - it'd kill the flow. If I get confused then I either go back to re-read something or I just wait to see if I can make sense of it as I go. I do stop occasionally to write down a beautiful or moving passage though.

Great idea for a thread Eddy - it generated quite a lot of interest and posts too! Interesting to hear the different approaches people take!

Thank you all. Some excellent opinion.

I think it depends how much of a visual learner you are. My husband is very much that way, if someone gives him directions over the phone, he automatically draws a map rather than just writing down a couple notes, as I would. He always takes notes at meetings or on phone calls. I would prefer to never write anything down! Half the time I can't find or decipher my notes anyway. In school I took notes, but I could often remember things just because I had heard them.

Now I never interrupt my reading to take notes or look up words. If there is a map or a cast of characters in the front or back of the book I might consult that. If I'm reading it for a book club, I go back after I've finished the book and look for items I remember. It doesn't bother me that I might miss something that way. I suppose those of you who take detailed notes are meticulous in other areas of life, which I am not!

I read once that for visual learners things aren't real until the person sees them and for aural learners they aren't real until they hear or say them. Even when reading quickly, I am "hearing" the words in my head and I love book groups because then I get to make books even more real by talking about them.

I like to highlight passages that move me or jot down a thought I have . These help me when I write a review since my reviews are more my feelings or gut reactions not details about he plot .

Lol , Robin , my husband's a map guy too !

Robin, I think you are absolutely right, that it has to do if you are visual or not.

Chrissie wrote: "Robin, I think you are absolutely right, that it has to do if you are visual or not."

I agree but find it difficult to decide whether I am a visual learner or not.

As a student, I had trouble with organic chem due to problems with visualizing various structures and syntheses; I don't tend to 'see' descriptions in books in a picture.

However, I definitely retain what I read as written words (especially when I write them myself as in notes) better than words I hear. Perhaps that is why I tend to like audiobooks of books I have already read or to combine reading & listening. So I don't know whether I am a visual learner or not...

I think for me it is more complex than one or the other too Leslie.

I find that I retain most when I have strong connections between what I'm learning and what I already know. If I read books about similar themes or styles and compare or contrast them, for instance, that helps. Writing reviews helps. Conversing about books afterwards on Goodreads helps.

Also, sharp tactile imagery in writing helps me remember regardless of whether I read or listen because I experience the pictures, sounds, and sensations as I read. What mode of learning is that? No idea.

If something is suggestive or symbolic, I tend to remember it too because those things make me stop & ponder. A sharp tactile image that's also symbolic or suggestive - those images I tend to remember forever even after I've forgotten most of the rest of the book.

Dry factual information is hell for me to remember unless I can tie it to things I already know or to something "interesting." Short term, I can remember anything. Long term, I can't at all unless it's relatable.

I may be a visual learner (don't know really...) For me, I think it has more to do with my love of "organizing" information. It's more physical than visual. And the ACT of writing something down has a direct connection to memory.

Laurel wrote: "I may be a visual learner (don't know really...) For me, I think it has more to do with my love of "organizing" information. It's more physical than visual. And the ACT of writing something down has a direct connection to memory"

It is like that for me too. I often don't even look at my notes, but having written them I remember things better. My vision is bad; often I cannot even read what I have written! And they are sloppy too. More like scribbles than notes. reading them is such a pain that I only do it if I simply HAVE to, like if I have bothered to copy a quote'

Leslie wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Robin, I think you are absolutely right, that it has to do if you are visual or not."

I agree but find it difficult to decide whether I am a visual learner or not.

As a student..."

Maybe some of us don't have preponderance for one or the other? I am absolutely sure I am visual. For example, when learning French I would remember where on a page a definition was placed, even if I had forgotten the more essential, the meaning of a word!

Greg, I am pretty darn sure some of us do equally well with both methods. I couldn't agree more; the very most important is connection. That which means something to you sticks.