Thursday, October 14, 2010

My new textbooks

Think back to highschool and collage when you'd sit in class as your teacher dissected sections of Shakespeare or a passage in James Joyce's A protrait of an artist as a young man. You'd take notes in the margins, highlight passages, and basically write all over your book, so you could go back and reference them when you write your essay.

I stopped doing this when my university days were done, but I have a friend (an author of three books), who still does this. When she lent me a few books, there were lines drawn all over it and sections that were circled.

A few years ago, I couldn't even imagine writing in a book, but now I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea, especially due to my lack of memory.

How many times have you been reading and thought that's a great way to describe that, or I like how the author did that, but when you go back and try to find it, well, you know, you can't.

I've been reading a non-fiction book these past few weeks and I've used a pencil crayon as a book mark. I've been highlighting those passages I find interesting, funny, or thought provoking. I think its a practice I'm going to continue.

How about you? Do you write in books?

16 comments:

Melissa Hurst said...

No, I haven't done that since my college days, but this is a good idea. I've done the same thing - read a great passage and when I've looked for it later, I can't find it.

Catherine Denton said...

I highlight all over my books (and sometimes make notes) because my brain can't remember where all the great stuff's at.

Misha Gerrick said...

I don't actually scribble in books. Not even text books. I'm not sure why though.

My gran scribbles all over her books. :-)

Carolyn V. said...

I just circles some words in a book I picked up (and had the author sign...opps). But I think it helps a ton. =)

Dara said...

No, I don't highlight; haven't done it since college. I will sometimes write page numbers down on a sheet of paper and underline in pencil. I don't know why but I have a hard time marking in a book.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I write in instructional/informational books, but not in pleasure books. :-)

Cinette said...

All my 'writing' books are scored with highlighters, but I pass on a lot of my fiction to the local library. Only the ones I want to keep refering back to (for the same reasons others underline and mark) do I keep on my (sagging) bookshelves.

Anonymous said...

I don't mark books. I don't know why. I have this fear of getting in trouble from some librarian in the sky or something. =P

Lydia Kang said...

I dog ear pages like mad, since there's never a pencil or pen around when I'm reading.

Melissa Gill said...

Depends on the book. If it's a non-fiction book, especially if it's about writinig, then I read with highlighter in hand.

If it's for book club, for instance, I usually keep a list of point I want to discuss on a piece of paper or on the back cover.

But sometimes I just read and let myself get swept away.

Laura Pauling said...

I don't write in my fiction books but my nonfiction books I use a highlighter or I"ll never find the passages a second time!

lotusgirl said...

It depends what kind of book for me. I'll write in educational books but not novels usually.

Southpaw said...

SACRILEGE or so I was brought up (until college) but it’s hard to overcome something so drilled into me.

Tiana Smith said...

Huh, I never thought of that. It might work (and help me remember things) but usually the things I like are pretty memorable anyway. I like to keep my books as spotless as possible cuz I'm weird like that.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Not ever. Thats what those sticky post-it notes are for.

Heidi Willis said...

Interesting...

I used to write and highlight in textbooks, but never literature/reading books. I'll underline in my Bible or in my Bible study books, but never my novels.

I'd say there's something sacred about novels, but then the whole Bible thing slaps me upside the head so now I don't have any idea why I don't.

And I should. Because there are always phrases I want to remember or be able to find when I go back.