Reading is one of the best ways to pass the time. Immerse yourself in a new world, lose yourself to narrative. But wait. Should you be annotating? Here are the reasons why or why not, and some ways to get started if annotating is for you.
By Jayne Turner – Staff Writer
Yes, Annotate! Pros:
Annotating can have many benefits that enhance your reading experience. It increases your comprehension, connection with the story, and memory of what you read.
Increased comprehension: Annotations are a form of active engagement. You slow down, think critically, and interact with the text.
This will lead to a deeper understanding of the novel. You will grasp complex concepts, themes, and characters. If you are annotating for a class, your understanding of the book will blow away your professor and peers!
Personal connection: Annotating can help you find personal links to the characters and themes within the book.
Annotations serve as dialogue between you and the author. This conversation increases the likelihood that the book will make an impact on you.
In addition, physically marking a book creates a stronger sense of ownership over the book and your reading journey!
Improved memory: Annotating helps you retain more information about the story you are reading. When you annotate, you recruit multiple brain areas, which improves your memory.
Annotations help clarify complex ideas in a way that sticks in your brain by fostering a sense of familiarity with the characters and settings.
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Skip the Annotations! Cons:
Though annotations do have their place, they are not always necessary and may be harmful to the physical book if it is a special edition.
Borrowed books/special editions: If a book does not belong to you, it would be super inconsiderate to annotate! Marking up a book that isn’t yours is never a good idea.
The same goes for special edition books. If you want to maintain the pristine beauty of a special edition copy, annotating should be avoided. As Kim K said, would you put a bumper sticker on a Bentley?
Disrupts reading: While annotating can be good for reading comprehension, it may also take away from the reading experience.
When you are engaged in a good story with a rich universe, stopping to write down a thought takes away from the worldbuilding that you have been doing.
Stopping to highlight or write notes interrupts the natural flow of reading and reduces the overall enjoyment and relaxation of reading.
Personally, annotating a book always makes me feel like I’m back in school. I’d rather enjoy a book for what it is!
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How to Annotate
If you have opted to annotate your book, here are a few guidelines for how to get started.
Start small: Annotations don’t have to be literal notes in the margins. Simply underlining or highlighting sentences is a good place to start!
Pro tip: Use pencils before pens so you can erase!
Use tabs: Color-coded sticky tabs or sticky notes are a great place to start if you are inspired to write sentences, but hesitant to mark up a book.
Utilize symbols: Simple symbols like question marks, stars, and exclamation marks are a good way to annotate and highlight things that you found particularly interesting, or any questions you may want to revisit.
So, should you annotate? It’s up to you! If your goal is comprehension, annotations will help. However, if reading is a lighthearted hobby for you, you can skip the annotations. Remember, reading shouldn’t be stressful!
