How to Annotate Books for Book Club Meetings
I have always been a person who writes in my books. I think better when I have a pen or highlighter in my hand. However, writing in books feels like a big NO NO for many people.
Every reader is different. Every reader approaches annotation differently.
Keep in mind that the biggest goal of The Once-in-a-While Book Club is to have fun. This isn’t school and no one is tested or graded. However, our discussions will be richer if we can find important parts of the text fast.
That’s where annotation comes in.
For what it’s worth, I’ll share how I annotate books when I’m preparing for a personal/social book club.
For social/personal book clubs, I read the book once and highlight as I read. Right before the meeting, I might reread my highlights and add Post-its tabs to the most important highlights for quick reference.
NOTE: If you love reading on a Kindle, the notetaking feature is awesome. You can print the notes file and then read through the printed pages and highlight the most important parts. I have a binder with printed notes from my Kindle reads for quick reference. (I don’t read fiction on Kindle, but I do enjoy using it for nonfiction.)
This is more than enough preparation for book club!
Since I’m leading our meetings, I do a lot more prep. Please note that I’m a big reading nerd and since I’m leading the discussion, I’m going above and beyond with prep.
Here’s my process:
First read: highlight whatever stands out as I read.
Second read: go back and read my highlights only. Add Post-it tabs for the most important highlights. At this point, I’m looking for themes, pivotal scenes, literary devices, and important character traits.
Third read: take notes on the tabbed highlights.
I always pay special attention to the first and last pages of a book. I want to know how the author chose to begin and end the story.
Finally, I look at the structure of the book as a whole. How are the chapters arranged and titled? What’s the narrative point of view?
I love, love, love reading dedications, author’s notes, and acknowledgements! These items frame the book and are usually the first thing I read!
Interestly, I don’t usually feel inspired by discussion questions at the end of books!
The big takeaway is that how people annotate books is up to them. Whatever method works for you is fine as long as you can retrieve important information when you want to talk about it.
Feel free to share your annotation tips and tricks.