Alternatives to Writing in Your Books

So a while back I mentioned writing in books as a good method of reading with intention. Most of you about died or killed me in the comment section xD But that's good, because I want honest feedback. This post is a result of your reaction, and I hope you enjoy it :)

~Ask Yourself~

Maybe you don't have any problem underlining. Ask yourself these questions to know whether or not underlining is a good option for a particular book:

• Will anyone else read this book after you? Some people really hate having to read what someone else enjoyed in a book.
• Is underlining too vague for a reread? Sometimes underlining doesn't tell you what you were thinking when you underlined.
• Is it a hardback or very nice copy? Collector's editions with fancy covers should not have neon yellow highlighter in them.
• Are you going to resell the book? I don't know why you would do this unless you really hated it, but you wouldn't know that before you started marking . . .

If you all your answers were no, then you can underline. But you're going to have to go bright, because pencil is virtually useless when you're trying to find a quote! If your answer to any of those questions was yes, then you should not underline. Here are your alternatives.

~Alternative #1: Commonplace Notebook~

This is such a neat idea, if you ask me. It involves keeping a corresponding notebook for each book you would like to take notes on. Who doesn't want another notebook? Instead of making all your notations in the book itself, you put them in the notebook, with the page number. The nice thing about this is you have unlimited room and your book still looks nice and clean and new! Anything from quotes, thoughts, disagreements, lessons--all of that can go in your trusty notebook. You have the freedom to do it however you want to. And the notes will be really easy to turn into blog post ;)

~Alternative #2: Sticky Tabs~

So you're not much of a writer, or just don't want to take the time for the whole notebook idea. No problem. Use sticky tabs instead of having to write anything down. They mark your place and can even be color-coated if you have that sort of free time and coordination. If you get the kind that are pointed on the sticky end you can even point them right to the sentence that stood out to you. There you have it, mark free. The only disadvantage is that tabs are pretty easy to lose. I mean, the toddler decides to play with your book and all your notations are lost. That would not be fun. D:

~Alternative #3: Do Both!~

This is the best idea ever. You put tabs on the sentence or paragraph that was meaningful to you and then you take the corresponding notes in your adorable little notebook. This is the method I will be trying for a book club I'm leading this summer. My novels will remain sparkly clean and I will have a use for all the notebooks I got for graduation. Because, let's admit it: underlining is for those overachieving students (me). No one wants neon in their novels :)

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What methods do you use to take notes when reading? Do you want to join my book club? We're going to be reading Listening for Lions until July 12 and An Old-Fashioned Girl until August 9. (Shoot me an e-mail if you do and we can make it a link-up or something :D). What do you think about the new blog design?