Posted by:
Tevai
(
)
Date: June 16, 2019 07:30PM
Lot's Wife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm like that. I cannot read without a pen.
>
> History and philosophy I underline and
> marginalize, usually with a sentence summary on
> every page. By the time I'm done, no one else
> wants the books--and I need to keep them because
> they are records and summaries that I can use to
> refresh my memory years or decades letter.
>
> I'm little better with fiction: underscoring
> beautiful passages, cursing at grammatical errors,
> sometimes cross-referencing. . . Books are not
> for passive consumption but rather for passionate
> engagement with the authors!
If I have to look up a word, or a fact ("EXACTLY when was the Zohar written?"--this just happened today), I usually highlight what I don't know in the text, pencil a neat "bubble" around it, and write down whatever it is I then found out on a page margin.
Even in fiction, I want to know things like where referenced places ARE. (I mentally "file" things geographically; I always have.)
When mentioned places have been created by the writer, either because these places actually do not exist in real life, or because the writer is trying to avoid unnecessary controversy about a real place once the work is published, I am always relieved to find out the true facts behind the mention.
When, because they become relevant again, I look at those books in later years, then my notes and highlights are automatic reviews, and they're often like forgotten friends from your school years, who you accidentally run into much later.
My books, after I "finish" any of them, are hopeless as potential resales for the used book market.
That being said, I would sure like to see some used books which were annotated by the owner, if those owners were people I particularly appreciate, like Aldous Huxley.
Thank you, Lot's Wife!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2019 07:33PM by Tevai.