Friday Question #25: Do you take notes while you read?

I do not take notes while reading. I sometimes write my review out on paper if I am not near a computer (I do not like writing reviews on my phone or iPad). If there is a quote or something that sticks out, I will write it down. I like to read for pleasure and feel that if I started taking notes, I would not enjoy the book as well. Good thread.

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I only take notes if there is a quote or a particular section I want to revisit in a review.

I do this. I read my book and notebook near me. But I only do this for non-fiction booksā€¦ philosophy, essays and literature critiques.

I take notes most of the time especially when there are lots of characters in multiple period books.

Quite a few years ago - because I love to write and read - I started a book blog. From that point on, I reviewed every single book I read. To be sure Iā€™d remember characters and events that were important to me, I started taking notes (mostly in shorthand, BTW; I started my work life as an executive secretary back in 1960). These days, Iā€™m a prolific reader, with most of the 120 or so books I read each year being advance review copies in exchange for honest reviews. And now, that note-taking is even more crucial and Iā€™m glad I got into the habit early on. And yes, I still use shorthand!

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I do take notes. I take notes about characters, what I liked about them and how it changed by the the end. I note setting and themes and topic covered in the book and some points I would like to discuss in review.

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Yes, I do or I would not remember what I want to write in my reviews and I might write something that I mis-remembered.

I take notes for any book that I am writing a review for. I used to skip that step and just wrote my review as soon after finishing the book as I could, but I found myself going back during the writing process and trying to find information like names and sequences of events. Now, I write a short impression of each chapter, sometimes just a list of the names of characters who were introduced in that chapter. If itā€™s a mystery, I make a note anytime I try to guess whodunnit so that I can see how close or far off I was when I get to the end.

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I donā€™t take notes. Sometimes I highlight in the book, but usually itā€™s good enough just to use my memory.

I take notes because I read more than several books at a time so I need to keep track of each bookā€™s storyline and characters. Iā€™m old fashioned that way, because I keep a lined 8.5"x11" lined notepad to track notes, thoughts, quotes, etc. While reading, I develop the review with the intro and as I go through the storyline, I develop the review, then with the bookā€™s conclusion, I develop my ending.

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Yes. I like including quotes in my reviews, and I donā€™t know how Iā€™d do that if I didnā€™t take notes! I mostly read ebooks so itā€™s easy - just highlight a passage and add notes that way, or sometimes bookmark a page if itā€™s too much to highlight. Iā€™ll jot notes down in a notes app as well. For physical books, I set up an Evernote file and then upload pictures of the quotes Iā€™d like to use as well as any notes.

If Iā€™m really caught up in a book, then sometimes I forget to take notes, but itā€™s usually pretty easy to write reviews for those books, anyway!

I take notes occasionally. For example, if itā€™s for a book club discussion and there are things I want to remember or even just a sentence or two when a book starts to get a bit confusing. But generally I just gather my thoughts together during the review! I wish Iā€™d remember to write down memorable quotes when they struck me more often!

I donā€™t really take notes on my books. Iā€™m usually pretty good at remembering what is going on in the book.

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I donā€™t generally tend to take notes in the traditional sense but I will use post-its as Iā€™m reading or the highlight/note feature in my Kindle to mark something that I want to remember for my review. I generally have multiple books going at once so my memory isnt always enough.

same here! I donā€™t usually have more than one book going so itā€™s easy to remember

Same for me. I have several books that I read at the same time, so itā€™s a must to take notes on each book that Iā€™m reading ā€“ just to ensure that each bookā€™s storylines donā€™t bleed into each other.

Yeah that how I am. I feel like if I read more than one book I couldnā€™t keep up with everything even if I took notes.

In ebooks Iā€™ll note or highlight, in physical books Iā€™ll sometimes leave myself notes on Goodreads update or Iā€™ll note in my review notebook the pg number & a quick note so Iā€™ll know what Iā€™m referencing.

I type notes for the books I read with the several book clubs I belong to so I can make hopefully valuable contributions to the group. If itā€™s a book I liked for myself I may write a short review just for me. My granddaughter is a big reader so maybe sheā€™ll look at those somedayā€¦ Or notšŸ¤—

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I jot down character names and anything that stands out for me.