Book commenting breathes new life into recreational reading | lifestyle

Reading books is fun and exciting. However, there is something that could make reading even better.

Commenting on books is another way to breathe new life into reading and help the reader delve deeper into the story.

Sometimes it can be difficult to focus on the story because we have so many thoughts and questions running through our heads.

By writing down information, we can stop and understand what is happening. Commenting on books is a great way to do this. Here is a list of consumables that may help you get started:

sticky notes

When you want to write something down and don’t have enough space on the page or don’t like writing in your book, these sticky notes are great to use.

They come in many different colors if you want to color code your comments or just like the pretty colors. You can even get some clear sticky notes if you want to see your writing above the text or avoid writing on the pages.

pencils

These pens are perfect for jotting down thoughts, comments or hypotheses in your book or on sticky notes. Available in seven colors, these uni pens won’t smudge after you’ve jotted something down.

tabs

Using tabs can help you point out important details that you can easily find. These tabs come in a variety of colors and shapes to help you get organized. Below is a color cheat sheet to help you get started (this can always be changed to your liking).

color key:

• Red: something you didn’t like/that made you angry
• Light pink: a question you have
• Orange: various
• Yellow: character descriptions
• Dark Green: Description of the World (Fantasy Books)
• Light green: representation
• Light blue: important information about the story
• Dark blue: something that made you sad
• Pink: detail about a relationship
• Purple: something you like/love

Highlighter

You can use highlighters to better emphasize the text you want to point out. These Sharpie highlighters come in a pack of 12 or 24 that you can color coordinate with your tabs. They are also double sided so you can use the other side to write.

Not only does commenting add a new twist to reading, but the people who enjoy re-reading books can compare their initial thoughts to when they re-read them.