Books you both read and write in

It's been a long time since I last had a book I wrote in. Oprah and my hairdresser talking about notes and Post-its littering their Eckhart Tolle books made me think about the last time I had a book that so delighted me or inspired me that I underlined whole passages.

I do have several books that have umpteen bookmarks in them (most are by Joseph Murphy), a bread crumb trail I can follow back to the passages that meant most to me. But I no longer write in my own books. That's because I leant one of my inspiring books to a classmate who complained about how distracting my scribbles in the margin were. I shouldn't do that, she said. So I stopped.

But now that I think back, and when I think about the unexpected doorway that discovering other people's notes in books is, why should someone else dictate what I do to my own books? I guess I could lend them with the warning that they're getting more than just the author's thoughts or emphasis.

What I really want, is a book that inspires me to underline passages, mark things with a yellow highlighter, and litter with Post-its to help relocate the best pages. And I want the freedom to do so. I have finally purchased Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" and will re-listen to/re-watch the podcasts and maybe have my own notes to contribute.

It's not about destroying property. It's about enthusiasm. It's about involvement. About being so enthusiastic about something in a book, so involved in it, that you don't want to lose it or forget it, so you leave behind your own impression on the book.

Comments

its been ages since i picked one up too...... got to do it
Keera Ann Fox said…
I just got two new books from Amazon.co.uk and am actually looking forward to scribbling in them. And you know what? I picked up my bible last night, and there was yellow highlighter in it as well as umpteen bookmarks. I'd forgotten I'd done that. :-)
Sparkling Red said…
Here I am on your "other" blog! Now I'm subscribed to this one too. :-)

As far as I'm concerned, if a book is yours, you can do whatever you like with it. Marking it up is a way of interacting with the material in a meaningful way, of making it more yours. I applaud your willingness to get messy with your books!
Keera Ann Fox said…
Interaction. Yes, that's it, too! It is definitely a form of interaction, and a way to think a bit more about what one is reading. (And welcome to my "other" blog, Spark!)
Marika said…
Actually Eckhart Tolle's books (A New Eart, and The Power of Now) are both books where I've underlined entire passages. The books are mine to keep, so I don't feel bad in highlighting in them. But they need to be special books to me to do that :)
Protege said…
Sorry, I am going to mention a completely different book.
Have you heard of the book (TV series) "Secret" by Rhonda Byrne? If you have, what is your take on it?
Keera Ann Fox said…
Protege, I haven't read the book (and probably never will since I have so many others in the same vein), but I have the DVD. I did write a post inspired by the movie "The Secret". Don't know if you've seen it yet.
Protege said…
Thank you so much, I did not know you wrote an entire post dealing with this, I will read it asap.

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