How do readers like to enjoy their books? Do you dog-ear certain pages? Do you highlight lines, stick tabs, or annotate? How about reading together with friends? Or, have you ever gotten crafty and undertaken small projects? Or how about this: making drinks based on books?
Readers found many ways to celebrate books, in ways that not many people are aware of until they search for them.
We’ll explore only some of the many ways that readers enjoy their books and the many book activities they implore to do so. It’s more interesting than some might think.
Annotating
Let’s start with one of the most popular ways people interact directly with their books.
I did not have a great first impression of annotating, or marking up my books at all (AP Lit and procrastination are a terrible combination).
Years later, I noticed how people enjoyed using colored tabs and pens to almost converse with the text, an expression of the way their reactions are recorded forever within the pages like traces of emotions.
Now, I understand the uniqueness of a book well-read. While I don’t annotate much (yet), I love watching videos of how people annotate their books because they all interact with their books in various ways that are enjoyable for them. Here are a few:
- Using colored tabs and pens to categorize interesting elements of the book.
- Highlighting and decorating favorite lines to make them pop out on the page.
- Simply scribbling notes on the margins reacting to scenes, ranging from analysis to just, “WOW!”
But these aren’t the only ways to annotate! Book lovers share numerous guides and preferences on media platforms, all with their trials and errors to find methods that work best for them! It’s all about the journey.
If annotating seems interesting to you, all it takes is to try and see what works best for you! There’s no right or wrong way to do it.
Tabbing
An alternative to annotating that is also popular is tabbing!
If you still don’t like marking up your books but want to locate your favorite quotes, you can still use tabs without making any permanent changes! Use different colors or just one if you don’t like the constriction of assigning tabs to categories.
I started tabbing just two years ago, and so far I’ve had the most fun with it. It’s easier to peruse all of my favorite highlights and lines from a book. The book also just looks and feels more well-read to me, like a story I traveled places with than just a trophy in my collection.
I’ve recently started tabbing more parts that evoke an emotional response to me, and it’s starting to transform into my parallel emotional journey with the books I read now.
But of course, interacting with your books on how you feel best! Everyone has their own system.
Reading Journal
Want a creative reading log to help you remember the books you’ve read and the reviews, reactions, and vibes you got from them?
These are just a few of the purposes of a reading journal!
People create all kinds of spreads in annual reading journals that help them track their journey.
Creative freedom is limitless when arranging journal spreads! It can be minimalistic but has lots of room for written thoughts, or stacked with stickers to imitate the book’s aesthetic. The potential for recording feelings, thoughts, likes and dislikes, etc., has no bounds.
People often create reading logs, maps that show which book originated from where, release trackers each month, to-be-read lists, and so on! (If you’re looking for inspiration, readers share plenty of techniques on YouTube!)
By the end of the year, you have a filled journal to reminisce about how many books read, the series finished, and the explosion of your imagination through imagery.
A reading journal lets you experiment with your creative muscle instead of just logging what you’ve read. It’s a fun activity to destress with, and in the end, it gifts you a physical memory to keep with the books in your library.
Book Club
Sharing interests with people always establishes a connection that can feel almost sacred, almost like a small secret. Book clubs have always been popular for readers to gather and discuss their favorite books.
Joining a book club doesn’t always mean you have to attend a large meeting online or in person, though there are groups like that if you prefer that type of social setting!
Even talking with a friend is its own little book club. If you’re more comfortable talking just one-on-one with another person or a small group, there’s still a list of things to talk about!
Book clubs allow readers to talk about anything, to learn other readers’ perspectives, and to enjoy an experience within a story together. When else will you travel to the same far-off worlds with others?
Either way, so much wisdom and insights are gained by sharing experiences with others. It doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds.
Bookish Activities
This has to be the most fun topic to explore. I didn’t know how many new experiences one could have in the name of books!
That’s why book buddies are a plus: they make bookish activities more enjoyable. Not that doing things alone isn’t, I’m also a fan of my solo ventures.
But also, why not? You get to discuss the book however long you want while trying something you’ve never done before.
For example, I’ve seen people on Instagram make cocktails (or mocktails) based on books or book characters. Who would’ve thought that could be a bookish activity?
@cassiesharpex Cocktail night based off books!! #bookclub #books #booktok ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
I’m awed by how much intent and enjoyment readers can bring into the real world. It’s like experiencing these activities with the characters in books, our way of immersing ourselves into another world even if we’re stuck in our own. Anything becomes possible.
Some readers plan intense workout routines to follow the physicality of strong female main characters, under the claim that if they ever “get into the same situation” as the events of the books, they’ll be ready.
They just have to be prepared for anything, you know? It’s perfectly plausible. And hey, if that’s the motive to start working out, sign me up.
For The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, my cousin and I both bought spider plants in honor of the sentient spider plant, Caz, who is the iconic companion of the main character. Now, we take care of our own companion spider plants (both are healthy and growing, so we’re doing something right!).
Readers also get very crafty. I’ve seen people make book nooks out of old copies of books, gluing small furniture to an open page like a wall, and designing tiny rooms to spruce up their bookshelves.
Creativity can go from decorating items from books to hosting a PowerPoint night presenting which book characters friends would be besties with.
If you’re looking to do something new or inspired to create something, try a bookish activity! Ideas are abundant and unlimited. Or you can even come up with a new one! That’s how we as readers feel even more connected with books.
What would you do to have fun with your books and reading? And if you already do, what are your favorite methods?
