How do readers enjoy their books? Do you dog-ear certain pages? Do you highlight lines, stick tabs, or annotate? How about reading with friends? Have you ever gotten crafty and undertaken small projects? What about making drinks based on books?
Readers have found many unique ways to celebrate books, and we’ll explore some of the activities they love the most.
Annotating
Let’s start with one of the most popular ways people interact with their books.
I did not have a great first impression of annotating or marking up my books (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, recording their reactions in 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 people annotating their books, because they all have their own strategies. 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 have shared numerous guides and preferences on media platforms, including their trials and errors to find the methods that work best for them! It’s all about the journey.
If annotating seems interesting, try and see what works best for you! There’s no right or wrong way to do it.
Tabbing
A popular alternative to annotating is tabbing!
If you don’t like marking up your books but want to locate your favorite quotes, you can use tabs, which don’t make any permanent changes! Use different colors 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 fun with it. It’s easier to peruse all of my favorite highlights and lines from a book. The book also looks and feels more well-read to me, like a story I traveled places with rather than just a trophy in my collection.
I’ve recently started tabbing more parts that evoke an emotional response. But of course, interact with your books in a way that will make you feel your 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 reasons to try a reading journal!
People create all kinds of spreads in annual reading journals so that they can track their journeys.
Creative freedom is limitless when arranging journal spreads! It can be minimalistic, but it has lots of room for written thoughts, and it can even be 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 or maps that show which book originated from where. They may release trackers each month, craft 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 complete journal to reminisce about how the 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 alongside the books in your library.
Book Club
Sharing interests with people establishes a connection that can feel almost sacred, like a small secret. Book clubs have always been popular spaces 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 a more social setting!
Even chatting with a friend can be its own little book club. If you’re more comfortable talking one-on-one with another person or a small group, that’s just fine.
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 far-off worlds with others?
Either way, tremendous wisdom and insights can be 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 with books!
That’s why book buddies are a plus: They make bookish activities more enjoyable. 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 enjoyment readers can bring into the real world. It’s like experiencing these activities with the characters in books — our way of immersing ourselves in another world even if we’re stuck in our own. Anything becomes possible.
Some readers plan intense workout routines to emulate the physicality of strong female main characters so 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 range from decorating book items to hosting a PowerPoint night about which book characters your friends would be besties with.
If you’re looking to do something new or inspired, try a bookish activity! Ideas are abundant and unlimited. You can even come up with a new one! That’s how we as readers feel even more connected with books.
How do you have fun with books and reading? What are your favorite methods?
