I’ve been doing this thing recently where I’ll make a list of the chapters in the book and every time I finish a chapter I’ll write a small summary and even highlight it a color that feels appropriate if I feel it would help me remember it better. I’ll show you what I mean.
This series had 5 books so after every chapter I tried to summarize it as succinctly as I could.
What I noticed is that this helped me memorize so much more than I usually do about a book. Because I’m always coming back to the list as I progress thru the book, I spend more time looking at how the story is structured, how the pacing has been, and where I think the story might go next.
Plus if I ever in the future forget details, I’m sure looking over this will quickly refresh me.
Do you take any notes? It’s obviously not necessary, but it seems to help.
Depends on the book and if note taking is helpful or necessary for understanding or digesting the book well.
I’d rather read a few extra books in a year, than make notes on all of them while I’m reading. My “to read” list is already longer than I can finish in this life-time. But, if it makes reading more enjoyable for you, by all means continue and don’t worry if anyone else takes notes, too.
I read a lot of gigantic fantasy books. I’ve never done this, but I have definitely considered it. It’s hard to keep track of all the characters and events that happen early in 600+ page books. Not sure if I’d do chapters, but considered maybe journaling or writing down things that happened each day of reading or something like that.
No. I read with enjoyment in mind. It’s not my goal to remember minute details about these books in five years, or even five months.
Not notes, but I bookmark any passage I like. Later I photocopy and cut out the excerpt to paste in a notebook. I scrapbook all my favourite passages.