Reading Notes

Reading notes are the thoughts, learnings, questions and quotes written in the margins of book pages, jottings in notebooks or highlights in my eBook reader, Kobo.

Reading Notes
Photo by Aziz Acharki / Unsplash

I've always been an avid reader. In Grade 1, I was the first to fill my card with star stickers, each sticker representing every book I've read. Back then, I was more interested in collecting stickers than reading books.

Though, I've continued to be an avid reader throughout my life, reading an eclectic range of genres. As years passed, I began to wonder if all the books I've read served a purpose. While I remember reading LM Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and Viktor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning, their details elude me. The only thing I could remember was a summary and how I felt.

What is the point of having read many books if I can't remember them?

I've decided to take a different approach to reading... which is to write while I read and share what I've written.

What are reading notes?

I believe in serendipitous reading and that reading is a personal experience. The right book will appear at the right time, as to how the right teacher will appear to guide a ready student. Like any good student, you take notes while conversing with your teacher.

Reading notes are the thoughts, learnings, questions and quotes written in the margins of book pages, jottings in notebooks or highlights in my eBook reader, Kobo. Also, these notes are my reflections and do not represent the authors. Direct quotes from the book will be indicated in the notes.

To be clear, these are not book summaries or reviews. There are plenty of professionals, platforms and apps who do fantastic work in reviewing and summarising. Also, you will not find book ratings.

Staying true to the Zettelkasten method, the memos are synthesised, edited and published here. They are now made available for our collective learning and enjoyment. Enjoy the reading notes!

Note: use shortcut "ctrl+f" and type a keyword to quickly find your reading notes.