question for those who take notes while reading


what do you take notes on?

when do you read the notes?

what do you gain from the notes?


is this the same as those who underline passages in novels, i've never understood that either

I take different types of notes. I do some for memory retention so I can recall things better, I will probably never look at them ever again.



I enjoy really long fantasy series, and often take breaks in between books, so I will also take some quick notes on what happened and which character is which so I can go over them when I go back to the series.

I have a loose outline for a story I'd like to write at some point. Just in case I ever actually do it, if I run across a passage that is similar, good inspiration, etc. I will connect it to that area in my loose outline to come back to later.



For non fiction I'll organize notes on different things and with obsidian link them to the books they're in. For example I've read a bit on Ukraine now so I have a note for Maidan Revolution and then links to the various passages in the books on the event.

I'll highlight stuff I want to look up later. I don't want to break the momentum of what I'm reading, so I'll just double-tap it and keep moving. It could be an interesting word or usage, an interesting person or location, a translation I question--anything.

Sometimes when I want to figure out how a book was written I will draw a diagram of the book, so I'll note everything that I want on the diagram. For example, I did this for Catch-22. It turned out that its plot spiraled inward. Heller had a good vision of the action. If he said the Hospital was a furlong from Major Major Major's tent, it was always a furlong away. This isn't true of all writers.

My preference would be to take notes on 3x5 cards and keep them together with binder clips. I never have the luxury of doing that anymore. When I read on a Kindle I use the native app. When I read B&M, I use a pocket notebook.

I have a curious nature and want to understand things. Hence notes.

Recs? Only complete ones, lol. FU Robert Jordan and double FU to GRR Martin.

Want some big ones (both in length and critical acclaim):
Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb
Mistborn Saga and The Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson

One of my favourites is the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin, which she won three consecutive Hugo Award for Best Novel for.

I haven't finished all of these, but here are some I like and would recommend to most:

Mists of Avalon
Book of the New Sun
First Law
Broken Earth Trilogy
Earthsea


Ones I would recommend with some caveats:

Pretty much anything Robin Hobb. I've read Soldier's Son and Farseer trilogies. I enjoyed them, but they aren't for everyone.

Malazan book of the Fallen had its up and downs. Probably the most epic and amazing worldbuilding, but the cast of characters is huge and it's got some pretty low low points. It also starts off incredibly difficult.

Thanks guys. I've read some of those, but definitely some I can add to my list. I just started Cycle of Arawn/Cycle of Galand.

I'm not sure how far I made it into the Malazan books, but no way I'm getting back into that. I don't know if it's just me and my decaying memory or not, but I really don't want to have to write an outline as I read just to keep track.

When I was in my teens and twenties, I re-read David Eddings' Belgariad, Mallorean, Elenium and Tamuli series many times. They're like fantasy comfort food - some fun characters and stories but many flaws. The world building is superficial, and Eddings recycles plots and characters. The writing gets worse as David's wife Leigh starts contributing more.

I only became aware of the couple's horrific abuse of their adopted children after reading the books. I don't usually conflate art with the artist, but what they did was so bad that it put me completely off ever touching their books again.

I haven't been reading much with a toddler in the house now, but with the nice weather starting to come around I've found some time.

Read "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern and thought it was pretty terrible. Quick read was the saving grace but feel like a juvenile, predictable young adult novel. I wasn't moved by it at all.

I've followed that with finally giving "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss a go, which I've seen mentioned in here among the elite books of that genre. About 2/3 of the way through and really enjoying it, despite not a whole lot really "happening". Usually the build up of books bore me but this one is different and it's probably down to the way Rothfuss writes and brings us in to Kvothe's life and world. I've been binge reading and can't wait to finish.

I recommend Night Circus to everyone. I think it's some of the best writing in the fantasy genre and it's a great story for pretty much anybody.

I've read the Name of the Wind twice now, unfortunately it falls in the "not completed" category. It must be over 10 years since the second book came out.

Yes, this was my experience as well. Wanted to like it after hearing good things in this thread, but it just wasn't for me.

Now I did think the publisher did a great job with the physical book; my copy was very attractive indeed.

Agreed on the great story part, def enjoyed it.

The Magician trilogy/4ogy by Raymond Feist is pretty goaty [and famous]. I think he's up to 17 books in that world now and some of the others are pretty good but nothing stands up to the original trilogy [they later split Magician book 1 into two books].

I'm currently re-reading it for the nth time but first in two decades. Still holds up. Everything is resolved so you don't need to commit to the later series with different characters.

Tad Williams borrowed a lot from the beginning of this series. To his credit the main characters end up entirely different.

Well this isn't the news I wanted to hear. The two fantasy series I really loved/am loving (Locke Lamora and Kvothe) are both unfinished for years and likely never will be, while the one fantasy series I committed the full trilogy knowing there's a million more books (the Abercrombie series) ended up being really boring, drawn out and terrible. Maybe it's for the best Locke Lamora and Kvothe are never finished. I'll only have fond memories of them, despite Locke Lamora book 2 being a drag.