One of my favorite activities is to go back in Austin Kleon's archives and read through his older posts on various topics. "Reading with a pencil" is a perennial favorite. It's taken me years to be comfortable marking up my books, and I still only mark up non-fiction, but I hope that my books can be shared amongst friends and encourage a marginal conversation.
Love this quote! I would love to read with a pencil, but I have found (for now) the only way I can read is by borrowing my books from the library. The deadline keeps me from procrastinating and helps me prioritize reading. I've been slowly re-discovering my love for books in the recent years. I feel I've been through many phases - from fiction, to non-fiction, to reading classics to newer stuff. Exited to read some more in the future :)The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.
It's funny how library reading has phased out of my life. As a kid, the library was the place to be, and I'd just go discover something. As an adult, I tend to want something specific and am less inclined to wait the months needed for a popular book. I'm looking forward to being able to go back to browse at our local branch when it's safe again. But when reading library books, I tend to make notes in my pocket notebook about what I'm reading. It's not as easy as marking the book, so I tend more toward quick paraphrasing than quoting, but it still helps me think about what I'm reading (something I do too little of).
Good idea! I'll try reading with a little notebook. I never really go to the library to "browse" - I have an ever-growing list of books I want to read, so I just reserve them online and go pick them up when they're ready. I always have 2-3 books ordered so even if it take a while, I get a good rotation. And it's nice to keep a little element of surprise because you never know which book will become available first.
That's a great way to do it. I should really do that with the ebooks at the library, even if I'm not going in for the physical copies right now.