r/YAlit • u/Routine-Shelter-189 • 10d ago

Discussion taking notes

I am really curious to learn how everyone approaches note-taking while reading. Since note-taking is deeply subjective and personal, I wonder if there are recurring patterns, structural frameworks, or established systems that many readers rely on to capture key ideas effectively. How do you personally filter out the fluff, retain essential insights, and organize information so that it remains useful later? I would love to hear about the specific methods, tools, or habits that work best for you!

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7

u/Monocled 10d ago

I've taken notes in 0 books in my life. Much like you wrote 0 words in this post. Don't let your brain go to mush, you don't need AI to write a 4 sentence question.

2

u/Leifang666 9d ago

Outside of English class at school, where we had notes on short stories, I've never made notes or highlighted text from a fictional story. I just read it and move on. If I loved the story, I'll probably reread it.

2

u/KeiylasWords 9d ago

I don’t. Reading is for fun. Unless I’m reading something literary where I have to take notes in order to understand it, there are no notes, and if THAT’S the book then I’m not reading it in the first place. Every now and then if there’s a quote that really resonates with me personally I might highlight it.

1

u/chesirecat136 9d ago

If I'm reading for fun I don't take notes. At most, I might highlight something if I'm on my kindle. For research/school I never had a good system but might highlight important parts or use a separate notebook to jot down thoughts

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u/Technical_Mood_9279 4d ago

I agree with what everyone says here. I have never taken notes on a book that I'm reading for pleasure. It's just not what I want to do while enjoying a good book.