A Penny For Your Thoughts
Annotations for sale, the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be, Swifties sleuth Argylle, and the rest of my weekly what
It has recently come to my attention there is a market for pre-annotated books.
I’m not talking about annotated editions of classics where the publisher provides context/highlights elements to assist modern readers’ understanding, I’m talking about people personally annotating books with highlighting/underlining/tabs/marginalia and then selling the book to other readers. (And for a markup! In my day, used books with writing/highlighting meant a discount!)
This totally blew my mind until it clicked that annotating books is something of a trend in the visual world of bookish social media. I too have been entranced by a soothing clip of a reader tidily marking up a book accompanied by soft music in the background. (Though I do wonder how many of these types of videos I could watch before becoming bored by them, chances are few.)
I am someone who appreciates annotation in the right context, but it’s totally foreign to me to care to engage with someone else’s annotations as I’m reading. In fact, sometimes, when I borrow an ebook from the library other users highlights show in the copy and I typically find this irksome.
Annotating a book is a very intimate practice in my experience. I like to highlight things in a book that stick out and/or resonate with me as I read. I don’t care to know others’ intimate thoughts as they read a book. Now, I could potentially see this as a fun way to share a book with a friend, sort of a sisterhood of the traveling pocket edition (see what I did there?!) but not something I would enjoy regularly and not something that would have anything near the impact if purchased from a random seller.
When I read a book I like to experience it for myself with as little outside interruption as possible. I pay attention to reviews, especially from trusted readers, but I don’t want too many details or to be too influenced by others before I go in. I almost always choose to read ahead of watching an adaptation because once I see an interpretation of a story through someone else’s eyes that impacts my reading experience. And of course, I can never abide by spoilers. I want to come to a story fresh and uninfluenced for the most part.
It seems to me that experiencing a story alongside someone else’s tabs, highlights, and commentary in the margins would not only be distracting, but an undue and unnecessary influence. I fear that reader’s thoughts would stand in for my own, as though purchasing someone’s annotations is something akin to purchasing their thoughts to become my own, robbing myself of an essential element of reading.
Purchasing pre-annotated books feels like yet another thing to file under “Things about Internet Culture I Just Don’t Understand” but maybe I’m missing something? I’m willing to hear other perspectives! What say you on purchasing pre-annotated books? What is the purpose?!
What I’m…
Reading
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton for Novel Pairings Classics Club Wharton in Winter. I joined in on a whim and ended up loving this gossipy Gilded Age classic.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese I’m hybrid reading this sprawling 700+ page Indian family saga.
Listening
Mo News Podcast. I’ve been a longtime follower of
on Instagram. Lately I’ve really been digging this daily headline news podcast offering the latest headlines in a succinct format. Each episode is ~30-45 minutes long and since I listen at 2x it’s an excellent bite-sized roundup.60 Songs That Explain the ’90s: “Goo Goo Dolls, “Iris,” and the Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Girl”. my husband likes music the way I like books and he referred me to this episode because I can’t not listen to “Iris” when it’s on. It’s just one of those songs!
Novel Pairings: “Five Tips for Reading Television & Movies with a Critical Lens”. An interesting discussion of a familiar practice in an unfamiliar setting, plus discussion of The Buccaneers (Apple TV) if you’re into that.
Watching
Queer Eye, Season 8. The Fab Five are always a treat, but only 6 episodes?!
Love on the Spectrum U.S., Season 2. This is the most earnest, heartwarming thing on television.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+. Watching a couple episodes a week with the kids and it’s a good adaptation so far. I think we’ve watched the first 4 episodes.
The Great, Season 3. We just finished the series last night.
Eating & Drinking
Cheddar Broccoli Potato Soup and more of these Sourdough Rolls. I’m typically more of a bread baker, but I just can’t seem to quit rolls this fall/winter!
Breakfast Casserole which I’ve made many a times over the years. This time I used some ham I had stashed in the freezer. Breakfast for dinner on Monday = breakfast for breakfast for the rest of the week!
Another frequent flier on our dinner menu: BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Avocado Salsa, we also add black beans to our bowls.
I had some dressing that needed used so I made this Chicken Caesar in the slow cooker we at in sandwiches and wraps. It went over well with the fam.
I’m on a Bigelow Vanilla Caramel tea kick. I drink it with a splash of milk.
Links + Loves
I really appreciated this essay from the
: 5 Thoughts on Rereading The Hunger Games. Especially resonant with me as I contemplate at what near future point to begin the series with my tween and teen. It’s been years since I binged the series myself!This helpful explanation from Vox about the Taylor Swift/Argylle conspiracy/controversy/mystery.
Current favorite mug for my afternoon tea
This WaPo opinion piece from Laurie Frankel, author of Family Family: The Scary Reason my 'Contemporary' Novel Suddenly Became 'Historical'.
Everyone's a Sellout Now. This Vox article about the state of self-promotion/branding in the art world (specifically for musicians and writers) is both thought provoking and depressing as someone who worries about the impact of algorithms on culture.
HBO to Develop Gillian Flynn Novel ‘Dark Places’ as Limited Series
ICYMI
This week's blog posts: