I started taking book notes only around 2019 – very late in my reading journey. I used to be the kid who didn’t like a single mark on those beautiful pages.

But unmarked books are terrible for rereading. There’s no way to remember what had jumped out at me. No way to remember what had changed the way I looked at things. No way to quickly figure out “What was it that the author had said about xyz?”

So, notes.

Notes aren’t summaries, though. They are just things that appealed to me while I was reading. Some sentences are reproduced here verbatim. Some, I’ve distilled and paraphrased. Some are just open questions that the book provokes but doesn’t answer.

And notes don’t substitute the book itself. For me, they are a memory device to quickly revise the core of a book I loved. I’ve made it a daily habit to pick one of these notes at random and browse, while I wait for my coffee kettle to boil the water.

For you, the notes can serve as a pre-purchase peek. Or a first draft for your own notes. Feel free to copy and add on top. Feel free to send me yours: writetome@minakhimisra.com

If I love them, I’ll feature your notes here with your permission. And I’ll giveaway a book from your wishlist as thanks.