book annotating sticker inspo guide
hiya babes! taryn here🥰
i had always been apprehensive about book annotating bc i felt like it carried a lot of pressure - what categories do i flag? what reactions do i write? what if i write weird and hate it? how can i annotate but still have it look intentional and cute? enter: ✨book annotating stickers✨
there is truly no right or wrong way to annotate a book but whether you are brand new to annotating or just looking for some inspiration, i've shared below how i like to use our various book annotating stickers to make the process of *actually* doing it as easy as possible! that being said, you can use these stickers any way you gdamn please😌
happy annotating💕
four categories of book annotating stickers:
-
tabs
intended use: to highlight certain categories of feelings/moments
actual use: however tf u want
-
reactions
intended use: to show your reactions to the text in the book
actual use: however tf u want
-
bookplates
intended use: to place at the beginning or end of your book
actual use: however tf u want
-
ratings
intended use: to show how you rate a book
actual use: however tf u want
tab stickers
category: tabs
flags
i use these how most people use ~traditional~ tabs in book annotating - to call out certain sentences/paragraphs/sections that align to a specific category (you can see an example of categories i use in the bookplates section).
there are plenty of ways to use these in your annotating - my personal go-to is on the edge of the book page (see photos below!)
category: tabs
quadrants
these stickers fit *perfectly* into the page corner of a book so i use them in tandem with the flag tabs if an entire page or majority of a page aligns to a certain color/category
like the flags, i like to either stick them flush with the book pages or sticking out a little so i can see the colors
category: tabs
highlighter tabs
i personally use these to highlight quotes and lines within the text of a book (the same way you would use a highlighter pen) but you can also use these in the same way you use traditional tabs with the edge sticking out!
category: tabs
emoji and text flags
these are a hybrid between flag tabs and emoji/text reaction stickers - i like to use them with the emoji/text sticking out of the book pages
reaction stickers
category: reactions
emojis
the way we communicate w emojis in 2022 is so comprehensive that i can genuinely barely convey a single thought without including at least one emoji🫠
so often emojis are able to convey a vibe *so* much better than actual words and i sure as hell can't draw an emoji for sh*t so these IMMEDIATELY made annotating so much more ~me~ (and they look cute asf)
category: reactions
text
though i am a lot more comfortable with handwriting annotations now, i still heavily rely on these to show my reactions and quick thoughts bc of how gdamn easy they are to use and i don't have to think about things like how to space out or size my writing, what pen to use so it doesn't bleed, etc.
this also makes it infinitely easier to drop inside jokes, ~popular~ phrases (ty for the comedic gold tiktok) all in cute lil fonts😊
category: reactions
icons
i like being able to "like" certain things in books the way i would on social media etc. so i use the hearts to do exactly that and i'll use the stars next to anything important!
category: reactions
micro arrows
sometimes when i want to write a little note within the page and need to draw an arrow from the part of the text i'm refering to, it goes a lil wonky so i use these instead🫠
bookplates
category: bookplates
annotation keys
i pop these suckers at the front of my books and use them to show what annotation categories i assigned to each color tab i used for that particular book.
the categories i use are entirely dependent on the book i'm reading but i do have a few ol' faithfuls that i *always* tab - you can see a few examples below!
since they are often different every time i annotate, i like to fill out my annotation key once i've finished reading & tabbing as opposed to before juuust in case
some annotation categories i've used:
category: bookplates
review bookplates
i created these so that i would have all my final thoughts on a particular book written/accessible in the book itself
the versions for series are my particular fave as i have been known to completely forget all the details and theories i have for a book by the time the next one comes out💀
category: bookplates
tbr stickers
while these aren't necessarily intended to be used in a particular book, they can be used in journals, planners, etc.!
category: bookplates
reread logs
for books that you like to reread over and over.. and over again😊
i use these as a way to keep track of when i reread a particular book & also any thots & feels i have each time i do🥰
ratings
category: ratings
ratings stickers
i personally like to use the 5+bonus star rating stickers & the spice rating stickers - i fill them out once i finish a book and pop them right near the front on whatever page i put my annotation key!
i've also seen folks use these in their reading journals😊