Should You Annotate Books?

Reading can sometimes be treated as an almost sacred activity. Some believe that books have to be kept pristine, their pages untouched except for the occasional bookmark slipped between chapters. Writing in the margins or folding corners is considered by many readers to be a form of damage. Today, however, attitudes are changing. Across social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, a growing community of readers are embracing book annotation as a reading practice and form of personal expression.

From colour-coded tabs and highlighted passages to handwritten thoughts squashed into margins, annotated books have become a defining feature of modern reading culture. Particularly popular among younger readers and online book communities such as ‘BookTok,’ the trend reflects a shift in how people interact with physical books and paper itself. Rather than seeing books as untouchable objects, many readers now view them as collaborative.

At its core, annotating is not new. Scholars and writers have been making notes in books for centuries. Medieval manuscripts often included handwritten commentary in the margins, while authors such as Samuel Coleridge became famous for extensive ‘marginalia’ (a term he coined himself!) Historians frequently study annotations left behind in old books as they provide insight into how readers engaged with texts in different periods. What has changed is not the act itself, but its visibility and cultural perception.

Social media has played a major role in this transformation. Videos showing heavily tabbed fantasy novels and underlined passages routinely attract millions of views online. In these spaces, annotation is presented not as academic work, but as an emotional, creative experience. Readers document favourite quotes, analyse character relationships, react to plot twists and track themes in real time. The physical book becomes something interactive rather than passive.

This shift also reflects changing attitudes towards ownership and personalisation. In a digital environment where so much media consumption is temporary and subscription-based, annotating a physical book creates a stronger sense of connection. A highlighted line or handwritten comment turns a mass-produced object into something individual. No two annotated copies are exactly alike because each reflects the reader who engaged with it.

Paper, of course, plays a central role in this experience. Unlike digital notes or highlights stored invisibly within an app, annotations on paper remain visible and tactile. Turning back through annotated pages allows readers to revisit not just the story itself, but their own reactions to it. In this sense, paper becomes both a reading surface and a record of thought.

Many readers also describe annotation as a way to deepen concentration and emotional engagement. Physically underlining a sentence or writing a note in the margin slows the reading process and encourages active participation. Studies into handwriting and note-taking have consistently suggested that writing by hand can improve information retention and comprehension compared with purely digital interaction. While annotation trends online are often visually driven, they also align with wider conversations around focus, mindfulness and intentional reading habits.

The rise of special edition books has sparked a debate concerning annotation culture. In recent years, publishers have increasingly produced visually striking hardbacks with sprayed edges, exclusive covers and illustrated endpapers. These editions are frequently marketed as collectible objects, particularly within online reading communities. But at the same time, many readers are pushing back against the idea that books should remain untouched for the sake of resale value or aesthetics.

This tension has become especially visible online, where debates often emerge between readers who prefer pristine books and those who see annotation as an extension of the reading experience. Yet the popularity of annotated editions suggests that many readers are increasingly comfortable viewing books as personal artefacts rather than purely decorative items. Dog-eared pages and notes in margins become evidence of a relationship between reader and text.

This trend also connects to a wider resurgence of analogue hobbies and tactile creativity. Alongside the growth of things like journaling and scrapbooking, annotation reflects a broader desire for experiences that exist away from screens. While e-books and digital reading platforms remain popular for convenience, many readers continue to prefer printed books for immersive or emotional reading experiences. Annotation amplifies the qualities that physical books offer: tangibility and permanence. 

There is also a communal aspect to the trend. Annotated books are increasingly exchanged between friends and partners, allowing readers to experience someone else’s thoughts alongside the text itself. In some online communities, people even purchase pre-annotated copies from favourite creators or exchange annotated editions as gifts. This transforms books into shared emotional objects, carrying layers of interpretation beyond the original writing.

Annotation highlights the enduring value of paper in an increasingly digital world. Technology offers convenience, but paper offers presence. Notes written in the margin of a favourite novel can be rediscovered years later in exactly the same form they were first written.

The rise of book annotation reveals something larger than a passing social media trend. It reflects a growing desire for physical interaction and personal connection in everyday life. Readers want to leave traces of themselves within their beloved books. Through annotations, books become layered objects filled not only with an author’s words, but with the unique emotions and memories of the people who read them.