hello beautiful people!
There are a lot of opinions about annotating books and writing in them and all that. I personally don’t like writing in the book at all, it makes me uncomfortable in some way, but it doesn’t mean I’m judging if someone else does. I mean, you do it, and if annotating in the book makes you happy and makes you enjoy the story, then do it. however, what I do like to do is tabulate books. but before we get to how i tab, a brief history.
You are reading: How to tab books
Once upon a time there was a girl who didn’t know what tabulating was until she saw someone tabulating her books. At first, the girl thought it wasn’t a great idea because she had to stop reading to put a tab on the page, so the girl was a little reluctant to mark her books. Years passed and the girl changed her mind. whenever she was reading a series, she felt like she needed to mark important things about the characters, the world, her favorite quotes or scenes. She at that moment she knew she had to try.
As the girl didn’t really know much about the subject, she started watching many youtube videos on this subject, which to this day, are her favorite type of videos to watch, even when she already has her own method. and now here we are.
in case you didn’t know, the girl in the story is me lol so I thought making a post about my favorite topic in the book community was a great idea because just like all those videos I watched back then this post might help someone who is trying to start tabulating or just wants to know what it is all about. I really hope that at least one person will find this post useful or interesting. I just know that I am not an expert, I just started recently and I still have things to learn, but I want to share what I know with you.
Now that I’ve given you this super long introduction, let’s get into the world of lashes hahaha.
First of all, it’s important to tell you that this is how I mark the books I read. there is no right or wrong way to tabulate, you create your own method that helps you with your needs. Whether you want to remember important information for a book review or discussion, or simply want to go back to bookmark your favorite parts of the story.
Second, you don’t have to tabulate every book you read. If you don’t feel like tabulating a book, don’t. I only read the books that I feel I will end up loving. I also tab books in a series because I’m bad at remembering names and features and important information so even when I’m over reading a series I forget things that’s why tab makes me remember things easier. and, finally, I choose my favorite books, also known as books that I reread.
Third, I think it’s important to mention this. Before you go to a store or order your tabs online, make a list of the things you plan to tab in the books. this way you will know how many color tabs you will need.
And last but not least, don’t be afraid to change your tab system. As time goes on and you check out more and more books, you’ll get to know yourself better and decide what works best for you. so don’t worry if you have to change your tabbing over and over again. just keep in mind that you do what works best for you, don’t try to copy someone else. I mean of course you can take inspiration from others, but just because your favorite booktuber or your best friend or anyone else tabs a certain way doesn’t mean you have to tab like them. do i make sense? lol.
See Also: 7 Essential Books for Beginner Real Estate Investors (2022 Update) – nnndigitalnomad.com
Anyway, now let’s see how I tabulate the books.
But first, the materials I use. I use this pack of lashes that come in seven different colors. the tabs are made of clear plastic which is awesome because i can put them on the actual words and i can still read the sentence with no problem. Also, the glue isn’t that sticky, so if you remove the tab, it doesn’t remove the ink either. or at least, with the books I’ve tabulated so far, I haven’t had any problems with this.
I bought them on amazon, here is the link. This is just a reference, since these are the ones available in Amazon Mexico. you can look for those that are sold through amazon in your country or in your local stationery store.
now, my key. each color means a different thing. I use this key with every book I read because finding a different one every time I start a new book will make my mind go crazy. It took me many tries to get to this system.
but still, even when the pack has seven colors, I use an extra one. you’ll see.
the first color is pink. so pink I associate it with love, that’s why whenever I read a romantic or heartbreaking moment, I use this tab. you might be wondering why you tabulate angst, and if you don’t, then never mind, I’m telling you anyway lol. I love angst, and when I reread a book, I love rereading those moments of tension, angst, and drama. and since I consider that anguish is related to love/romance, I combined it with this color.
then we have orange. I use this tab whenever we get information about a character, like their physical appearance or their backstory. basically anything that helps me get to know the character better.
the next color is yellow. since yellow is a bright color, it reminds me of happiness. so with it I mark all those moments in a book that make me happy or that make me smile or laugh, but I also mark the moments that move me or that I think are cute.
green is next. I use the green tab when something in the book makes me mad, sad, or angry.
See Also: Six Dr. Seuss Books Removed From Circulation – The Iron Warrior
the next tab is blue. Since blue is my favorite color, I use this tab for all the moments/phrases that I love or consider my favorites.
Before we get to the last two tabs, I think there’s something you should know. then you will understand why I use an extra color. so i have no idea why or if its just me and my bad luck but whenever i go to the stationery stores i never find purple tabs. I mean, if I want purple lashes, I have to buy this kind of package that alternates between a purple and a pink lash. so if I just want the purple ones, I have to remove a pink tab and find a place to put them so they don’t go to waste. With that in mind, I had to think very carefully about what I was going to use the purple lashes for so I wouldn’t run out of them so easily.
This was my solution:
the light purple is to mark any kind of interesting information I find in the book, like fun facts. It’s not vital information for understanding the world or the characters, but it’s just additional information that I find interesting. For example, if in the book they are explaining a fighting technique, it is not essential for understanding the world or important to get to know the character better, but I find it interesting to know how the fighting technique works.
and for the dark purple, I use it for plot twists. every time I read a plot twist that I really enjoyed or found clever and fascinating, also for moments that surprised me.
Last but not least, the additional color tab I use, red. I think that red is a color that stands out, so whenever there is information that helps me understand and imagine the world in which the book takes place (mainly in fantasy or science fiction books), I use this tab. basically anything to do with world building.
and this is it, but before I say goodbye, I created a youtube playlist with all the videos I saw on this topic that helped me create my system. I hope you find the playlist useful. I also hope this post will help you in some way.
One last thing, I’m sorry this post is so long, but I had to clear up a lot of things to make sense to you. and in order not to make this even longer, I will stop here. thanks if you’re still reading up to this point, you’re the best!
If you have any tabulation questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Until the next post!
happy reading 💙
See Also: &x27The Baby-Sitters Club&x27 turns 30! Author Ann M. Martin answer BSC burning questions