I used to love keeping my books clean and tidy ever since I was a child. Books were expensive, and I learned to care for them dearly — even a small dent on a page would upset me back then. But as I grew older, I realized… these books are truly mine. They’re the only things that bear my name, and it’s perfectly fine if they show signs of being loved.
Annotating and making my books “messy” was difficult at first — old habits die hard — but as I read, I always have so many thoughts and questions swirling in my mind. So I thought, why not? It’s my book, bought with my own coins, and I can write whatever I wish upon its pages. (don't do this to library book tho!)
So here’s a glimpse into my thought process, written along the margins while reading crime and punishment. Please excuse the old handwriting — I simply love revisiting these notes and seeing how I once analyzed and felt about the story. It’s not aesthetic, nor clean or tidy; it’s messy, but filled with what I thought was precious in the moment I wrote it down.
I’m in no way formally educated in literature, but annotating like this makes me genuinely happy.