The annotated life: Why marginalia is back in style

Marginalia, you either love it or hate it. Once considered the mark of a disrespectful reader, someone scribbling on the pristine pages of novels, marginalia has returned with an unexpected flourish.

Instagram is full of annotated pages, complete with underlines, post-its, and impassioned scribbles. On TikTok, readers film themselves reacting in real time, pen in hand. Even published authors are weighing in, sharing how marginal notes shaped their early reading lives.

But what is it about writing in books that feels suddenly vital again? In an age of digital ephemera, maybe it's the permanence of ink and pencil that feels radical. Maybe it's a desire to make the reading experience active rather than passive. Annotating is a kind of dialogue with the story: with the author, with ourselves, and with the future reader who might pick up the book and find our thoughts nestled in the margins.

Marginalia becomes a way to remember not just what we read, but who we were when we read it.

For writers, readers, and students alike, annotation can be a map of thought. A slow unfolding of attention. And for some, it’s a kind of intimacy, proof that a book didn’t just pass through us quietly, but stirred something deep enough to leave a lasting mark. That certainly rings true for me after reading a line that makes a particular impact.

Want to start annotating but unsure how? Here are a few ways to begin

• Thematic Colour Coding: Assign colours to themes like grief, hope, or transformation.

• Reaction Notes: Jot emotional or gut reactions in the margins.

• Quotes to Return To: Underline or star sentences that resonate.

• Questions for Later: Use post-its to pose questions or speculate on characters.

• Personal Connections: Relate passages to memories or experiences.

Recommended reads to annotate, and why

• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion – A meditation on grief and clarity, full of aphorisms that demand reflection.

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – Emotionally intense and psychologically rich, it invites deep personal response.

• Beloved by Toni Morrison – Dense, lyrical, and thematically layered, Morrison’s prose rewards close, thoughtful engagement.

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong – Poetic, intimate, and non-linear; it begs to be read with a pen in hand.

• Bluets by Maggie Nelson – Fragmentary and philosophical, perfect for noting tangents, reactions, and resonances.

A lasting impression

Marginalia isn’t about defacing a book: it’s about deepening your conversation with it. It’s a way to leave traces of thought. And sometimes, those notes end up being the real story.