I’m reading an excellent book right now called If Women Rose Rooted, by Sharon Blackie. Subtitled ‘The Journey to Authenticity and Belonging’. It’s an excellent book. Which means I’m reading it with a highlighter in hand, marking passages I want to remember.
‘To enter into any wood is to enter into a realm in which transformation seems inevitable…’
‘Before there was the Word, there was the land, and it was made and watched over by women.’
‘To inhabit the remotest of places, to find its wildness reflected in myself. To find out what is left when those elements strip you down to the bone, and to let the rest fall away.’
‘Through all of this, I began also to understand the source of my anxiety. Early losses or abandonments, in whatever form they may come, or early failures of nurturing – all of these things make it difficult to trust: either people or the world.’
‘It wasn’t that I wanted to replace a male god with a female god; it wasn’t that I wanted to find a religion at all. I was simply looking for some sense that women might have worth. And I found it: there in the old stories of my own native land, I found it.’
Those are a few of the things I’ve underlined.
Someone reading the book after me, might wonder at all the things underlined, at what was going through that poor woman’s head, that such a variety of things spoke to her enough that she highlighted them.
This is what goes through my head when words catch me enough to mark them bright yellow.
Wow, that really resonates with me.
YES!
Hey, that will work great in a story.
What if a character…
Hmmm…(insert name) should see this.
In a way, if the person reading the book after me, knows that I spend a lot of time in daydream stories, the markings might make sense. But if the person doesn’t make the connection to writing, all the highlighting will have no consistency, no theme, and could even worry the reader. ‘Geez, I never realized she was…’
…so sweet?
So for the future friends or family, or whoever inherits all my books some day, don’t worry. I might have been thinking of you when I highlighted something. I might have decided a dark thought would work perfect for a specific character. I might have read something that triggered an idea for a story.
I’m there between all the pages, exposed by yellow marker.
Just remember it might not be what it seems.
Lisa Stowe - The Story River Blog 
LOL!! I did this once with a book, now I am so embarrassed that I wont share the title. It’s a romance, so nothing to learn from it 😉
Your book sounds like a gem for any woman to read! I think I need to borrow it and see what you underlined.
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Ha! I bet I can guess which book you highlighted!
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This certainly sounds like an interesting read. I occasionally highlight books I like, too. I highlight different books for different reasons. I just finished a light mystery whose author had such wonderful character descriptions that said so much in so few words. Then another book that has profound insights. For the latter type, I’ve started a notebooks where I copy down important insights to have one less marked-up book. But you are right: certain lines just speak to you so much they have to be noted one way or another.
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I have stacks of these little notepads called Chubbies – small yet fat with paper. They are perfect for carting around jotting down things from good books. The act of writing the words down seem to commit them more to my memory than a highlighter. I don’t do that for every book though.
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It does sound like a very interesting read. My grandmother was an avid reader – in fact that’s a gross understatement. Her Grandmother, who raised her, was a teacher and taught her to never “disrespect’ books with writing in them or folding down their corners. I remember Grandma sharing this with me many times. While I don’t feel it’s disrespecting the book, it must’ve sunk in. I keep a notebook, actually several, where I write down inspirational words, phrases or scenarios. Similar to you, all of this sparks inspiration for me but for paintings. Love this post Lisa.
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