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Spent $45 on a used copy of a book for our club and it had every margin filled in
Our club picked a novel for March and I grabbed a cheap used copy for $45 since new ones were going for $90, then found out the previous owner underlined whole paragraphs and wrote notes in every margin. I figured I would just ignore the notes but honestly some of their takes were better than what our group came up with, and now I am not sure if I led the talk or if some stranger from a used book site did. Do you all ever buy used copies for club reads, and do the notes help or wreck your own take on the book?
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dylanbarnes1mo ago
I've run into this a few times with used books for my own club reads, so here's what worked for me. The move is to read the book once through without touching the notes, then go back and skim the margins after you've formed your own views. That way you walk into the meeting with your take already locked in and the stranger's notes just become extra fuel for discussion instead of the main thing. Some groups I've been in actually make it a rule to only buy clean copies, because one person's scribbles can quietly steer the whole talk in a direction nobody chose. If you already read it with the notes in view, no big deal, just own it at the meeting and mention you had a plus-one in the margins. Worst case you got two readers for the price of one, which beats paying new price any day. Your mileage may vary depending on how heavy the notes are, but for me light underlining helps and full essays in the margins get distracting fast.
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