Two months ago I finally started using my local library. There were several reasons for this:
- I got tired of being hard-pressed to read all the newest and most popular books everyone is talking about.
(I mean, how many people have to review Atomic Habits as if it is the only book ever written on the topic of productivity)
Disclaimer: I read and liked Atomic Habits, but that’s not the point. - I got tired of purchasing Kindle books and then not finishing them because they had me at 20 pages in, but lost me at page 50 and it was too late to return the book.
- I wanted to explore and find different books (such as older books, classics, or less known) (as opposed to the ones in point one above)
- It’s a wonderful (and potentially enlightening) way to spend an hour with kids on the weekends.
So, having gone back to the charms of discovering library books and as an avid collector (in recovery) of all sorts of clippings, I wondered: is there an app to enable me to take digital clippings from paper books?
Highlighted: Capture Highlights from Paper Books
It turns out, I already had one (and was paying for it), but because I had decided to cancel that subscription (more about that in another post), I decided to look for one that is free.
And that is when I stumbled on this gem of an app!
Highlighted works perfectly and even better than the clipper in Readwise. Highlighted has a sturdier, quicker and more seamless capture, in my opinion.
I realize that, unfortunately, this app is available on iOS only, but I am sure there has to be something similar that is Android-based. Readwise of course will work with both, but it is not free.
But whichever app you use, it is amazing that they work so well. I always assumed that capturing highlights from paper books would have to be tedious.
I have recently started this thing called “active reading”, where I actually try to take notes (in my own words) while reading, especially with non-fiction and rely less on just dry highlighting, but I still want to keep my highlights and easily export them to my digital library. (currently in Evernote & Notion)
And being able to do that while discovering amazing books, many of which aren’t even available on Kindle, is just wonderful.
Also, the app enables me to just take any clipping from anywhere: a magazine, a menu in a restaurant, a clever street sign, a paper flyer I want to get rid of but want to keep the clever slogan (yes, I do that, help!).
The possibilities are endless and this app works great.
Highly recommended.