When you’re reading a print book, how do you mark your page?
Do you use a bookmark of some type? Or do you dog-ear the page and ignore the
disgruntled glare of the librarian? Or do you perhaps turn the book face down
and leave it splayed on your nightstand?
I love the variety of bookmarks available these days, and I’m
always buying new ones for myself or to leave as little tokens in books that I
return to the library. The three-dimensional ones are a lot of fun. I also like
the metallic ones and have several of those. I have some that are home-made,
including one made from plastic canvas and crochet thread. Some of mine have
been around for decades, and some are still in the box – usually the heavier
metallic ones come boxed.
The problem I have with bookmarks is that I can never seem
to locate one at the time I need it. I could probably fill a small desk drawer
with the wide variety of bookmarks in my collection, but I’m not the most
organized person in the world, and so they are scattered throughout books,
drawers, bedside tables, the car, upstairs bookshelves – well, you get the
idea.
I enjoy reading at night, after everyone, including myself,
has gone to bed. I pick up a new book from my TBR pile, and find out three
hours later that I don’t have a bookmark to serve as a place saver. I don’t
want to turn on the light and disturb my husband, and I can find NOTHING in my
nightstand without a light, so I usually grab something handy and make do with
that. That’s why my bookmarks are all in such pristine condition. I never
actually use them.
I do use a wide variety of other items, though, to serve in
their place. Have you done that? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever used
for a bookmark? Care to share?
This is a partial list of some of the objects I’ve used to
mark my place in a book. Perhaps you can relate. Or perhaps you can always
locate your favorite bookmark and have no clue as to how I can be so
unorganized.
paper clip – big or small, doesn’t matter. Just no
alligator clips.
fingernail file or
Emory board – I use these a lot!
gum wrapper – not so much, but I have.
scrap of paper
spoon – I sometimes eat ice cream while I’m reading.
ponytail holder – the little elastic ones
water bill – one of my husband’s favorite bookmarks,
actually.
lottery ticket
pen or pencil – I know! not good, but for an emergency it
works
birthday card
sock
square of toilet paper – don’t even ask.
Chuck E Cheese game token
candy bar wrapper
crochet hook – a small one, not those big things.
recipe card – these are actually fun to leave in library
books, especially if it’s a recipe for something really tasty!
I know there have been many other things over the years
that I’ve used in a pinch, but as you can see, it would probably be a lot
better on my reading material if I developed the habit of selecting a bookmark
before I actually begin reading my book, rather than putting it off. I’ll work
on that. In the meantime, keep reading, and if you feel like it, share some of
the more unique items you’ve used for bookmarks.
Happy Reading!
Cordelia Dinsmore
2 comments:
A piece of grass!
HA! That's a great one, Margaret. And it reminded me that I used to fill my book pages with four-leaf clovers. Our yard was full of them (although we certainly still had to hunt) and I pressed them in the pages of my books.
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