Weekly Geeks 2009-17: Mark it down
For this week’s edition of Weekly Geeks, I’d like to focus on one of the most useful tools for a bibliophile: Bookmarks.
Do you use bookmarks or just grab whatever is handy to mark your page? Do you collect lots of different bookmarks or do you have a favorite one that you use exclusively? If you’re not someone who uses bookmarks on a regular basis, have you ever used anything odd to mark your place?
If you make your own bookmarks or have a bookmark collection, please feel free to share some pictures with the rest of us.
My relationship with bookmarks is ambivalent. I love to look at them. They often have great quotes on them and look beautiful. In fact to me they are a decorative item, and that’s it. I never use them. I have some, of course, but I invariably lose them and can never find them again. The reason I buy them nowadays is to give them away with a book as a gift, because I like the idea to combine the two for other people.
These days I read mostly e-books and don’t have any use for bookmarks. When I read print books I use dog-ears as bookmarks. They do the trick and can’t get lost and my kids won’t snatch them away. The perfect solution for me. I can already hear people saying, “Oh, how can she mark books with dog-ears?”, “Books are sacred and can’t be desecrated with dog-ears.” Each to his own, but for me this is utter nonsense. It’s not a specific book that is sacred, but the abstract thought of books. What is sacred is what books stand for, what they can give us and what they mean to us. A physical book is just some paper, often not even very good quality, and gets treated like every other item in my household – with not much respect. It’s just a thing.
So, no bookmarks for me, but if I used them, I’d probably get them at Bookwormz on Etsy.
Photo of “Bookmarks” from secretlondon123 at flick’r
I don’t tend to dog ear, but I know people who do, or who only read in bed and leave the book open, face down, trashing the spine. I read quite quickly so I don’t tend to be hard on spines, but covers suffer because any book I have will end up in my handbag at some point, fighting for space. I agree that books have to fit in with your lifestyle, there is no point being precious about them if you have kids and animals.
Love the idea of bookmarks with books as a gift! Like you, I love to look at bookmarks but don’t use store-bought ones.
Sarah at SmallWorld Reads’s latest blog post..Weekly Geeks: Mark It Down
I always roll my eyes at people who freak out over dog eared books. Dog earing is my desperate choice when I cannot find a book mark.
I love your line of thinking as it pertains to what about a book is sacred. To me, a book is sacred if it invokes some type of intense emotion or thought.
sari’s latest blog post..Some news and a quick review on a not so good read
I *do* use bookmarks (it can take ages to finish a book sometimes
and do not dog ear, but I have no problem with it. Books are *not* sacred! I used to have many many books of my parents and even grandparents that I was never gonna read but kept anyway — because you’re not supposed to get rid of books :\ Good thing I discovered Flylady someday LOL She taught me only to keep things that I love. Once I gave away all the books that weren’t really mine (or that I hadn’t liked), all the attention went to the books that I *did* find worth wile! And I guess dog earing pages that you find special (like I know people do) is something alike 
)
I never dog ear but have no problem with others who do. Just don’t be dog earing my books! Lol. I like our books to stay nice and clean and do try to keep them in relatively good condition. However, I don’t freak if they get creased or worn. A lot of books I get are already that way as I usually buy used. I’m just a very careful handler, of anything, not just books. It’s the way I am. But I agree with you that it’s what they stand for and what they give to us, that makes books precious. Sometimes I just can’t help separating the substance of a book from its physical body, though.
claire’s latest blog post..Bookmarks
I’ve been known to collect bookmarks because I sometimes have the urge to collect stuff and bookmarks don’t take up much space. I like the thought of giving them as gifts with books! There are so many pretty bookmarks.
I’m like you in that I’m moving to ebooks and don’t have a need for bookmarks. It’s so convenient to have the ebook reader just put me back where I left off in the book with one touch of a button.
As far as paperbacks go, the weirdest thing I’ve been known to mark a book with is a square of toilet paper. Not because I actually read while in the bathroom, but more because I usually have a rolls of toilet paper stashed all over the house in case I have a sneezing fit due to year-round allergies. Toilet paper is less expensive than boxes of facial tissue.
I don’t think I could dog-ear a page. Unless it was a library book, oddly enough. But I guess we all know how disgusting library books can get!
Val Kovalin’s latest blog post..Saturday Reviewer – Book Utopia Mom
I don’t mind books dog-eared. I’d rather have a bookmark though. I love books and like most things with a little wear just means it’s loved. Like a favorite pair of old jeans.
hagelrat: Yes, with kids I’ve given up on the thought of precious stuff. I’m pretty rough with spines, too.
Sari, you are so right about what makes a book precious.
Gnow: Flylady is good, isn’t she. But I hardly ever throw away books. I mostly keep them, no matter what.
Claire: Being a careful handler is good. I’m the opposite, though. Even with stuff I really, really love, I’m just negligent.
Val, toilet paper? That’s good. But why not, it’s as good as anything.
Thanks everybody for stopping by.
I tend to lose mine too but I managed to keep a few.
Chris@bookarama’s latest blog post..Weekly Geeks: #17
I like the book shop photo Rikki
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I too give out bookmarks with books. Usually hand made one. Either by me or by one of my nephews or nieces.
Mark it down
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