I don't like to damage or deface a book in any way (other than the slightly bedraggled look that comes with being read, and read often - a true sign of a loved book), and so I really hate when people fold the corners of pages. It makes a crease in a perfectly nice page that is now there forever. Yeah, sure, you unfold it when you're done with it, but the crease is still there. And if you reread books as often as I do, all the pages will be creased.
Why do people fold the corners? To mark the page. Now, while I don't keep my page by folding the corner, I have been guilty of not using bookmarks in the past. Even though I had a seeming drawer-ful of them, I used anything but - random bits of paper, cardboard, kleenex.... Or I had the bad habit of leaving my books face down and open, like a tent, on the page I was reading, as if the book was waiting for me to return and pick it up right away - which was not always the case. You can see how good it is for books:
However, all my troubles were solved when I received this excellent Christmas gift.
They are magnetic bookmarks! They are terrific! There are about 12 or so in the box, and they are small.
The bookmark just clips on to a page, and the magnet ensures the bookmark doesn't fall out and get lost.
I use them now on all my books. And what's handy is while you're reading, you just clip it on to a back page until you're ready to put the book away, and then clip right on to your spot. I also use them as devices to stop myself from reading if a book is too entrancing. I look forward from my current spot to the next chapter break and set the bookmark there. Then when I arrive, I have an excuse to attempt to put the book down, as my spot is already marked for me. I now check very carefully every time I send a book back to the library so that I don't send a bookmark with it! I really love these little bookmarks and find them very useful. They are now an essential part of book-reading for me.
Hahaha!! I'm guilty of this - turning down page corners, that is. I don't mind the faint crease afterwards, because every time I re-read the book, it reminds me of the good times I've had reading it before. It would probably annoy me more if it were other people's creases, LOL!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I HATE leaving books open, face-down. I hate the little cracks on the outside of the spine that develop from that; if there was a way to read a (new) book without making any cracks, I would so do that (and I've tried reading books open at 45 degree angles too!). Pet peeves are idiosyncratic, ya know ;)
As for book markers, I'm not a fan. These magnetic ones seem better than most (at least they wouldn't keep falling out of the book, which ... ugh!) but I would probably still forget them all the time.
I guess we should never borrow books from each other, LOL!
I agree - I don't think we'll be able to exchange books anymore! Although, I have to say, I don't like to crack the spine either - it's just that most of my books that are favourites have been read over and over again and so a little cracked spine can't be helped, unfortunately. I don't leave books face down like that anymore - unless I've just put it down for a second to run and get something. Or it's a really old book! I do like to try and leave my books in really good condition (at least when I first buy them) so I'm really careful with how I read them, at first. But after awhile, nearly ever book in my library starts looking shabby. That's how you tell it's much loved!
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