What do you use to keep your place in a book? do you use something meant for a bookmarker - or just grab the closest convenient slip of paper or yarn?
do you dog ear the pages?
here is an idea for a nice page marker
cut off the corners from the bottom of your junk mail envelopes, open up that triangle and place over the corner of the page you wish to mark. voila, instant book mark -
I like to use colored envelopes for this purpose as I find them easier to spot.... also a good idea if more than one member of the family is reading on the same book - different colored bookmarks for the different people.
[question posted by Modestah]
responses and comments:
That is a great tip - whilst I never dog ear the pages of a book, I keep on misplacing my bookmarks. [mrtimharry]
I can never seem to keep track of my bookmarks when I'm finished a book, so I will often just grab whatever is handy when I start a new one (piece of scrap paper, envelope, etc). The local library here still uses cards with the return date in the back of the book, so I usually use those now. I slip it in the pocket while I'm reading and when I finish the book so it doesn't get misplaced. Never need to go on the hunt since each book comes with one. [Ldyjarhead]
Yea, everything is computerized at out library too, but they still put the little card there so WE will know when its due. Other libraries give a little receipt (like cash register). I was supposed to remember that after I lost that little slip within minutes of leaving the library? :) [Ldyjarhead]
I use a broad-tipped marker and black out the parts that I've read. That makes it easy to get to the parts I haven't read yet, plus it forces me to remember everything I read. The public library has banned me from ever darkening their doorstep again. *grin* Actually, since my son usually has one or more Pokemon cards lying around, I appropriate one for a bookmark. [gantwick]
haha! you had me going there for a moment! I said to myself - I reckon gantwick does not read a book twice.... hehe [Modestah]
I often use junk mail as a bookmark, they work great. That and the dust cover of hardcoverbooks work great too if you don't have a bookmark handy. [Myrrdin]
I have dozens of bookmarkers. A few are pretty, fancy little ones made from tooled leather or handmade paper and many are giveaways from the library or bookstore. Unfortunately, I never seem to have one handy so I always wind up marking my place with an old, used envelope, a store receipt, an unused napkin etc. Whatever is handy is my bookmarker. LOL [irisheyes]
What a cool tip Mod..very cool and I will pass this on..now if I can only remember to do it! :) [TheHairDresser]
That's an excellent idea with the envelope corners to be used as bookmarks! But for me, too much hassle. I have various actual bookmarks that have been purchased by me or for me by friends and family, and I rarely ever use them (except for one crocheted cross that I keep in one of my bibles). I have two most common bookmarks in my books.... either a piece of folded toilet paper square or a cash register receipt. The toilet paper bookmarks started years ago when I rarely had tissues in the house, and would use toilet paper rolls instead, and it was just the most handy. It continued after having kids, because to be brutally honest, I get a lot of reading done in my bathroom because it's the quietest room in the house when the boys are awake. As for the cash register receipts, that is usually when I purchase a new book, and I'm so anxious to read it, that I pull it out of the bag, along with the receipt, and read right away. [CanadaGal]
I usually find a leaf while I'm walking to the bus stop and use it until it is misplaced. Then, I go and grab another. My current leaf-mark has lasted me 6 months. They're always a lot more interesting than flat paper bookmarks. [Haydogsup]
I love bookmarks myself and it's common for me to buy them just because their pretty or have a verse or saying on them I like. I give them to others as gifts alot (an excuse to buy more) but have a dozen or more around the house to use... This idea of the envelops is a great idea though and can see me using it sometime when I've misplaced other bookmarks. [byfaithonly]
I usually use a book mark. But if there isn't one available I have used everything from a toothpick to a corner of a piece of junk mail! I don't ever dog ear a page in a book. [jillhill]
I like to use old gift cards for book marks. I hate dog earring the pages. I don't know why but I have this obsession with keeping my books in good shape and taking good care of them. [homegrowntexasgirl]
I usually just grab a piece of paper as a bookmark, but one day I had a hair clip temporarily holding an errant piece of hair out of my eyes and pulled it out and clipped it on the page I was reading. It worked so well, I continued to use it. Also, once someone gave me a folded piece of cardboard that had two thin magnets pasted on sides facing each other. Folded over a page or two or three, it worked great! I seem to have lost that, too! With my own paperback books, I have been known to fold down a page. (not recommended) [Raysrunt]
our library gives out free bookmarks but i'm afraid i still dog ear the books. it's a bad habit and i must try harder. [superbren]
I find myself doing the same thing - only with catalogs to mark pages with items I may be interested in.... and also with magazines...bookmarks just seem to slip out of mags. [Modestah]
I remember my mum used to make bookmarks out of envelopes like that years ago, I had forgotten about it until I just read this! I might make myself one now, because at the minute I am using a nappy bag! Not a used one by the way ha, but it was the only thing to hand at that moment in time. [gemini_rose]
i donot need an book marks i never getup while reading a book [haryana]
I have bookmarks and do use them. I guess it goes back to my school days. I had one teacher that cut your grade one point each time she saw you use anything other than a bookmark. Weird but it stuck with me. [villageanne]
I use magnet markers. I got one with a puppy and a dog on it years ago but it was starting to get all worn out and I found a bunch of metal magnetic book marks a couple weeks ago. They fold in half and you clip them over the top of to the page you are on. They are great because they will never accidentally slip out of the book. And, they are pretty. The ones that I got a couple weeks ago have things like pictures of shoes, alcoholic drinks, old-fashioned bathtubs, flowers and butterflies. [cortjo73]
They are great and, trust me when I say that they won't do damage to the pages because, I am really anal about keeping my books as new looking as possible. I don't dog ear the corners, don't fold the front cover back as I read. I am so careful with my books it is borderline insane! LOL! So, the magnetic bookmarks are heavy duty but light weight enough that they don't do any damage. I found mine in the books and magazine section of CVS. The first one I had I got probably around 7 years ago from Hallmark but, I haven't seen them since then. I love them and had been trying to figure out how I might be able to make my own given the age of the one I got from Hallmark. It was really weird as I had been pondering it for a while when I just stumbled on the ones I found in CVS. Just such perfect timing! [cortjo73]
Thanks for the suggestion for an instant bookmark. I've never been one to have a 'proper' bookmark...it's usually to much trouble to find one, so anything goes: pages torn from old magazines, envelopes, postcards, scraps of paper, old lists, anything! [mcrowl]
I have a whole stack of clean unused postcards so I normally use that. Sometimes, card companies send me promotional materials and they have fanciful cardboard thingies which I also keep to use as bookmark. Since I have so many, I can afford to dump them after a few use. This will also minimize the accumulation of germs on the bookmark from all those people who have handled those books. I get my books mainly from the libraries so there are some books that look really dirty (and smelly). :P [lordwarwizard]
Why didn't I think of this before. This is such an excellent idea. I would surely use this and tell my friends about it. [jpso138]
I usually read books at one sitting, but if not I usually use a post-it tag. Color coding them is a good idea. The worse bookmark we ever found in a library book was a strip of raw bacon someone had apparently used as a bookmark. Eeeewwwwww! [drannhh]
Oh that is just so nasty. I'm surprised the book wasn't ruined. [kimbers867]
You know all of those annoying mail-in reply cards that they put in magazines for ordering new subscriptions, ect.? There are usually like 10 or more in each magazine that just fall out, and more that are attatched to the magazine. I use those. They have plenty to recycle and use as bookmarks for all those books I have. [lancingboy]
This depends on several factors. Where I am reading it, what I am reading, when I am reading. If I am reading in bed I will either just lay the book down or dogear it usually. If I am reading in a restaurant I will use a bookmark or the corner of a napkin. At places where I have to wait in line I will use a bookmark. And when I read in my chair I will use whatever is handy. [sageivyberyl]
Idea is good. But why should we waste this much time. I just fold the page for further reading afterwards. http://free-articles.blogspot.com [blossom123]
This is really an excellent idea! I also tended to misplace my bookmarks and started making my own bookmarks by printing nice sayings or quotes on nice paper, laminate them and use that as bookmarks. I was once very upset - A friend borrowed one of my books and she damaged the pages so much by just folding the corners over to keep her place. Since then, whenever someone borrows my books, I put one of my bookmarks in front of the book. That really helps to keep my books in good shape. [kathryn01]
Welcome to MyLot. I've made bookmarks like this as well and used them for a fundraiser at church! Excellent idea for keeping your books in good shape. [terri0824]
I use to dog ear my books, but since working in our elementary school's library I have learned this is a big no=no. I have been known to use a tissue, a ponytail holder, my library receipt. Or the latest was that my youngest picked one of the first crocus from our garden to give to me and I used that for a week. [kimbers867]
Yea...Modestah! That's exactly what I do, and whilst reading I just put it on the back cover page. Sure works, doesn't it....and we've recycled that junk mail for something. [pergammano]
it is really very nice idea to keep pages of book. i will definitely try that. till date i was using tickets, torn papers etc. few yrs back i made some coloyrful bookmarks. [subha12]
I really like this idea! We all know whe get more junk mail that we want, so that is a very useful idea to use the corner of the envelope for a book mark, and the different colors is also a great idea! [terri0824]
Hi Modestah, That's a good idea you have about the junk mail envelopes. I use a bookmark and never dog ear the pages. Blessings. [Pose123]
I usually use a piece of torn off paper or an inkpen to place out of the top of the book but paper works better [sweetaspie52]
yeah, my daughter keeps her place in her school texts by placing her pen in there - her idea is that she won't have to search out a pehe is ready to pick up the text again... my problem is that it breaks down the binding at the spine to do this. [Modestah]
Boy that is a really good idea. I like the idea of using envelope corners for book markers. I'll have to start saving them for that. I usually keep ribbons for book markers. That way I can move them from page tp page and not have to take them out of the book as I'm reading because they are thin enough to fit in the margin. Yes I'm going to star cutting the corners off all those junk mail and bills and save them in a handy place. [deebomb]
That's a real neat trick you have there. I used to use proper bookmarks but then laziness got the better of me so I just close the book and just look for the page when I open the book again. [catmint]
I have at least 27 bookmarks. I get another one every time I purchase a book at the local book store. I also pick up different ones in the rack at the library. I have received promotional book marks from authors and I a couple of special ones I purchased. I don't need to use scrap paper and I refuse to turn the page corners down. I won't damage the book. There are a couple of books I have that have built in book marks (a long string of ribbon glued to the top of the binding). [patgalca]
I prefer a bookmark but can never find one when I need it - most of them have tassels on the end so the darn cat likes to steal them and drag them around the house. Most of the time I wind up using a scrap of paper. [julievy]
lol, I can picture the cat doing just that! [Modestah]
I tend to use a book mark or a handy piece of paper. Never do i dog ear the corners. Thanks for the great idea! I'll give it a try! [sid556]
since they are my books I dog ear them, but if they are not I use anything, book mark, paperclip, envelope. I don't like doing that because I find the paper falls out and I lose my place anyhow. [winterose]
I like how paper clips will not fall out - but a metal one left in a book might rust it or leave impressions, so one of those little colorful plastic paper clips which are pretty useless in doing the job they are supposed to do, I find work great. [Modestah]
I am an avid reader, Modestah, and have collected many bookmarks over the years. I used to pass some of them along to my children and grandchildren because I accumulated so many of them, lol. I don't know why, but I rarely use bookmarks myself. I am one of those people who will grab anything that's handy and stick it into the book to mark my page. I NEVER dog ear a page in a book because I find it the same as defacing a book. I love your idea and will begin putting it into practice since I do receive a lot of junk mail. [worldwise1]
I use bookmark or sometimes i just fold the last page that i had read.Unfold it when i will read more again. [giePortlandOR_08]
I use book marks, and if I do not have any, I will use part of an envelope or a piece of paper. Any way I do have a lot of book marks, some I bought, and some I got when I went somewhere, and some I got when we got the Readers Digest Classic books. I would never mark or dog ear the pages. In fact, if I wreck the top of a book or a bottom of a page by mistake, I feel so bad about it, and I try as much as I can to make the book perfect. I do not even like marking important passages in them. I am that fussy. [suspenseful]
I sometimes use a bookmark when I am in reach of one. But I usually make my own with ribbons and a charm hanging at the end to save my place in books. I think it's better than a boring paper card. [mishastar]
I have a few bookmarks, but I can never find them. I usually end up folding a piece of paper into a bookmark and using that. If I'm just getting up for a minute I'll usually just keep the book open and set it face down on my bed (or wherever I'm reading) so I don't lose my page. [kel1131]
Any convenient piece of paper i can find, including junk mail hahaha...as long as it helps bookmark where i have stopped. [Britelite]
That's a great tip. Is your real name Heloise? I usually use postcards or cards as book markers. Rozarem sent me a stack of dream cards with explanations of dream symbols on the back, so I've been using them up. Don't even know how I got on their mailing list. Recently my daughter came to visit, and she asked to borrow a book. When she opened it, there was a mushy birthday card from her father, my ex-husband. I was so embarrassed when she read it aloud. She took the liberty of shredding it and putting it in the trash for me. [KATRINKA]
oh my! that must have been a shocker for, um, both of you! [Modestah]
I usually grab what ever is handy, a piece of toilet paper, kleenex, scrap of paper.. I am always losing my bookmarks so I stopped buying them. I don't like to see books with the little dog ears though, it drives me nuts..Makes the book look terrible.. [tholmes]
Well, every marker has its pros and cons. I use bookmarks because I have the habit of facing the back of my bookmark to the page where I left off. It's easier to keep track of the paragraph where I left off because the bookmark is placed directly in line on it. The tip you gave off is good. I'll try it, but I could see that it will easily be misplaced because I'm kind of carrying the book anywhere with me and I am very easy to misplace little things. Colorful bookmarks makes me more interested in reading books. [cr0ssf41r13]
that is a good idea, thank you for sharing - I always try to end at the beginning of a new page so I do not lose my paragraph... but with kids and interruptions that is not always easily done. [Modestah]
I have actual book markers that I use and have had the same one for so long that I can't even tell you where it came from. I get them all the time, free, in junk mail or from the library, when I go there. I have used pieces of paper, as well, but when I take them out and lay them down somewhere, I forget that that paper is the one I was using. I have many bookmarkers, though, so that is what I have used for a long time. I do hope that people DO NOT dog ear books that don't belong to them. I get upset when someone has borrowed a book of mine and done that to a corner of my book. Your suggestion with the envelope flaps is an excellent one and with all the junk mail that I get I'd have enough for the rest of my life!! [idowrite72]
OMG Modestah, you have solved one of my problems! The textbook for the course that I teach is a HUGE, thick book. I often need to reference and refer students to certain pages. I have numerous bookmarks but that is rather cumbersome to deal with. I like the idea of using different colored envelope corners so much better than my bookmarks! What a great tip. *scoots off to dig in the trash for junk mail envelopes* [crazynurse]
oh goody! I hope it works for you.... save those card envelopes too - they usually come in an array of colors and there are 2 usable corners on each one :) [Modestah]
before, when i'm reading a book, i can't leave it without having to use my favorite bookmarks. but i got busy with other things and a long time passed by that i wasn't reading any book. and when the time came that i was reading again, i can't find my favorite bookmarks anymore. ^__^;; i can't remember where i put them. LOL so i use any paper. and then, when i'm reading at the office, i don't have any bookmarks there and i use anything i can grab in my table, from ballpens to paper fasteners. ^__^;; [secretbear]
I don't use any bookmarks or anything else to mark my page when I am reading a book. I just turn the corner of the page to mark it. I used to use a bookmark but then I didn't know which page I was marking, the left page or the right page. So I would have to red the left page first and then find that, sometimes, I have already read it. I really like the idea you posted here, to use colored envelopes, since sometimes my husband and I are sharing and reading the same book, although not very often, but that would work very well for us for when we are. [chrislotz]
In the book I am reaing now, I am keeping my place with an old receipt I found in my wallet. Once when I needed to find something fast, I used a $5 bill. LOL As long as it's clean and convenient, I'll probably use it as a book mark at some point or another. [danishcanadian]
i usually use whatever's at hand..even kleenex sometimes LOL i used to dogear,but as i got older i realized i was damaging the book by doing so. now,just paper or the aforementioned kleenex. [scarlet_woman]
I use book marks that I had made for my wedding last year. I made sure I had quite a few put aside just for my personal use. Before that I would buy them when I bought a new book. Now I just use my own and I love them! [pressiet]
I just grab what's convenient. I'm sure I have real bookmarks somewhere, but I prefer to just use scrap paper, it's easier. I like to use the colored envelopes too, though I mostly just have blue and pink (I use blue!). I don't dog ear the pages. I think I did that a loooooong time ago but since I like to keep my books, I don't want to ruin them. And if I borrow it from a friend or the library, I don't want to damage their property either. That's a good tip to use the corners! I tend to just use the whole envelope, but if you want to mark more than one page, that's be an easy and quick way to mark them! [goodnightmoon]
I use a random peice of paper because it is cheap and easily replaceable. [MrHappyAsthma]
I never dog ear my books. I use a folded piece of paper unless I have a bookmark which I only have sometimes. Bookmarks are usually cheap and some are given away from time to time. Its just that I find using pieces of paper easy and convenient. [Bluepatch]
I have a few bookmarks but usually I just use a little slip of paper- and I have found that coupons work well because they are a good size. I wouldn't dog ear the pages because I don't like to bend them. [dopey22girl]
That's a great idea but I prefer bookmarks that are bought in bookstores. I really love having bookmarks and I can say that I'm an avid collector of them. I don't like dog-earring because I don't like folding the pages on my book. I really love bookmarks. They rule!!! [xXSnowFoxXx]
i make use of whatever is convenient to me like some cards, papers or some stickers. :) [attitudecounts]
Cut the corner off a used envelope and place it over the corner of your page; leave it on as you read until you wish to move it to another page. [aslanlight]
Lol I didn't see that you'd written that! Great minds think alike. [aslanlight]