To bookmark or not to bookmark

8 Comments

Topics: Daily Life, The Little Things    

The Bookseller of KabulI am not a committed bookmark user. Sure, I have used them to hold my place as a I work my way through whatever book I am reading, but generally I just try to remember the page number before I close the book. Sometimes I have no issues with this trial-by-memory approach. Other times, I am very aware of my system’s shortcomings. (This has been particularly clear as I work my way through The Bookseller of Kabul – a book well worth reading.)

My primary hang-up with bookmarks is what to do with them when I am actually reading the book. Move it forward? Move it backward? Set it on the bed stand? It’s a cumbersome little tool, albeit in quirky way.

So, I am open to suggestions. Do you use a bookmark? If so, how?

Posted 16 Feb 2009

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8 Responses to “To bookmark or not to bookmark”

  1. Conall on February 16th, 2009 5:29 pm

    @ Liam –

    I really like bookmarks and always prefer to have one. I like to use a blank 3.5 x 5 index card. I like the ruled lines, and usually use it to guide my reading as I move down the page. Sometimes I move it to another spot of the book though. I like to use the card to take notes on what I am reading too.

  2. bridget on February 16th, 2009 7:16 pm

    I almost always use a bookmark, since I hate when people fold down the pages. I either place it somewhere else in the book, or I will absent mindedly play with it while I read. I will usually use whatever piece of paper I happen to find, although I prefer a more sturdy paper, i.e. an index card or a 10-ride metra ticket, to just your average paper.

  3. Meg on February 16th, 2009 9:02 pm

    I always use a bookmark as well (usually the receipt from the library telling me when the book is due). I hold it between the index and middle finger of my right hand while the rest of the hand holds that side of the book.

    That was harder to explain than I thought.

  4. Jayne on February 18th, 2009 8:00 pm

    I hope I am in the right place this time. Thanks for accepting a novice. Regarding the books on CD. I only get unabridged. They are usually 10 to 13 hours of listening.

  5. Liam on February 19th, 2009 9:27 pm

    @ Jayne:

    Blammo! Now you’re posting comments all over the place. You are high-speed, interwebs, tech-savvy! Yeah!

    So, does listening to a book at the end of the day work the same as reading in bed? Is it as relaxing?

  6. Bookmark Bookmarks 20 February 2009 | Bookmark Collector on February 21st, 2009 4:43 pm

    [...] At Chicken, Monkey, Dog the question was raised about what to do with a bookmark when you are reading – Link [...]

  7. Liam on February 23rd, 2009 12:17 pm

    @ Conall -

    I like the idea of a notecard. I often like to take notes on what I am reading. Matters to look into or research later. Nice one!

    Where do you keep the pen when you’re reading?

    @ Meg -

    Oh, I don’t think I could hold the bookmark whilst reading. I feel like it would just get in the way. Does it?

    @ Bridget -

    I tend to go with the random bookmark as well, but that has left me without a bookmark upon occasion. I think I am ready to try the use of a consistent bookmark.

  8. Conall on February 23rd, 2009 2:26 pm

    @ Liam

    You’ve hit the nail on the head. The pen always ends up as the weak link in the chain. I don’t always carry a pen along, so need to scavenge one from wherever I happen to be reading. Sometimes I have my briefcase, which is usually stocked with at least one pen, but not always. Alas, I don’t always have the capacity to take notes on my note card bookmark. At those times, I usually rely on typing notes into my cellphone.

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