Booking Through Thursday

Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008

Booking Through Thursday

This week’s topic:

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

This is such an easy-squeezy answer for me! I am an avid bookmarker. I don’t read without one. And, if I’m somewhere and I don’t have one, I shove a business card or receipt in the book to mark my page.

YES….! It’s a practical crime to bend back the cover… eeeewwweee! Once, I borrowed a Janet Evanovich book from a friend. Because it was so small, there ended up being creases on the spine. I wouldn’t even return it like that. I bought her a brand new book and I kept the slightly crinkled one!

I’m addicted to “book floss” type of book markers. But, they’re hard to find… so, the twins and I started making them. We just launched our first “on-line business” selling them. They are perfect because they are just a thin silk thread in there keeping your page. And, they don’t slip out because of the ends. Our line is called BookCharmers and we have them available on-line at www.bookcharming.com/wp.

One of the first things I do when books come in the door is to put an address label in the front cover (you know, with my name, address, etc.). Then, I find the perfect BookCharmer for the book and in it goes. And, it stays there until the book is read. I’m so neurotic… but, it makes me happy! Every book has a different tone and needs a different marker, for goodness sake!

Now for the bad news… since I became a blogger… I make small dog ears on the bottoms of the pages that have the quotes I love. I want to share the quotes in my reviews… I need to keep stickies with me when I read and use those instead so that I don’t dog ear anymore… that’s it… I’ll start tonight!

One time, I visited a psychic… and the first question she asked me is why I keep papers and stuff in my books. I hadn’t thought that I did.. but, I do. I can always tell that I’ve read a book because there is some little paper in there that doesn’t belong in there. Yes… I’m addicted to books!

16 Comments

| Posted in Personal Blogs

16 Responses

Sally

October 30th, 2008 at 12:12 am

As I come across something that I’d like to quote for my review, I stick a piece of paper–a napkin, a torn bill–anything. Then, when I next go to my computer, I have a bunch of things hanging out of my book.

Your floss invention sounds like a winner.
The Social Frog

October 30th, 2008 at 12:16 am

I alos have to always use a bookmark or something of the sort, but I do “use” my books more than I used to.
Cathy

October 30th, 2008 at 12:31 am

I use colorful little Post-It “flags” that you can get at office supply stores. You can even stick them right onto the spot on the page where the quote is so there’s no temptation to use a pencil or highlighter to mark the quote spot. And since they’re sticky, they’re reusable.
karen @ morsie reads

October 30th, 2008 at 5:05 am

I have a few of the floss bookmarks (a friend of mine makes some lovely ones with very thin jewelry wire), but for some reason I don’t use them much. I guess I prefer stiffer paper untasseled bookmarks.

Happy Thursday!
Yvonne

October 30th, 2008 at 5:06 am

I love bookmarks, too. I have a ton of them. I love the bookcharmers! What a great idea.
Sunny

October 30th, 2008 at 5:33 am

I love the Book Charmer idea! And that’s so interesting you match the charmer to the book. I love it!

Good idea with the sticky note. I am ticky about my books too and like them in perfect shape.
Mary Beth (Cats, Books, Life is Good)

October 30th, 2008 at 6:02 am

I love your book charmers – have you thought of opening a store on etsy? It’s for all hand made items. We make knitted hats and animals for kids and our business really took off when we opened it on etsy.

I mark books with everything available. My only qualm about using sticky notes is the gummy part sometimes leaves a sticky residue and I’d be afraid to have the pages stick together. I find things in books (subway schedules, etc.) that take me back to the last time I read the book. It’s a great way to see where you were in life for that book:)
Barbara H.

October 30th, 2008 at 6:34 am

I usually use just some piece of paper for a bookmark, and then tear off a piece to mark a place where a quote is that I want to remember. Some of my books have dozens of paper strips peeking out the top! I like the idea of stickie notes except that I do a lot of reading — ahem — in the bathroom, and there’s really no place to keep them there.
Susan B. Evans

October 30th, 2008 at 6:39 am

I have a special bookmark: my husband went into one of those mall photo booths several years ago while he was waiting for me, and he gave me the pictutres. Now they’re my bookmark and I love them!

I use post-it flags for quotes or other info I want to remember in my blog. They work really well for me.
Shana @ Literarily

October 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am

I bought a package of the Post-It flags too but I’m still dog-earing. Old habits die hard.

Sher, I love the idea of putting an address label on the book as soon as it comes in the door.

I loan out my books all the time and I have no idea who has what at any given time. Most everyone has been excellent about returning them eventually, but there are a few I’ve never gotten back.
Kat

October 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am

Ah, I have to agree. I can spot a new crease or crinkle in a book that wasn’t there earlier haha.

I use any thin sheet of paper for a bookmark. I even made one for myself with my drawings. I don’t really like using the ones that leave the book slightly open when the marker is placed. Cheers!
Dawn

October 30th, 2008 at 8:57 am

Like Sally I use a lot of scraps of paper to mark quotes I want to re-visit when I review. I posted about “unusual bookmarks” in my BTT post.

I like how you match the bookfloss to the mood of the book, Sher. Have you ever changed the marked mid-way, if the book turned out to have a different direction than you expected?
yasmin

October 30th, 2008 at 10:01 am

That was funny about the psychic!
Jeane

October 30th, 2008 at 12:28 pm

Your Book Charmers are really cool. I don’t know if I’d ever use one, though. Way back when I underlined in books (shudder) I also used to dog-ear pages, so quick and easy. Now I always make sure to have a little bit of paper to mark my place, and jot down notes on. I write all the page numbers of things I want to remember, and then when I sit down to write about a book, the notes are all ready on my bookmark.
R

October 30th, 2008 at 12:52 pm

I love the book charmers, but I couldn’t use them since I don’t like things sticking out of my books. Even my bookmarks (read business cards) are left in the middle of the book so that they can’t be seen.

But one question, how do manage to read a papreback without cracking the spine? I would live to know because I hate the “fan effect” you get from cracking it.
JLS Hall

October 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm

I’m a real bookmark collector, so I always have one handy. I even like to make my own appropriate bookmark for each book I read – with a space for making notes right on the bookmark. And yet, I still dog-ear some books. And mark up the pages with notes. Old dog, new tricks I guess.