Bookmarks or Dog Ears?
By dolce_vita78
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
Philippines
February 5, 2008 9:41pm CST
I love reading and when I start reading books that I really enjoy, I would like to just go on and on until my eyes are already tired. However, at times, there are other things that we need to do and so we just have to put down the book we are reading. When I take a break from my reading to do my other duties or before I sleep at night, I make sure that I place my bookmark on the page where I stopped so I can easily locate the page next time I decide to continue reading.
I know of some people who do not use bookmarks but instead use dog ears. Dog ears is an informal name for folding the corner of pages to mark where you are in a book, as opposed to using an actual bookmark. While generally frowned upon by those that want to preserve books in their original condition, it is particularly common in use on paperbacks which are designed to be cheaper and more harshly used than hardcovers.
I prefer using bookmarks because I make it a point to keep my books in good condition.
How about you? Do you use bookmarks? Or dog ears?
12 people like this
42 responses
@cifirretsbol (160)
• United States
6 Feb 08
definitely bookmarks! i hate folding down page corners because i don't like for my books to get beat up at all (be it creases or tears on the spine or the pages). even if the bookmark is nothing more than a random scrap of paper i have lying around it's better than nothing. and worst case scenario i will just do my best to remember what page i'm up to.
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
I also hate creased or tears on the spine or the pages. This happens very often to my magazines and journals especially when other people borrow them. Urgh!
Sometimes I also have the habit of using scrap paper as bookmarks when I can't find any of my bookmarks. Now I also use beaded or charm bookmarks which I create myself.
3 people like this
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
Yeah! Maybe I could send you some one day. What do you think? =)
2 people like this
@cifirretsbol (160)
• United States
6 Feb 08
that's a great idea to make your own bookmarks. i'll have to try that sometime as i have lots of extra ribbons and beads and such.
2 people like this
@lightningd (1039)
• United States
6 Feb 08
Bookmarks always. I have one really neat one with my son's picture, it is plastic and it was part of a special photo package from spring pictures when he was in elementary school. I transwer it to each new book, so I never loose it. If I start a new book and I don't have it with me, I'll use a business card or a scrap of paper to mark my place until I get it home.
I hate dog ears because it tends to ruin the book pages. It's one of my pet peeves. (possibly from working in a book factory, and I had to sort books that came out of the binders where pages had gotten folded over, and I had to shave off the excess from the dog ear.) So it's just a peeve of mine. Also if you ever get books from the public library, they really frown on it. I buy most of my books, but I prefer to keep them as nice as possible, so I'm kind of picky.
3 people like this
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
Bookmark with your son's picture? Wow... That's so cutie!
1 person likes this
@lightningd (1039)
• United States
6 Feb 08
It's actually pretty neat, it is out of hard plastic, like a credit card, and it has his picture and class of 2010 on it. It was some special promotion with the spring pictures his 5 grade year. (5 years ago), and I've used it that long and it's still in tip top shape.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
6 Feb 08
My answer is usually neither. I just grab a scrap of paper and call it a book mark. It costs infinitely less than a book mark. It does the same job. I can jot notes in it.
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
I also do that when I am in the library. Very practical!
3 people like this
@wondericequeen (7876)
• Hong Kong
6 Feb 08
I make sure I use a book mark or a piece of paper if I need to stop reading somewhere and need to go somewhere else. I don't use dog ears because I like to keep books in a really nice condition, I would hate if my books don't look very new. Therefore, I never fold the corners of the books!
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
6 Feb 08
To be honest, when I was a kid, I dogeared. I was more interested in the topic of the book than the condition I left it in. But in my late teens and twenties I spent more time in the library. I saw first hand how other s treated(or mistreated)books. I now have a collection of book marks. My husband gave me a lovely gold heart shaped one one Valentines day. My daughter has made me one in pre-school. So I am now and ever more a book marker!
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
I also have a collection of bookmarks too! A gold heart-shaped bookmark? For Valentines day? Wow! How sweet!
2 people like this
@kymommy72 (588)
• United States
6 Feb 08
I actually do both. On books I borrow from the library I will use a bookmark. They are not my books and I don't feel right in damaging them in that way. Books that are mine and I know I am keeping, I dog ear. Books that are mine that I will trade in a used book store I book mark. For the life of me I don't know why I just don't bookmark all the time, just of those little quirks I guess :)
3 people like this
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
You are right... When we borrow books, we have the responsibility to take good care of these books. Well, not everyone knows that. Or even if they do, they simply do not care. I hate it when people borrow books or magazines from me and when they give it back, I see obvious damages.
2 people like this
@livvy092002 (1032)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
Before, i used to dogear the pages of my books. However, when i realized that doing dogears easily torn the pages, i already use bookmarks. I love bookmarks too and i tend to collect them. Plus, i love my books so i do not want to tore them out. I am thinking of preserving them for a very long time because i know that even when i'm gone, my books will be passed on from generations to generations. I hope to give my books to my children and grand, grandchildren when i get old. :-) SO, i would like to suggest to all mylotters out there to take care of their books by not using dogears but bookmarks instead. :-)
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
6 Feb 08
Although I am far too uptight to deface a book and would never dog ear a real book, sometimes when reading a magazine, I "bookmark it" by tearing out the pages that I've finished. I know that is bizarre, b ut so many times I tear out an article to save to read later or to file away for reference, that one the magazine is messed up, it is just easier to throw away pages than to bookmark.
Once when I checked out a book from the library, after getting it home we found out the the previous reader had used a strip of raw bacon as a bookmark and left it in the book! Arrrghhhhhh! Another time, long ago when we were "starving studenst" I found a bus ticket to a destination 3 days away. Being a frugal tightwad and feeling like a vacation, I used it and took the bus ride. It was awesome. Much better than the bacon.
2 people like this
@mari_skye (1637)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
I always use bookmarks to mark the page that I read last. I cannot remember an instance when I dog eared a book even during those times when I cannot find a bookmark to use. What I did was to improvise, a candy wrapper, a piece of paper, a leaf... just about anything that is thin enough to use as a bookmarker.
3 people like this
@bogzdollox (26)
•
6 Feb 08
personally, dog ears do my head in, and i try to use anything rather tha crease the corner of a page, it ruins the book.
anything can work as a bookmark, my favourite is the dust cover, just flap it in on the page your at, and when youre past halfway, use the back flap of the dust cover.
2 people like this
@jhl930 (3601)
• United States
6 Feb 08
I have bene known to do a little of both before I have folded the pages down but I really dont make it a habit because I really dont like to damage the books that I get...I like to keep the books in really good condition too because other could want to read the books and they don't want damaged books or anything like that and if you decide that you want to try and sell the books to a store or to ebay or something like that people are more willing to pay prices for things that are not damaged or something like that!
3 people like this
@sminut13 (1783)
• Singapore
6 Feb 08
well bookmarks it is for me now. i admit i am guilty of being one of those who dog eared my books initially. but sometimes when i borrowed books from the library and saw the condition of the books due to it, i quit after that. also, using bookmarks tend to make the book look new longer.
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
6 Feb 08
I also have several cross stitch bookmarks. Some I did myself and others, given by my friends.
@SViswan (12051)
• India
6 Feb 08
I never dog ear a book...cheap one or not.
I've always used book marks. ...I like my books to be neat.
I've got books from my childhood that look like new and my husband always teases me and says that's because I never used them.....and I tell him...nope...that's because I took care of them.
Even paperbacks...book marks is the way to go and I hate it when someone borrows a book of mine and dogears it. I actually mention it the next time they borrow a book and ask them not to do it...and offer a bookmark if they don't have one (I've got tons).
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
6 Feb 08
I use a bookmark - always. Now, the bookmark might be the reciept from when I bought the book, or it might be an autentic bookmark. Sometimes I use the jacket of the book (if it's a hardback) if I don't have anything else. Everyone knows when I loan them a book, use a bookmark. I usually have plenty and have been known to loan the bookmark with the book. Even paperbacks.
1 person likes this
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
6 Feb 08
I use bookmarks. I don't like using the dog ear method. I can find my spot a lot easier with the bookmark than with the dog ear method.
1 person likes this
@mcrowl (1050)
• New Zealand
6 Feb 08
I know someone told me once that I shouldn't ever turn down the pages of a book, and I must have been very impressionable at the time, as I've never done it since! Or else the person was someone I treated as an authority figure - the curious part is that I can't remember who it was. Anyway, I seldom use bookmarks - at present I'm using the bus tickets I get on the way home.
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
6 Feb 08
I really like hardbacks because I can use the dustcover to mark my place. When I'm only reading one book & I'm working my way pretty quickly thru it, I'll look at the page number and get pretty close to it when I return. If its not such a good book, I'll use a scrap of paper to mark my place, and sometimes never return... but I've only seldom never finished a book - tho there was one recently....
1 person likes this
@Foxfire1875 (2010)
•
6 Feb 08
I always use bookmarks, anything to hand as long as it keeps my place I'm not bothered.
1 person likes this
