As readers, we’re constantly using bookmarks or things as bookmarks. Some of us have our preferences, and some of us don’t. Some of us might not even use bookmarks. We asked our team what they think of bookmarks and where on the book alignment chart they find themselves. Come check out their answers!
Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil
I read a lot of ebooks, but I still love my physical books. So, for ebooks, I don’t mark it; I just shut it down, and it opens to where I was last reading. With physical books, though, I either grab a random piece of paper, receipt, football card, or sometimes even a dollar bill as a bookmark. I also never take that out when I reach the end of the book. It becomes a part of it, and when I re-read it, I already have a “bookmark” for that particular book. My kids get a crack out of it when they borrow them.
The “real” bookmarks I have are displayed on my fanart wall between my bookshelves. When I don’t have anything handy, my lawful evil comes out, and I just memorize the page I was on and shut the book. It annoys the hell out of my husband as he’s tried to trip me up by moving the bookmark or distracting me and changing pages. Muahahaha!
- Kristi Eskew, Editorial
True Neutral and Chaotic Neutral
I would say I mostly use proper bookmarks. They’ve recently become a staple souvenir piece when I travel. One of my favorites is a wooden surfboard with a pink flower — super cute and silly! Sometimes I like to pair the bookmark with the book content. So, for example, I might use the surfboard when I read a summer novel.
My chaotic neutral side comes out when I read poetry or romance novels because I use dried flowers to mark my place. Probably because flowers are more romanticized, and it fits the vibe. But a classic bookmark with a bookstore name on it works perfectly too!
- Olivia Mason, Editorial
Chaotic Good and Lawful Neutral
I am one of those people with a small collection of bookmarks gifted to me by friends and family who know what a bookworm I am. The trouble is that I am constantly losing or misplacing said bookmarks and have to resort to using whatever objects are within grasping distance to create a makeshift one. I have used everything from tissue paper to doggy bags, playing cards, business cards, old shopping lists, envelopes, and even dental floss. I wish more books included the ribbon because they look super cool and are incredibly convenient.
I travel a lot, so I read e-books because of their convenience and portability. Another plus side is that they save your place when you’re done reading and share this location across devices. No bookmark scavenger hunt is required!
- Makenzie Young, Social
Chaotic Good and True Neutral
I never really cared about my bookmarks until a few years ago. I never really cared what I used, usually grabbing a napkin or a paper towel to mark my place. But a few years ago, I was reading a newspaper and saw a picture of trees that I really liked, and I wanted to use it as a bookmark. I don’t know why I wanted to, but I knew I wanted to. So, I cut the picture of the newspaper but found it to be too flimsy. It worked just fine, but I wanted it to be a little more rigid. So, I taped the newspaper clip to a few playing cards, as any normal person would do. On one side of my bookmark is a cool picture of trees, and on the other side are two kings, one king of diamonds, and one of spades.
I recently found a bookmark I made in kindergarten using construction paper and my poor drawing skills. It was all torn and ripped up, but the sight of it brought back a lot of memories. I think that is what made me make my newspaper playing card bookmark. I want to look at a bookmark and remember the books I read using it.
- Brandon Smith, Editorial
Chaotic Evil
I always fold the top corner when reading, but I didn’t realize this was considered evil! I like the feeling, though; it feels accomplished when you get to flip through a book and see all your past bookmarked pages. I also love the sensation of bending the paper and folding it down, it is an unreal feeling, and I don’t really mind if it leaves marks on the pages. It also comes in handy when I have a page I want to revisit. Then, I will bend the bottom corner instead of the top. Hate on me if you want, but I am a page bender, and I have no shame in it!
- Erin Ewald, Editorial
Chaotic Good
Despite being a massive bookworm, I don’t think I’ve owned a proper bookmark since I was in elementary school and still attending book fairs, so I tend to use a folded-up piece of paper to mark my place. Usually, it’s a Post-It or a piece of scrap paper — whatever happens to be within arm’s reach at the moment.
I’ve considered dog-earring my books on occasions when I can’t find a scrap of paper to use, but the thought of the book pages creasing drives me a little insane for some reason, so in those cases, I tend to place the book face down on the table until I can find a suitable piece of paper to use instead. Maybe one of these days, I’ll actually invest in a proper bookmark, but for now, scrap paper works just fine!
- Lauren Nee, Editorial
Lawful good and True Neutral
I still have a bookmark that I made in Spanish class in middle school. I have a bookmark collection. Some are paper, laminated, magnetic, metal, fabric, leather, or in a protective sleeve. I have bookmarks that are from national parks and bookstores. One book came with its own custom bookmark. Some have decorative ribbons, tassels, or charms hanging from them.
Most of my bookmarks have some sort of inspirational quote or funny picture on them — Edvard Munch’s Scream, grumpy cat bookmark, etc. If a book comes with a ribbon as a bookmark, then I’ll use that. Sometimes I have to use a scrap of paper. The hardest part is usually figuring out which bookmark to use with whatever book that I happen to be reading. With my KindleFire, I don’t use a bookmark; I just remember where I left off.
- Christina H, Graphics
Chaotic Evil to True Neutral
I’m a bookmark collector! Let’s start there. I actually have over 200 bookmarks, so I’m never short on one to use when I need to mark my place in a book. I just can’t see using anything other than a proper bookmark. When I was younger, I used to fold down the pages, but that was when I didn’t know any better. Haha! Older me looks back on that and cringes just thinking about it. Now I make sure I have a bookmark on hand with every book.
I even mark a future book with a new bookmark to get me started after I finish the current book I’m reading. My favorite bookmarks are the ones that have personality; they are whimsical, glittery, and fun. They have favorite characters, like the Ninth and Tenth Doctors from Doctor Who, or mythical creatures like elves, faeries, and dragons. And I love a good tassel, so I can lift the bookmark without hassle and get to reading!
- Quiarah B, Editorial
Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil
My OCD is very interesting because things have to be just messy enough that they are organized for me to understand. This goes hand-in-hand with my bookmarking tactics. Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil describes me perfectly (as a person and as a reader). I will shove absolutely anything into a book to mark a page, or I will use nothing at all and attempt to memorize the page number. There are numerous reasons why these methods can be seen as both chaotic and evil.
To start, I have used any flat, paper-like object under the sun to shove between the pages— receipts, scraps of paper, pictures, pens, you name it. But sometimes, they get lost between the pages. I really like to wedge them in there, and they don’t always fall out, even when you shake the book out.
Now here’s when the evil comes into play; I often just shut a book in hopes of remembering the page number or chapter. I have no idea why in all my years of reading, this tactic hasn’t changed; it does not have a high success rate. A classic move of mine is not remembering, flipping through the book (where I, of course, come across a large amount of random bookmark scraps), and end up reading either before or after where I actually left off.
This tactic has allowed me to basically reread a whole book when I was just about finished or finish a whole book and miss the entire middle section. I have never been able to grasp how I am such an avid reader, and the basic function of picking up a book and continuing it from where I left off is just not in my interest; it’s all just part of my lore!
- Olivia Salamone, Editorial
Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil
While I have quite a lot of proper bookmarks, I somehow always misplace them or forget that I even have them lying around. I am most fond of the dog ear method when I’m saving my place because I love having my favorite books look worn and well-read. I also have the unfortunate habit of cracking spines because of this proclivity.
When a certain book of mine is far too precious to mangle, like a hardback or an older book I’ve been gifted, I use discarded lists that I have made. I am a compulsive list maker and always have a whole bunch of them around at my disposal. I’m hoping someday I will come to appreciate my bookmarks and use them as intended, but for now, my peculiar methods suit me just fine.
- Austin Decker, Editorial
Chaotic Good… Maybe Neutral
I actually don’t always use a bookmark. Very rarely do I dog ear books. I honestly just try to remember where I left off, which is usually at the beginning of the next chapter. Is that weird? I don’t know, but I can just randomly flip to a page that I left up on and continue my reading. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing…
- Sierra Jackson, Editorial
Chaotic Good, True Neutral, and Lawful Evil
For me, it really depends on what I have around. There’s this second-hand used bookstore near where I live, and they have these amazing bookmarks with book quotes and other phrases on them, and I have like ten of them. However, I usually end up leaving them in a book that I end up forgetting about and don’t finish (I have two in two different Cassandra Clare novels), as I’m also the person who ends up reading five different books at once.
Instead, I’ll normally just use whatever is around (since the bookmarks are usually MIA), like a Post-It note or a receipt. If nothing else is available, I’ll just remember the page number. I’m usually good about remembering the number, even if it’s days later, but if I forget, I normally just flip through to find my spot.
- Alexandra Mellott, Editorial
Did you like any of our bookmark choices? What do you use as a bookmark, and where do you fall on the chart?
For more Bookstr Confessions, click here.