There aren't many things that drive me crazy in my bibliophile world. (Don't get me started on "The movie was better than the book!" though.) Still, one thing that perturbs me is when people don't take good care of their books. My books are among my most prized possessions. Therefore, I try to keep the dust jackets unbent and smooth, and I handle books with dry, clean hands only. Above all else, I never, ever, ever, EVER dog-ear pages. That's what bookmarks and sticky notes are for.
If someone wants to write in their book, that's their prerogative (as long as they own it, and the book isn't a library copy). If they want to shove a paperback in their backpack and pile a ton of textbooks on top of it, that's their right. I wouldn't do that personally, but whatever. But I cannot abide anyone dog-earing a book's pages. Bookmarks were invented for a reason!
Whenever I see someone dog-earing a page, my heart actually stops.
(My actual reaction.)
It causes me great pain to see someone abusing a book in such a way.
I often think, That book never did anything to you; it does not deserve to be treated so cruelly! Now that poor book has to live with a creased page forever. Even if you unfold the dog-ear, the mark is still there, and the book is suffering.
A tad bit melodramatic? I suppose so. But it's not that hard to mark your spot in a book some other way. If you don't have a sticky note or a lovely bookmark at your disposal, use a clean napkin, or a note card, or literally anything that'll hold your place in the book without forever damaging it. Especially if you're reading a library book, this is key. You're not the only one who will hold that book in your hands; it's disrespectful to dog-ear the pages. Plus, creased pages are just ew in general.
On the positive side, if you use actual bookmarks, you'll have something cute or pretty poking out of your book. I love little magnetic ones, since they don't fall out as easily. I also often try to choose my bookmark based on the book I'm reading. For example, if I'm reading a book I know is set in Paris, I'll choose one of my Eiffel Tower bookmarks.
I can't finish this post without promoting some awesome bookmark stores on Etsy because, obviously, a bibliophile's bookmark needs to look awesome.
I've personally ordered from Happy Hello Art twice, and I plan to do so again in the future when I'm not so broke (side effect of being bookish, oops). Also, I love RemHeathillustration's Rattle the Stars bookmark - but she has other great options too!
So there you have it. This has been a Bibliophile PSA: Use bookmarks.
**This post was written to be over-the-top and a bit unreasonable, so please don't take offense. But please don't dog-ear your book pages.**
