Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Pet Peeve

Here's a reader's pet peeve that I'd like to take a reader's poll on: to dog-ear or not to dog-ear? Are you a bookmark user or a dog-earer? I'm personally a dog-earer.

My husband and I have an ongoing argument about this, and as shallow as it may sound, it actually gets at the root of a philosophical argument about how people view and value books.

My husband's argument is that if you dog-ear the pages of a book, it's disrespectful. You should treat books with respect, and deference. You should honor your books and be considerate of them.

My argument is that a book is like a cozy blanket, or your favorite jammies: they're meant to be loved and used. To me, a book with lots of dog-ears and a ratty binding, and maybe fingerprints inside shows that it's adored, well-read, and loved.

So tell me, do you bookmark or dog-ear?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

That's a good question ... I never thought about it. I guess I don't dog-ear. I'm pretty careful with books. I read once (can't remember where) that paper is precious because of the words which are written on it. Once the words are written ... they are forever shared with the world. I thought it was lovely ... and it conveys a kind of reverence which I feel about books.

You have the beginnings of a terrific blog ... can't wait for future posts. BTW ... on my site, in the blog roll, you'll find other author's blogs. You might want to check them out ... they are very supportive and offer a lot of good information for "would-be" writers.

Take Care!
Small Footprints
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Anonymous said...

that is a very good question. my answer is that I own a bookmark but never use it. I always bend my pages where I leave off, and then unwrinkle them when I get back into it. I think it's easier and it also makes your book your own. there's really no point in keeping the books in brand new condition, unless you're planning on returning them to get your money back.

odettethinks said...

i agree with u! if u love a book, it needs to look loved (dog eared) i always lose bookmarks... i read my favourite books over and over again and so they are quite dog eared but i dont mind, i reckon books get mory 'comfy' the more you read them!

all the best!
great blog!

Kelsey said...

I'm totally a hi-liter! If it is my book, of course. I've found that dog-earer come undone easily and it's easy to flip through a book and recognize parts you've hi-lited.

Debbie said...

Well, let me say welcome to the blogosphere. I would bring over a plate of cookies but I don't know where you live. Plus, that would be weird.
I am not a dog-earer and frankly the idea of it makes me a little sqeamish. I vote with husband on that.
My kids just finished Brsinger but I haven't read any of that series yet. They love them.
The last great book I read was Gargoyle. Have you read that yet? Phenomenal, and I don't say that very often.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Anonymous said...

i don't dog-ear.. whenever i find my books dog-eared, i freak out.. i'm particularly careful with my books, even the way I flip their pages. i also don't use bookmark. i don't know.. i always forget to buy or borrow one. but sometimes i put in things which are not exactly bookmarks (like sand paper, etc) heh! heh!

i like your blog. :)

alana said...

This definitely seems to be a very polarizing subject. It’s like eggnog (or tequila lol), either you love it or you don’t. I love books and feel that a book should be used and not treated like a pristine museum specimen. Dog-eared pages are just part of that. And for me, water spots from reading in the bath.

I have broken myself of the habit though. I started buying so many books that my boyfriend practically shoved me into the library. Now I just use whatever random scrap I find near me. Bobby pins actually work really well.

M. Bail said...

Alana - paperclips are good too! But I still fold. So does my son. When we're reading the same book at the same time (sharing :) ) there are 2 folds at a time!