Ten odd things used as bookmarks

Metro ticket used as a bookmark

There has been some chatter recently about bookmarks. Frisbee has taken to trying her hand at knitting them here. Penny at Lifeonthecuttoff had a post about a new book about strange things found in books here.

As someone who would never turn down a page to mark my place - someone Anne Fadiman calls a courtly book lover - here is a list of ten items I have used as bookmarks. Although I have a basket full of bookmarks - from bookstores in other cities, states and countries   - I am sometimes caught unawares and have to make do.

1. A piece of dental floss - not used.
2. A leaf - from picnic reading.
3. An index card that invariably has something important noted on it - a phone number or address - and gets lost in the book.
4. The computer-generated due date receipt from the library. I hate these. They are as banal as a grocery store receipt. I used to love the hand-stamped dated ones as each book had one to use to mark my place.
5. A paper napkin - it was handy.
6. A newspaper article or a torn-off corner of a page of the newspaper.
7. A dollar bill.
8. A Kleenex - like the floss, unused.
9. A piece of ribbon - this always seems to be so old fashioned and romantic.
10. A Metro ticket from Paris.